Our master students have had digital thesis defences, the Botanical Garden and our offices were closed to us, and we have not been able to meet our colleagues.
Teaching is perhaps the most affected of our activities. This semester, several courses have had to go completely digital on short notice. We have still managed to teach, and while cautious plans are being made for field excursions later this summer we have already made an alternative for shorter field excursions: videoblogging with the lecturers!
Here is a quick glance at the field demonstration with Rune and Harald looking at species and “Nature in Norway” types for BIOS4120:
Videoblog (in Norwegian) from this year’s BIOS4120 first field excursion, with Harald Bratli, Rune Halvorsen and Anders K. Wollan. To find the rest of the videos from the 2020 version of BIOS4120, click here. Filming by Anders K. Wollan, editing by Eva Lieungh, elevator music by bensound.com.
Some of us have perhaps been more productive in the absence of meetings, whilst others have struggled with homeschooling, poor internet connections, and isolation in general. We have had digital morning coffee meetings to keep in touch and watch each other’s beards grow in front of virtual backgrounds from the Natural History Museum.
Most GEco members are still working from home, although the university and Botanical Garden is open again. The pandemic may still last a while, and we will continue to adapt and stay cautious as long as necessary. We hope everyone stays healthy and safe, and hope to see students and colleagues outside, at safe distances, looking at plants during the summer.
