Hi, and welcome back from summer vacation!
I hope everyone had a good vacation, with relaxation and time with family and friends. Now August is suddenly here again, and I hope everyone has recharged their batteries and is ready for a new semester. The autumn semester is often intense and short, and last week the campus was once again filled with students. As head of the department, I have the wonderful task of attending all welcome meetings and meet the students, both bachelor’s and master’s students. It is very nice and inspiring to meet so many students ready to start the semester. We are fortunate to have so many who want to study at BIO/UiB.
This year’s master’s admission was the first with a new arrangement where several of the study programs were merged into one “Master in Biology”. The study administration with Beate at the forefront, as well as deputy head Katja and all the research group leaders have done a fantastic job of setting up student receptions with information meetings and visits to all the research groups. My impression is that a fantastic job has been done, and the feedback from many students is very positive! We will summarize when the dust has settled and look at what worked and where we should adjust before next fall. Master’s project presentations and students’ choice of assignments must be completed this fall (deadline November 20), and this is also new compared to previous years. I look forward to follow the process, and I am sure that we as a department will once again handle all the challenges we face!
This week, teaching starts in full, and I wish everyone good luck in lectures, labs, field, cruises, and all other places where you work with the students!
After a year, Anne Bjune is back as head of education. That will be exciting, and I welcome Anne back to a function she has great experience with! At the same time, I would like to thank Øyvind Halskau for the fantastic effort he has made as education leader over the past year. He has made an impressive job in a busy and demanding position!
This fall, I will focus fully on continuing the work on the area reduction process. We face many challenges, but I am confident that with all the fabulous employees at BIO, we will arrive at a result that is necessary for us as a department to be fully capable in the years to come. We are also continuing to work on the reorganization plans, and these will be carefully coordinated with the area process, so that we get a holistic result that brings BIO forward.
The first Thursday in September, we start bioTHURSDAY again. On September 4th, we have the first bioSEMINAR of the fall. Then follows bioLUNCH and bioTEACH in the same pattern as during the spring, on Thursdays at 12:15 – 13:00. Follow updates in bionytt and use Thursdays as an opportunity to meet colleagues and get updated on all the research and teaching that is carried out at BIO.
Looking forward to seeing you all back on campus!
Ståle