UNC hosted a delegation from Universität Bremen, Germany, led by Yasemin Karakasoglu, vice rector for intercultural and international affairs on Sept. 8 and 9. Additional members of the delegation included Annette Lang, director of the Bremen International Office; Christian Peters, managing director of the Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences (BIGSSS); and Judith Lucas, senior coordinator of the BIGSSS deans’ office.
During their visit, the delegation from Bremen met with UNC faculty and administrators to discuss current partnership activities and explore possibilities to grow future initiatives. Faculty and students from Bremen currently collaborate with a number of UNC departments in the College of Arts and Sciences, including political science, marine science and geography, as well as the Center for European Studies.
Since 2009, Bremen has been a member of the TransAtlantic Masters (TAM) program, a unique and intensive degree program offered through the Center for European Studies. Students enrolled in the program pursue graduate study on both sides of the Atlantic, focusing on European governance. Participating students can spend a semester or a year at Bremen as part of their degree for study and research. UNC and Bremen are also in the final stages of developing a program that allows TransAtlantic Masters students to obtain a degree from both universities. During their visit, the delegation met with three UNC TAM students who will study at Bremen next year. Over lunch, they discussed possible research topics the students could pursue related to migration, which is Karakasoglu’s research field.
Many UNC faculty members in political science faculty have had long-standing relationships with social scientists at Bremen, collaborating on research and publications, as well as seminars and lectures. A major joint project between UNC and Bremen political scientists is the Oxford Handbook of Transformations of the State (Oxford University Press, 2015), co-edited and featuring articles by faculty members from both universities.
Faculty at UNC and Bremen in marine sciences regularly collaborate on joint research projects, sharing ship time, data and equipment. These collaborations involve active exchange of postdocs and graduate students in both directions. Current major research projects are ongoing in the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico and Guaymas basin (Gulf of California). Over the last 5 years, UNC-Bremen research collaborations in marine science have yielded more than 24 publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals. UNC marine sciences professor Carol Arnosti has built many close ties with Bremen faculty and researchers at Bremen and regularly joins Arctic expeditions organized by Universität Bremen and associated research institutes. Arnosti says both universities benefit greatly from their partnership in marine sciences. “These collaborations are particularly fruitful owing to the unique expertise at each location, and our joint ability to take advantage of the research infrastructure on both sides of the Atlantic.”
[ Story courtesy of UNC Global ]
