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News

• 2025-05-14

  Motivational Interviewing can support teachers in their relational work

  Teachers in today’s schools are faced with many challenges. Especially when it comes to building relationships with pupils and guardians. Martina Jordan, recent PhD graduate in educational work at Karlstad University, has investigated the use of Motivational Interviewing (MI) in schools, focusing on how MI can enhance teacher efficacy in facing challenges related to building relationships, and facilitate collaboration around positive change.

  Martina Jordan’s doctoral thesis shows that the conversational method MI is useful in a variety of situations; in building relationships with pupils, managing conflicts, in conversations with guardians and responding to challenging student behaviour. MI is a goal-oriented conversational style used to increase ndividuals’ motivation for change and growth, and is based on an empathetic approach and four key processes; engaging, focusing, evoking and planning.

• 2025-05-12

  Research project wants to create sustainable rural ecosystems through place design

  - With this project, we want to help lay the foundation for an ecosystem that supports collaboration between industries and sectors. The objective is to create synergies and boost the competitive edge of the companies and the appeal of rural locations, says Lotta Braunerhielm, docent in Human Geography at Karlstad University.

  Lotta Braunerhielm, please tell us about the project

• 2025-05-09

  Seed funding through MIRAI and STINT enhances international research collaboration

  Two projects led by researchers at Karlstad University have through MIRAI been granted seed funding, which will provide our researchers with opportunities for international collaboration and increased mobility.

  MIRAI, with support from STINT, announced funding to support research collaborations between the member universities in Japan and Sweden. The aim is to develop new and existing collaborations through innovative projects. Out of 43 applications, eleven projects were selected for funding, two of which are led by researchers at Karlstad University.

• 2025-05-09

  Mussels as nature's own engineers

  Raviv Gal does research that he hopes will contribute to healthier watercourses and increased biodiversity. Fewer blackflies, higher biodiversity, and slower decomposition – these are some of the unexpected effects that freshwater pearl mussels have on their surroundings in the stream. Raviv Gal recently defended his PhD in biology at Karlstad University.

  The freshwater pearl mussel is one of Sweden's longest-living animals – some individuals can live up to 280 years. But it is also a so-called ecosystem engineer. By filtering water, slowing down water flow, and producing nutrient-rich faeces, mussels affect all life in the stream. 

  "They do so much more than you think," says Raviv Gal. "They may look a bit like stones and don't move much, but they have a big impact on their surroundings."

  Research with Unexpected Findings

• 2025-05-06

  Karlstad University took the next step in groundbreaking 6G project

  The 6G-PATH (6G-Pilots and Trials Through Europe) project at Karlstad University has entered a new phase where the technology is being tested in practice. The goal of the project is to enhance healthcare education by utilizing advanced communication technologies such as 5G and 6G, combined with Extended Reality (XR) and Virtual Reality (VR).

  A central component of the project is the use of an advanced patient simulator, a manikin that can mimic various medical conditions and reactions. With the help of 6G technology, the manikin is planned to be used in more realistic environments, such as simulated accident scenes, providing students with a more authentic training experience.

  "Advanced mobile technology enables interactive training in environments that were previously difficult to recreate in the classroom," says Anna Brunström, professor of computer science and project leader at Karlstad University.

• 2025-05-06

  Course provides doctoral students with tools for research utilisation

  The course Impact and the utilisation of research is offered by the Innovation Office Fyrklövern and is aimed at doctoral students from four universities. The course focuses on how research results can be used to benefit society, industry, and academia through non-academic strategies. Elise Meurs, a doctoral student in chemical engineering whose research is conducted in collaboration with an industrial company, finds the course especially valuable.

  “In my doctoral project, we are investigating industrially feasible solutions for chemical recycling of cotton, by reusing cotton waste in the viscose process instead of wood fibers. Our research aims to explore performance differences and propose solutions for achieving a commercially viable alternative to the current viscose production from wood fibers. The project is run through the Department of Engineering and Chemical Sciences and is carried out in close collaboration with the company Circulose.”