Talks & Debate

Anja C. Andersen
TALK / The enigmatic universe

Join a thrilling trip through space when Anja C. Andersen, with her incredible energy and humour, tells us about the development of the universe from Big Bang until today. What she calls: genealogy on the grandest scale.

Professor and prized science mediator Anja C. Andersen is one of the best known astro physicist in Denmark with speciality in cosmic radiation. She is the writer of a number of books, among them the bestseller En lille bog om universet. And you might have heard her in DR’s popular podcast ‘Flyvende tallerken’ or ‘Generation Mars.’

You might never look at the sky in the same way again…

This talk is in Danish

Tine Høeg
TALK /Tour de chambre novel concert

A musical story about dorm life and love
Come along for an intense romance between music and literature, when writer Tine Høeg and musician Simon Brinck pool their talents and perform text from the novel Tour de chambre with love as the common thread.
Tine Høeg is connected to UCPH through the writers-in-residence scholarship, which purpose it is to create an atmosphere of mutual inspiration between writers, researchers and students.

Tine Høeg had her breakthrough with Nye rejsende, which resulted in her receiving Bogforum’s Debutant prize. In 2020, Tine Høeg published the bestselling novel Tour de chambre and later SULT (2022). She has a Master of Arts in Danish and Philosophy from UCPH.

Simon Brinck is a composer and multi-instrumentalist. He creates, with his characteristic guitar style, a filmic and detailed underscore for the full story.

This event is in Danish

Annamaria Giraldi
TALK / Sex Drive

What constitutes a good sex life, how does desire arise and what does ‘orgasm gap’ mean?

Annamaria Giraldi is Denmark’s first female professor of sexology. She is chief physician at Sexological Clinic, where she, among other things, helps people with reduced sex drives.

When she steps on stage at KU Festival she will enlighten us in regard to how desire arises, what might reduce it and how we understand and use the “orgasm gap” between men and women – is reaching orgasm the same as having a good sex life?

This talk is in Danish

Birgitte Rahbek Kornum
TALK / Sleep

Sleep is more important than you think. 

Most things actually get better if you sleep well. You’re in a better mood, better at learning and better at sports. But it can be hard for everyone to sleep sometimes.

Listen, as sleep researcher and associate professor from the Department of Neuroscience at UCPH, Birgitte Rahbeck Kornum, translates the latest sleep research into practical advice on how to get a better night’s sleep and why it is important to sleep. You can’t just sleep when you’re old…

This talk is in English

Global Lounge – What it means to be a Danish University in a Global World
TALK & DEBATE / Global Development Network x Eye on Global Health Initiative x School of Global Health

Grab something to drink, settle into a cozy spot, and join us for Global Lounge, a seminar discussion which will investigate the multifaceted concept of ´global´. We´ll inspect UCPH´s ´Global Perspective´ as mentioned in their 2030 strategy, examining the interplay between local and global dynamics in educational settings and beyond. Join us for an engaging and complimentary conversation involving both university staff and students, where we will collectively explore the boundaries of UCPH´s global identity. Global Lounge Participants:

UCPH Staff
Anne Bruun – Director Education & Students, International Education
Ayo Wahlberg, Head of Department of Anthropology and Chair of the Global Development Network, UCPH

UCPH Students
Colette Weese, MSc Global Health
Josefine Niessen, MSc Global Health

This event is in English

UCPH Degrowth Network – A UCPH fit for the crises of our times: towards democratic,
degrown and decolonial university
TALK / Sustainability

In this panel debate UCPH Degrowth Network challenges University of Copenhagens research practices, modes of engagement and financial activities, which they believe UCPH is failing to address the crises of our times. UCPH has millions of kroner invested in corporations contributing to climate collapse and providing support for continued war, colonial domination and genocide. Therefore they believe that UCPH has failed to put climate action at the center of its strategy for years to come, and refuses to address the needs of its own staff, students and civic society.

At the core of these failures lie deeply undemocratic structures that control how our university is run, who gets to make decisions and who doesn’t. Are there alternatives? How could we transition from a university in the service of profit to one in the service of people? In this panel conversation, we discuss how power structures within UCPH prevent change, and what strategies different groups are pursuing to dismantle these structures from within.

Panelists:

• Mads Ejsing, postdoc at Center for Applied Ecological Thinking (CApE), ran for the UCPH board in 2023
• Fernando Racimo, Associate professor at University of Copenhagen, active in Scientist Rebellion and the UCPH Degrowth Network
• Lucas Rigillo, studying philosophy at UCPH, active in Students against the Occupation
• Nikoline Borgermann, UCPH Degrowth Network (moderator)

This talk is in English

SODAS
TALK / The Festival Feeling

Does your heart beat in time with others? When you are at a festival it might just. New research suggests that our pulses synchronize, when we are at a concert or a debate with other people.

Whether it be the elevating feeling from a great concert, or the feeling of being deeply concentrated at a political debate, the intensity of it all brings us together and gives us the feeling that we’re part of something special.

At KU Festival, Prorector David Dreyer Lassen and head of secretariat in the Student Union/member of the steering committee for KU Festival Frederik Werner Kronborg talk to the Copenhagen Centre for Social Data Science (SODAS) about what happens when the festival feeling really kicks in, and why makes sense to gather all of UCPH for a festival.

On the stage, from SODAS, are Professor Morten Axel Pedersen and research assistant Emilie Munch Gregersen.

This talk is in Danish

ABC for mental health
TALK / Mental Health

Mental health is for us to create together!
How do we understand mental health and what does research tell us is the best way to strengthen it?

Get the answers from the researchers behind the initiative ‘The ABCs of Mental Health’ visit KU Festival as a part of this year’s theme, which is well-being.

We are the architects of each other’s fortunes and dissatisfaction is contagious, but so, luckily, is satisfaction – so do something actively, do something together and do something meaningful. It is fundamental to our mental health that we have something and someone to get up to in the morning.

Come, participate, and take part in the conversation about, how to strengthen mental health.

On stage from the ABC-group are Project Manager Line Nielsen, Project Lead Charlotte Bjerre Meilstrup and research assistant Cecilie Schacht Madsen.

Read more about the ABC’s of mental Health

This talk is in Danish

Collective Climate Action Now! How do we accelerate the green transition?
TALK / Sustainability Science Centre

In this talk, Katherine Richardson and Alexander Holm debate how young people can push for political action and social change to address ecological crises. What role can a young, concerned person take on? What is our collective responsibility? And how do we keep our spirits up in a time when the climate crisis worsens day by day, yet political action is lacking?

The talk is moderated by Iben Maria Zeuthen.

Photos: Lærke Emilie Bach, Christian Bang

This talk is in English

Student research project: “Danish Energy Communities in a Just Green Transition” and “Green Hub Orientkaj”
TALK / Green Solutions Centre (GSC)

Join us for an enlightening talk where students who have received funding from the Green Solutions Centre (GSC) will talk about their projects and the opportunities the funding has given them. The projects are:

Danish Energy Communities in a Just Green Transition
Political Sciences students Emilie Pihlkjær Nitschke and Emma Søe Naldal will share insights and findings from their project, “How do renewable energy communities in Denmark reflect a just green transition?” With the support of GSC who funded travel and interview expenses, Emilie and Emma conducted interviews with 10 renewable energy communities.

Green Hub Orientkaj
Landscape Architecture students Andrea and Theresa will present how they collaborated with Gehl Architects and employed the Eye Level City Tool app to achieve public involvement in their master thesis, with the goal of transforming Orientkaj Plaza, Nordhavn, into a thriving hub for all inhabitants.

So join us for the talk and discussion about green transition, energy justice, engagement of citizens, urban planning, and more. We will be joined by GSC Living Lab Manager Mette Frimodt-Møller, who can answer questions about student funding options in GSC.

The funding in GSC is available for all students working cross-disciplinary. Read more about the funding opportunity here.

This talk is in English

You Can Do What With That Plant?
DEBATE / The International Green Youth Movement

We all know buying local reduces your carbon footprint, but what if you could use the very plants growing in your yard instead!!!

As the International Branch of the Green Youth Movement, we are dedicated to helping Copenhagen transition to more climate-friendly foods and sustainable practices.

Our event is dedicated to showing you how to identify and use plants for lotion, essential oils, and even as food!  We will teach you how to safely identify, prepare and even eat edible plants here in Denmark! We will even provide recipes and some food and products for you to try! Worried about pesticides? So are we, and we can teach you how to safely clean your plants for use! So come broaden your cooking horizons, meet cool people, and hear about the International Green Youth Movement!  

This talk is in English

Naturen Kalder –  Hvilket landbrug ønsker vi os?
DEBAT / Statens Naturhistoriske Museum i samarbejde med Vild Campus, studenterforeningen NOA samt miljøbevægelsen NOAH

There is rightly a lot of debate about Danish agriculture at the moment: industrial agriculture, with its extensive production of animal feed, has seized the majority of the Danish land area and thus leaves little space for nature, which we have otherwise decided that there must be much more space to. Likewise, agriculture pollutes our marine environment to such an extent that only 5 out of 109 of the Danish coastal areas are in good ecological condition.

So agriculture must be good for the economy, don’t you think? But in fact, agriculture has little importance for the overall Danish economy, is probably the most state-supported industry through the EU’s common agricultural policy, and has often been criticized for the precarious working conditions on the large factory farms.

In other words, we have good reasons to expect more and fortunately there is hop: lots of the new generation of farmers are choosing to cultivate the land in a different way and citizen-driven initiatives in the field of agriculture are gaining ground all over the country. New regenerative farming methods, community-based farming and cooperative movements that want to buy back the land are some of the inspiring trends of the time.

With the upcoming European Parliament elections on 9 June, it is obvious to talk about what kind of agriculture we want, since it is the common agricultural policy in particular that determines what kind of agriculture is to receive our money and support in the future.

So come down to the Frekvens-stage and meet some of the people who believe that a different agriculture is possible, so that together we can find out what kind of agriculture we really want?

This talk is in Danish

KU Lighthouse
PITCH COMPETITION / Powered by VentureCup

Who will win the award for best KU startup?

Five pitches from students and researchers who have created a startup to solve an important challenge. The five will, among other things, cure hangovers, improve animal welfare with toys and create new quantum technology. A panel of judges chooses the winner. Along the way, you can also hear about what KU’s new innovation centre, Lighthouse, offers both students and researchers.

Hjalte Wieth is host. Hjalte is co-Founder Plugin & SOUNDBOKS / Forbes30 & Y-Combinator Alumni.

This event is in English