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• 2026-04-23

  Dissertation explores how the earliest history of the Nordic region is taught in schools

  How is prehistory taught in schools, and to what extent does classroom teaching reflect current archaeological research? These are the questions explored by Lena Almqvist Nielsen in her dissertation, “Prehistory in Schools: Historical, Archaeological and Didactic Perspectives on Textbooks, Educational Films and Site Visits, circa 1900–2020”, which she defended in spring 2025.

  Lena Almqvist Nielsen’s interest in prehistory began during her Master’s studies in archaeology. After graduating, she worked as a substitute teacher at a lower secondary school, where she soon discovered a strong interest in teaching as well. This led her to teacher education and, eventually, to a career that has brought archaeology and education together – most recently through the graduate school Käkk.

• 2026-04-21

  Industrial PhD Students in EXACT Present Their Research in Short Films

  How do you explain advanced research in a way that is understandable even outside academia? Industrial PhD students in the research school EXACT at Karlstad University have now taken on that challenge in front of the camera. Four new short films, in which the doctoral students present their research in a popular‑science format, have recently been published.

  The films are part of a new element in the doctoral education, with a strong focus on communication. Instead of presenting their research solely through traditional academic formats, the doctoral students were tasked with summarising their work in a short film aimed at a broad audience.

• 2026-04-20

  New Research Findings: Football Academies Place High Demands on Families

  Participation in football academies can involve significant financial, time-related and social commitments for families. This is shown by a new study from Karlstad University and Halmstad University, conducted as part of the Swedish Research Council for Sport Science’s government assignment on costs in children’s and youth sports.

  The study is based on interviews with 41 parents of children aged 10–16 and highlights how costs arise, are experienced and are justified in different types of football academies. The results show that the costs of academy participation vary greatly between organizations and can range from a few thousand Swedish kronor per year to more than SEK 50,000 per season, depending on the club’s organization, resources and the content of its activities.

• 2026-04-17

  Valborg Kicks Off on Monday!

  Walpurgis Night (Valborgsmässoafton) always falls on 30 April, but for students at Karlstad University the celebrations start as early as Monday 20 April under the collective name Legendarborg. It will be a packed period of events where both students and staff are welcome to take part!

  The Karlstad Student Union and the student association Kaulas have worked long and hard on the Valborg celebrations, which this year are being expanded with even more activities to suit all tastes.

  – For the past two years we have organised Festivalborg here in the car park behind Building 21, as construction work down in Haga meant that Gubbholmen was not accessible in the same way as before, explains Hilda Kläppe Hellström, Head of Student Social Affairs at the Karlstad Student Union. However, this year the students voted to move back down to the greenery at Gubbholmen again.

• 2026-04-17

  DHINO brought together academia, the public sector, and industry for dialogue on digital health innovation

  On April 14–15, DHINO hosted the annual Partner Days, bringing together around 30 representatives from academia, the public sector, and industry to exchange experiences and discuss the development of digital health innovation in healthcare.

  “The Partner Days are a recurring activity where we invite our collaboration partners to share good practices,” says Charlotte Bäccman, project manager for DHINO and associate professor of Psychology at Karlstad University.

  Jakob Trischler, deputy project manager and associate professor of Business Administration, continues: 

  “It is unique to bring together so many different areas of expertise in one place. This type of collaboration is essential for addressing complex societal challenges related to digital health innovation”.

• 2026-04-16

  Cybersecurity in focus during Ethical Hackarinas

  On April 8–9, the first Ethical Hackarinas event was held at Karlstad University. It was two intensive days that put ethical hacking in focus and contributed to increased knowledge and awareness in the field of cybersecurity.

  The program offered a mix of inspiring lectures and hands-on activities, with participants from industry, academia, and the public sector. The event was aimed at both beginners and individuals with a broader interest in technology, security, and issues related to inclusion and representation within tech. With a strong emphasis on practical elements, participants had the opportunity to try things out themselves, and no prior knowledge was required.

  Two of the attendees explained why they were interested in participating: