At first it was a culture shock, then a passion. Chiara Heiss, a Bachelor’s student in Social Sciences at the University of Bern, spent a semester studying at Korea University in Seoul. In this video, she explains how she found her feet in a foreign country and how her exchange changed her.
The University of Bern is launching its first ENLIGHT course entitled “The Deep History of Food – Putting Sustainability into Context.” The course explores the fundamental role of food production throughout human history and its implications for sustainability.
The course looks at the origins of agriculture, its spread across different societies, and its impact on the environment. Read more “First ENLIGHT course launched at the University of Bern ”
Studying abroad offers students unique opportunities for academic enrichment, career development, language learning, cultural immersion, and personal growth. This blog post explores what we believe are the top five reasons why studying abroad is a game changer for our students!
Patricia Bieri studies political science at the University of Bern. Her exchange semester at Université Laval in Canada encouraged her to embrace the unknown. In this interview, Patricia reflects on how she experienced classes at Université Laval, the importance of language in Canadian politics, and why she believes going on an exchange semester is worth it.
Chisato Todaka is an exchange student from Keio University in Japan. She studies social anthropology, but her real passion is the great outdoors. At the end of her exchange stay in Switzerland she will climb Mont Blanc – the highest mountain in Western Europe – with her father, an experienced mountain guide.
A delegation from the University of Groningen, led by Rector Jacquelien Scherpen, recently visited the University of Bern. The visit was characterised by lively discussions and showed a strong interest from both sides in strengthening existing collaborations and exploring new opportunities within ENLIGHT.
On 1 November 2023, the second phase of the European university alliance ENLIGHT started with the University of Bern as its tenth and newest member. More than a hundred people from different faculties and departments came to celebrate the beginning of our ENLIGHT membership and learn more about the alliance.
Rethinking research partnerships with universities on the African continent
Three visionaries are changing how the University of Bern collaborates with partner universities in Africa. They are doing so with two prestigious Clusters of Research Excellence. In this interview, Hugues Abriel, Vice-Rector of Research, Thomas Breu, Director of CDE, and Carmen Faso, Co-Director of MCID reflect on the challenges and opportunities of creating equitable research partnerships.
Luca Mast came home from South Africa and found his views on society profoundly changed. As a Bachelor student in English language and literature, he has a good ear for languages. In this interview, he explains why he chose to learn isiXhosa and Afrikaans, two of the many languages spoken in South Africa and how his interactions with lecturers were different from what he was used to in Switzerland.
Image: Lizé Myburgh
During the summer holidays, students from all over the world come to Bern to attend the university’s international summer schools. Lizé Myburgh is one of them. She gives us an insight into her experience at the Summer School on Climate Change and talks about the most precarious climate change issues facing her Rainbow Nation.