News about Society

New Associate Dean for Education at the Faculty of Social Sciences

On 1 September Professor Sara Hagemann takes up office as the new Associate Dean for Education at the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Researchers test virtual reality as a tool for promoting vaccination

234 random passersby got the opportunity to try a new virtual reality game, when researchers from the University of Copenhagen visited Fælledparken to test the efficiency of VR technology within health information.

Researchers test virtual reality as a tool for promoting vaccination

234 random passersby got the opportunity to try a new virtual reality game, when researchers from the University of Copenhagen visited Fælledparken to test the efficiency of VR technology within health information.

Algorithm reveals the mysterious foraging habits of narwhals

An algorithm can predict when narwhals hunt – a task once nearly impossible to gain insight into. Mathematicians and computer scientists at the University of Copenhagen, together with marine biologists in Greenland, hav…

Hybridity and change in cooking skills in everyday life: Conceptual contributions from a study of cooking with meal-box schemes

Professor Bente Halkier contributed to the journal Appetite with the article 'Hybridity and change in cooking skills in everyday life: Conceptual contributions from a study of cooking with meal-box schemes'. In a…

Querying into Data in Asylum Decision-making, Author: Trine Rask Nielsen

In this blogpost examples are given from the DATA4ALL project on the weekly ‘data crunching’ sessions. The sessions have been set up as an important step towards querying into data from asylum cases.

Mapping the Danish asylum procedure, Author: Anna Høgenhaug

This blog post examines the approach to refugee status determination in Denmark, giving the reader a visual overview of the entire process, step-by-step.

Danish companies get new tools for recruiting internationals

With funding from Innovation Fund Denmark, a new project will help small and medium-sized companies recruit and retain international professionals. The Department of Sociology will be leading the research.

Significantly reducing agricultural CO2 emissions by way of wheatgrass

Wheatgrass has the potential to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in Denmark by up to 10 percent according to researchers at the University of Copenhagen and Carlsberg Research Laboratory. Over the next five…

Significantly reducing agricultural CO2 emissions by way of wheatgrass

Wheatgrass has the potential to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in Denmark by up to 10 percent according to researchers at the University of Copenhagen and Carlsberg Research Laboratory. Over the next five…

Biotech research to promote plant resilience to changing climates

Associate professor Sebastian Marquardt from Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences at UCPH, have received an Ascending Investigator Grant from Novo Nordisk Fonden. He won 9,999,063 DKK to explore…

Testing out NLP on the public Danish asylum database, Author: Panagiota Katsikouli

In this blogpost examples are given of information that has been extracted from decisions of the Refugee Appeals Board using natural language processing (NLP).

Big Brother isn’t always as clever as we think

New research questions the value of digital surveillance and big data. Sometimes traditional and less privacy-invasive data can predict human behaviour much more effectively.

Beetles that pee themselves to death could be tomorrow’s pest control

Various beetle species have gobbled through grain stores and weakened food production worldwide since ancient times. Now, researchers at the University of Copenhagen have discovered a better way of targeting and…

New invention can reduce agricultural pesticide use: Distinguishes harmful insects from helpful ones

A researcher from the University of Copenhagen has developed an algorithm that, in tandem with a sensor, makes it possible to distinguish crop-harming insects from helpful ones that pollinate and contribute to plant…

Our personality traits explain how we perceive and react to COVID-19

Both Danes and Germans with prosocial personality traits are more likely to follow health recommendations, while people with traits that make them more susceptible to negative emotions are more likely to see COVID-19 as…

Letting nature manage itself may lead to the least costs —but EU subsidies remain an obstacle

Nature management through rewilding can be significantly more cost-effective than by traditional conservation measures. However, EU agricultural subsidies distort competition. This is the conclusion of an economic…

Climate labeling reduces our CO2 footprint — even for those who willfully attempt to remain uninformed

Climate labels informing us of a meat product’s carbon footprint cause many people to opt for climate-friendlier alternatives. This applies to people who are curious about a product’s carbon footprint, as well as to…

We need to rethink the healthcare sector

The conference on chronic conditions at the UCPH revealed a growing interest in the everyday lives of chronic patients. The job is now to make improved quality of life a matter of priority, says Ayo Wahlberg, one of the…

LITTLE NINJA protein helps crops grow more side shoots

A tiny, newly discovered protein can regulate how tall grass species like wheat, barley and rice become and how many side shoots they produce. University of Copenhagen researchers have identified the microProtein LITTLE…

Award-winning professor writes forgotten women into the history books

Women sent the first computer into space and programmed some of the 1970’s most iconic computer games. Nevertheless, women are invisible in both the history and culture of computer science. Professor Pernille Bjørn want…

Researchers discover how to control zinc content in plants: Could help the world’s malnourished

Over 2 billion people worldwide are malnourished due to zinc deficiency. Led by the University of Copenhagen, an international team of researchers has discovered how plants sense zinc and use this knowledge to enhance…

Educational mobility on the decline in Denmark

In 20 years, the impact of parental background on children’s education has increased significantly, and today Denmark is on par with the US despite free education and state education grants.

The University of Copenhagen gathers medical anthropologists for a conference on chronic conditions

With close to 500 participants, the Chronic Living conference on 4-6 March will be one of the largest medical anthropological events on record.