Reuse, upcycle. Rethinking the use of resources, sustainable development, in short, being ambassadors for real change.
These are some of the goals of the students of the Erasmus Mundus International Master's Programme on Circular Economy (CIRCLE).
A highlight of each year is the Summer School, which is an integral part of the programme and brings together students from all partner universities to exchange ideas and develop concepts together. The Summer School is hosted by a different partner university each year. After the Summer School planned for 2020 in Norway could only take place online, this year it was the turn of the University of Graz. The Summer School 2021 was organized in hybrid form at Seggau Castle near Leibnitz.
Strict safety precautions before and during the arrival as well as during the Summer School, supported by the Joint Programme Team of the Office of International Relations made it possible that 29 international students as well as the two lecturers of the partner universities Dr. Ulrika Lundqvist (Chalmers Technical University, Sweden) and Dr. Ester Van der Voet (Leiden University, Netherlands) together with the coordinator of the University of Graz, Dr. Ralf Aschemann, could shape the Summer School from August 8 to 13. The coordinator of the Norwegian University of Technology and Science, Dr. Johan Berg Petterson, supported the Summer School online.
Two programme generationswere on site, one generation attended online, there were also online lectures by Dr. Michele Rosano (Curtin Uni, Perth Australia), Dr. Yasushi Kondo (Waseda University, Tokyo Japan), and Dr. Bing Zhu (Tsinghua University, China).
The final highlight of a successful week with excellent atmosphere among the participants was the graduation ceremony of the first graduates of Circle programme. The event was streamed live on youtube, so parents and friends from all over the world be a part of it. Dean Rudolf Egger didn’t miss the opportunity to be there in person, he also passed on greetings from Rector Martin Polaschek. In his speech, Egger emphasized the importance of the programme, especially with regard to the burning environmental and climate issues of our time.
More information on Erasmus Mundus International Master's Programme on Circular Economy (CIRCLE): www.jointdegree.eu/de/erasmus-mundus-international-masters-programme-on-circular-economy-circle/
The two-year programme involves five universities from Europe, as well as universities from Australia, Japan and China, with the goal to inspire future change makers from all over the world and provide them with the necessary tools for their future careers.