Norges tekniske vitenskapsakademi (NTVA), Tekna og Academia Europaea inviterer til foredrag

Ny teknologi endrer media

Falske nyheter. Forsider styrt av algoritmer. Robotjournalister. Kunstig intelligens og stemmestyring. Ansvarlig redaktør, direktør Gard Steiro forteller i denne forelesningen hvordan VG skal møte fremtiden.

Norske redaktører bekymrer seg ikke lenger bare for fallende opplag. Nye teknologiske skift er i ferd med å endre både mediebransjen og journalistikken fullstendig. Midt i denne stormen står VG. Tabloidavisen ligger helt i front i den digitale utviklingen. Ansvarlig redaktør Gard Steiro forteller hvordan VG skal møte fremtiden.

Det ble satt av tid til påfølgende spørsmål fra salen. Geir Anton Johansen fra NTVA, og dekan fra Fakultet for ingeniør- og naturvitskap ved HVL, var ordstyrer.

Tid: Tirsdag 27. november 2018 kl. 19:00-20:30.
Sted: Universitetetsaulaen i Bergen

Arrangementet var åpent for alle interesserte. 

Ocean Roundtable Discussion

The role of BlueTech clusters in futureproofing energy, food and mobility systems

Academia Europaea Bergen Knowledge Hub co-organized the Ocean Roundtable Discussion together with the marine/maritime industry clusters in the Bergen Region. The meeting was held in Norway House in Brussels on October 16, 2018.

Date: October 16, 2018 / 10:00 – 16:00
Location : Norway House / Rue Archimède 17 / 1000 Brussels, Belgium

Programme

10:30 Welcome remarks by Oda Helen Sletnes, Ambassador of Norway to the EU

10:35 Session 1 – Setting the scene

  • Felix Leinemann, Head of Unit Blue Economy Sectors, DG MARE
  • Sigi Gruber, Head of Marine Recources Unit, DG RTD
  • Andreea Strachinescu, Head of Maritime Innovation, Marine Knowledge and Innovation, DG MARE
  • Group Discussion

11:30 Session 2 – Roundtable discussion on the role of clusters in catalysing the emerging Ocean Industries and entrepreneurship

  • Owe Hagesæther, CEO GCE Subsea and Tanja Hoel, CEO NCE Seafood
  • Moderated discussion with all roundtable participants – ‘2 per intervention
    Ocean Industries vision
    Crossovers
    The role of SMEs
    The Role of Clusters: beyond triple helix, the 5-stakeholder model

13:00 Networking lunch

14:00 Session 3 – Roundtable discussion: Ocean Education and Research

    • Research and education reps setting the context
    • Moderated discussion with all roundtable participants – ‘2 per interventio
      Research, the long-term vision
      Education and skills
      Open access, trade/offs and barriers to Growth

15:30 Summary of roundtable discussion and articulation of our common vision into a high-level statement

The Benefits of Particle Therapy in Cancer Treatment – Prof. Stephanie E. Combs

Norway is establishing particle therapy centres for cancer treatment in Oslo and Bergen. Particle therapy, in combination with molecular and digital biomarkers is revolutionizing cancer treatment. A world leading expert will present recent research and technology developements.

Professor Stephanie Combs gave a lecture on The Benefits of Particle Therapy: Individualized concepts based on biology, physics and prospective clinical trials on February 20th, 2019 in Auditorium 1, Realfagbygget.

For more information about Stephanie Combs please see: https://www.uib.no/en/matnat/124390/prof-stephanie-e-combs-benefits-particle-therapy-cancer-treatment

The lecture was organized by Academia Europaea Bergen Knowledge Hub and The Horizons Lecture Series.

The video of the lecture is available here: https://tinyurl.com/yy6txtjd

Bilde av en partikkelstrålegererator

External beam radiation therapy as the most conventional form of radiotherapy where the radiation is delivered to a particular part of the body from the outside, is a crucial component of modern oncology. Depending on the type of tumor, radiation therapy (RT) is either an essential complementary and supportive treatment before or after surgery or a clear treatment alternative to surgery. Early treatments were performed with photon radiotherapy. The photons cause damage to the cancer cell’s DNA, so the cancerous cells reproduce more slowly or die. Initially X-ray or clinical localization was used to confine the space for irradiation before a more precise photon RT with 3D-conformal planning became possible after the introduction of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

The next step was the development of stereotactic RT, where the benefits of detailed imaging scans and patient immobilization developed by neurosurgery allowed a very precise targeted irradiation, mostly for tumors in the brain or spine. Further technological advances for planning radiation therapy, including intensity modulated RT have made RT even more precise. This method spares normal brain tissue and hence lowers the risk for side effects, especially for lesions that have complex shapes or are close to neighboring healthy organs.

Today, particle therapy with protons or heavier ions opens new horizons in radiation oncology. In comparison to photon RT, particle beams have specific physical and biological properties. Studies have shown that precision can be increased and the biological effect on the cancerous cells is two to three times higher. This leads to fewer side effects and enhances local control of tumors and thus survival. Clinical trials are currently underway to characterize the potential of particle beams. In Europe, the number of particle therapy centers is continuously increasing which stresses the importance of this technique for patient care and research.

These developments, in combination with molecular and digital biomarkers, have the potential to revolutionize radiation oncology and pave the way to personalized medicine.

 

Initiating first debate: Decision making in a post-factual time

Many politicians disregard the democratic importance of science as an independent factor for good solutions. How do universities respond to this challenge?

The commercial influence over academia is ever increasing. How do universities respond to this challenge in a post factual time?  Dag O. Hessen, Professor of Biology, at the University of Oslo, recently published his book “Sannhet til salgs” (“Truth for sale” ) where he brings this dilemma to the table.

The meeting was the first in a meeting series, of the restructured Bergen Knowledge Hub Region Bergen, looking on key perspectives on links between academia and society. The venue was held on June 7, 2018 at the Bergen Literature House (Litteraturhuset).

Participants attended from academic institutions in the Bergen area.

Dag O. Hessen and Dag Rune Olsen both agreed on the need for more involvement from academia in policy development.

Other themes mentioned on the matter was  the relevance critera in research funding.
Dag O. Hessen sees that the problem lies in an over-emphasis on current relevance, leading to less acceptance of the fundamental independent basic research and the need for funding in those areas.

Dag Rune Olsen acknowledged international trends in developing “science advice” mechanisms in various countries and the need for all universities to engage in solving the big global issues.

Looking on marine resource management in Norway and complexities therein, questions were raised in to which extent advice was really used. A “science advice mechanism” is proposed and under discussion between Academies and the government in  Norway.

A video is available on Youtube (Norwegian only)