The Academic Celebration is one of the biggest events of the year at Karlstad University and a long-standing tradition. On 14 October it is time again – with great pomp and ceremony we will confer degrees on new doctors and honorary doctors and inaugurate our new professors. We will also pay attention to this year’s docents and adjunct professors.
Freedom – a beautiful word with so many meanings that we, living in Sweden, often take for granted.
Fredrik Wikström, Professor in Environmental and Energy Systems at the Service Research Center, Karlstad University, answers questions about energy prices and shares useful tips on how you can reduce your electric energy consumption.
Why are energy prices soaring in Sweden?
- Above all, it is because energy prices in Europe are so high. Since we have a common electricity market, the demand for Swedish electricity is higher and hence Swedish prices also go up.
Vaccinating a large enough portion of the population against various diseases is a constant challenge. Despite COVID-19 vaccination being offered for free, many people are still not fully vaccinated.
The climate movement groups Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion aim for the same goal while using different methods. Sol Agin, who recently completed her PhD in media and communication studies, has focused her research on their way of communicating about an extremely complicated subject.
When Swedish people speak up on behalf of the environment, they prefer to do so in the form of peaceful protests inspired by Greta Thunberg’s work with Fridays for Future.
Bio-based resources from well managed forests play important roles in transition to a sustainable society. In WoodPro, the research team will explore new processing chains that convert forest residues to high-value industrial chemicals and soil amendment products.
- WoodPro is an EU cooperation in form of a consortium with three sub-projects hosted in Karlstad University, the Natural Resources Institute in Finland (LUKE) and the University of Eastern Finland (UEF).
In 2016, Karlstad University was given the right to issue a Degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts at Ingesund School of Music. The experiences gained from that application process were then utilised in a new application for a Degree of Master of Fine Arts, which was submitted to the Swedish Higher Education Authority, UKÄ. The application has now been approved and Ingesund School of Music can issue a master’s degree.
Teacher motivation is a major factor affecting students’ motivation to learn a second language. But what motivates the teachers? English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ motivation has not been given enough attention, particularly in China, where English plays a key role. A new thesis study at Karlstad University investigates the motivation of English teachers at the university level in China.
Karlstad University has been granted funds from the Knowledge Foundation, for conducting research on energy-efficient tissue manufacturing, in collaboration with the paper industry.
Bo Edvardsson, professor at Karlstad Business Service Research Center (CTF), and Bård Tronvoll, professor at CTF and Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, are the editors for the newly published Palgrave Handbook of Service Management.
- The book provides a unique and current overview of service management research, says Bo Edvardsson.
Björn Sjöstrand, senior lecturer in Chemical Engineering, has been awarded the Heinzel-Mondi-Sappi Award for his research on the virtual paper machine. His research makes it possible to optimise and test the manufacturing process in the industry, without expensive production stoppages.
“The award was given out at the Paper & Biorefinery conference in Graz in Austria,” says Björn Sjöstrand.
Why are discussions of whether you had to wait alone in your friends’ room while they ate dinner with their families, pushing away discussions about more important issues in the internet? Charlotte Bäccman, senior lecturer in Psychology, explains.
A war is being fought in Ukraine, Sweden are approximately 100 days away from an election, climate change is an enormous challenge and the energy prices are skyrocketing.
Have you ever felt frustrated with all the technology surrounding you? You are not alone. In his book Rethinking Communication Geographies, André Jansson, professor of Media and Communication Studies, has compiled his research on a subject that is relevant to our digital everyday lives.
The school must be notified about sick children. Travel plans must be made. The tax returns must be finished on time.
Coaching via text messages can contribute to healthier habits and a better sense of well-being. This is shown in a study where researchers at CTF, Service Research Center at Karlstad University, together with Friskvården i Värmland, have examined how digital services can complement physical meetings and facilitate behavioural change.
Changing your habits to a healthier way of life is not easy.
The digitalisation of both industry and the wider society has only just begun. Communication technology and cellular networks are key factors for the digital transformation and will shape our lives in the coming decade. The project DRIVE has just been launched at Karlstad University and it will last eight years.
Latency is the delay that occur in digital services when they are connected online.
Björn Sjöstrand, Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering at Karlstad University, was awarded the Young Researcher’s Award 2022 at Forum for Bioeconomy.
Solar cell researchers from Karlstad University have once again conducted experiments in zero gravity during parabolic flights in Bordeaux, France. The aim is to study how the structure of the active layer of the polymer solar cell is formed, to thereby be able to increase its efficiency.
– This is the second time we have conducted experiments during parabolic flights, says Jan van Stam, Professor of Physical Chemistry at Karlstad University.
Mangroves can thrive in harsh environment and are used to natural perturbations like tropical cyclones. But, with several confounding pressures exacerbating each other, mangroves fail to withstand and diminish.
Mangroves, the coastal cousins of the inland forests, do not only represent a unique set of rich biodiversity but also provide important livelihoods, coastal defence, and carbon sinks.
Researchers Avit Bhowmik and Sol Agin comment on the latest report from The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
For the very first time, IPCC explicitly recognized and emphasized the role of diverse non-state and subnational actors in climate action.
What barriers do consumers face on the digital market place, and how can these be counteracted? In a project with the Swedish Consumer Agency, researchers at CTF, Service Research Center at Karlstad University, have examined this issue.
