Humboldt Kolleg
Global Challenges of the
21st Century
Hilton Garden Inn Hotel, Doamnei St. 12, Bucharest
18 - 22 March 2020 (postponed to 18 - 22 November 2020 and changed into a hybrid event due to the COVID-19 contingency)
Programme schedule and details below
The registration of the entire event can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTRiHKXKVQi-1rJ_5q6Us6w/
* Note for participants from abroad: Time in Bucharest is Eastern European Time (EET) – UTC+2
Wednesday, 18 March 2020 (postponed to 18 November 2020 due to the COVID-19 contingency)
Cismigiu Room
16.30 – 16.35
Short welcome address, Mr. David Alders, Project Manager, Stiftung Mercator, Centre for Science and Humanities
16.35 - 18.00
Meet the Romanian Young Academy (RYA) members 2020-2022 and their research projects
(short 5-minute introductions)
18.00 – 18.30
Keynote lectures
Neural Circuit Policies
Prof. Radu Grosu, Vienna University of Technology, Institute of Computer Engineering, Cyber-Physical Systems
Q&A on the practical aspects of mathematical research from specialsts at the Simion Stoilow Institute of Mathematics, Romanian Academy: Prof. Toma Albu, Prof. Marian Aprodu, Prof. Vasile Brinzanescu, Prof. Liana David, Prof. Cristian Faciu, Prof. Radu Iordanescu, Prof. Nicolae Popa, Prof. Dorin Popescu, Prof. Dan Tiba
18.30 - 19.00
The Influence of Political Corruption on Trust and Social Cohesion
Prof. Anne van Aaken, Alexander von Humboldt Professor for Law and Economics, Legal Theory, Public International Law and European Law, University of Hamburg
19.00 - 19.30
Artificial Intelligence for the Ageing World: Promises and Challenges
Dr. Marcello Ienca, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich
19.30 - 20.00
Short- and Long-term Climate Adaptation in Cities
Prof. Andreas Matzarakis, Albert Ludwig University Freiburg, Head of the Research Centre Human Biometeorology, German Meteorological Service
Restaurant – Beef Room
20.00
Dinner
Thursday, 19 March 2020 (postponed to 19 November 2020 due to the COVID-19 contingency)
Foyer Cismigiu
8.30 – 8.45
Welcome Coffee Break
Cismigiu Room
8.45 – 9.20
Short welcome speeches – invited German and Romanian officials
H.E. Mr. Bogdan Aurescu, Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs
H.E. Mr. Cord Meier-Klodt, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Romania
Ms. Ligia Deca, Presidential Adviser, Department of Education and Research
Mr. Sergiu Nistor, Presidential Adviser, Department of Culture
Prof. Ioan Aurel Pop, President of the Romanian Academy
Prof. Marian Preda, Rector of the University of Bucharest
Prof. Sorin Costreie, Vice-rector for University Networks and Public Relations of the University of Bucharest, Research and Education Adviser of the Romanian Prime Minister, DAAD alumnus
9.20 – 10.00
Info session on the Humboldt Foundation
The Humboldt Foundation Programmes and Its Support for the Romanian Young Academy (RYA)
Dr. Thomas Hesse, Deputy Secretary General of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
Prof. Alexandru Babes, University of Bucharest, Humboldt Foundation ambassador scientist
On Being a Humboldt Scholar
Prof. Douglas Cairns, University of Edinburgh, Fellow of the British Academy, Humboldt Foundation Anneliese Maier Award winner, ERC Advanced Grant 2018-2022, Mercator Fellow – GRK 1876 ‘Early Concepts of Man and Nature’, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz
Session I: Technological development and human health/ quality of life
10.00 – 10.30
Understanding Agency
Prof. Anita Avramides, University of Oxford, Faculty of Philosophy, St. Hilda’s College
10.30 – 11.00
Between High Tech Medicine and Biopsychosocial Medicine: The Case of Upper Gastrointestinal Pathology
Prof. Dan Dumitrascu, ‘Iuliu Hatieganu’ University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj, member of the Romanian Academy of Medical Sciences
Foyer Cismigiu
11.00 – 11.15
Coffee Break
Cismigiu Room
11.15 – 11.45
Neurotechnologies and the Boundaries of the Person
Dr. Christoph Bublitz, University of Hamburg, Faculty of Law
11.45 – 12.15
Convolutional Neural Networks for Medical Imaging
Prof. Radu-Tudor Ionescu, Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Bucharest, RYA member
12.15 – 12.45
A Reliable Technology for Advanced SiC-MOS Devices Based on Fabrication of High Quality Silicon Oxide Layers by Converting a-Si
Dr. Razvan Pascu, IMT Bucharest, NanoBio Technologies Laboratory, RYA member
12.45 - 13.15
Achieving Superpersonal Moral Status as a Result of Cognitive Enhancement: Are We Justified to Believe It?
Dr. Alexandru Dragomir, University of Bucharest, Faculty of Philosophy
Switching (due to other simultaneous events) with
Law and Judgment – And What about Democracy?
Prof. Rainer Maria Kiesow, EHESS Paris, Director of the Centre Georg Simmel – Recherches franco-allemandes en sciences sociales, Die Junge Akademie (German Young Academy) founding member
Restaurant – Beef Room
13.15 – 14.15
Lunch Break
Cismigiu Room
14.15 – 14.45
Increasing Quality of Life and Access to Mental Health Services Through Cutting-edge Technology and Artificial Intelligence
Dr. Ioana Podina, University of Bucharest, Head of the Laboratory of Cognitive Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences
14.45 - 15.15
The Neurobiology of Free Will
Prof. Maria-Luiza Flonta, University of Bucharest, Faculty of Biology, corresponding member of the Romanian Academy
15.15 – 15.45
Can We Do Research without Mathematics?
Prof. Vasile Brinzanescu, Simion Stoilow Institute of Mathematics, Romanian Academy
15.45 - 16.15
Mathematical Consciousness Science: Perspectives on an Emerging Field of Applied Mathematics
Dr. Johannes Kleiner, Munich Centre for Mathematical Philosophy, Ludwig Maximilian University/ Basic Research Community for Physics (BRCP), Leipzig
Foyer Cismigiu
16.15 – 16.30
Coffee Break
Cismigiu Room
16.30 – 17.00
Transient Receptor Potential Channels Involved in Human Painful Photosensitivity Disorders
Prof. Alexandru Babes, University of Bucharest, Faculty of Biology, Humboldt Foundation ambassador scientist
17.00 – 17.30
The Human Carotid Body and Adaptation to High Altitude
Prof. Nikolai Lazarov, Medical University of Sofia, Head of the Department of Anatomy and Histology, Institute of Neurobiology of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Vice-president of the Executive Board of the Bulgarian National Science Fund
17.30 – 18.00
Global Viral Epidemics (Ebola, HIV, Flu, COVID-19) in the 21th Century and Contemporary Science
Prof. Radka Argirova, Clinical Laboratory – Immunology and Molecular Diagnostics Division, Tokuda Hospital, Sofia
18.00 – 20.00
Brief Tour of the Old Town of Bucharest
Foyer Cismigiu
20.00
Restaurant – Beef Room
20.15
Dinner
Friday, 20 March 2020 (postponed to 20 November 2020 due to the COVID-19 contingency)
Foyer Cismigiu
8.30 – 8.45
Welcome Coffee Break
Cismigiu Room
8.45 - 9.30
Info session on Die Junge Akademie (German Young Academy), the DAAD programmes, and other international programmes for early career researchers
Die Junge Akademie (The German Young Academy): Looking Back at the Beginning
Prof. Eva-Maria Engelen, The Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW)/ University of Konstanz, Faculty of Philosophy, Die Junge Akademie (German Young Academy) founding member
AND
Prof. Christian Fleischhack, University of Paderborn, Faculty of Mathematics, Die Junge Akademie (German Young Academy) former member
Promoting Research and Interdisciplinary Exchange for Early Career Researchers: Examples from the Zukunftskolleg in Konstanz, Germany
Prof. Giovanni Galizia, University of Konstanz, Director of the Zukunftskolleg, Die Junge Akademie (German Young Academy) founding member
Opportunities for Research Offered by the DAAD
Mr. Michael Jaumann, Director of the DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austausch Dienst – German Academic Exchange Service) Information Center, Bucharest
Session II: Climate change and environmental sustainability
9.30 – 10.00
The Influence of Urban Climate on Bioclimatic Conditions in the City of Iasi, Romania
Dr. Pavel Ichim, ‘Al. I. Cuza’ University of Iasi, Faculty of Geography and Geology, RYA member
Switching (due to other simultaneous events) with
The Last Prime Minister of Austria’s Monarchy: Heinrich Lammasch on Democratization, Federalism and Peace
Prof. Miloš Vec, Department of Legal and Constitutional History, University of Vienna, Die Junge Akademie (German Young Academy) founding member
10.00 – 10.30
Urban Climate and Climate Change Challenges in South-Eastern Europe
Prof. Sorin Cheval, National Meteorological Administration, Bucharest/ ‘Henri Coandă’ Air Force Academy, Brașov/ Research Institute of the University of Bucharest
10.30 – 11.00
Local Environmental Action Plans Quality: Addressing the Rational and Communicative Perspectives
Dr. Alina Hossu, University of Bucharest, Faculty of Geography, Centre for Environmental Research and Impact Studies
Foyer Cismigiu
11.00 – 11.15
Coffee break
Cismigiu Room
11.15 – 11.45
Anthropogenic Impact on Ecosystem Services within the Climate Change Context
Dr. Mihai Adamescu, University of Bucharest, Research Centre in Systems Ecology and Sustainability (RCSES)
11.45 – 12.15
Climate Change Hotspots in Europe: Implications for Food Security
Dr. Andrej Ceglar, Joint Research Centre, European Commission
12.15 – 12.45
The Use of Wholesome Human Thermo-physiological Indices to Access Existing and Future Thermal Risk Factors Associated to Climate Change
Dr. Andre Santos Nouri, Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design, Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture, Bilkent University, Ankara
Restaurant – Beef Room
12.45 – 13.45
Lunch break
Cismigiu Room
13.45 – 14.15
Implication of Biogenic Isoprenoids in Climate Change and Plant Protection
Prof. Violeta Velikova, Institute of Plant Physiology and Genetics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
14.15 – 14.45
Crystals: Key Elements in Modern (Green) Technologies
Prof. Daniel Vizman, Dean of the Faculty of Physics, West University, Timisoara
14.45 – 15.15
Water Resources Vulnerability under Climate and Land Use Change
Prof. Serban Davidescu, Director of the ‘Marin Dracea’ National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry – Brasov Research Station
AND
Mirabela Marin, ‘Marin Dracea’ National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry – Brasov Research Station/ PhD student at the Transilvania University, Brasov
15.15 – 15.45
Water-Energy-Land: A Cross-sectoral Perspective to Encourage Sustainable Use of Limited Resources under Changing Climate Conditions in a Semi-arid Region
DI Bernadette Kropf, PhD student, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Department of Economics and Social Sciences, Institute for Sustainable Economic Development
15.45 – 16.15
Assessment of Particulate Organic Carbon in Marine Basins Based on Satellite Information
Dr. Sorin Constantin, Terrasigna, Bucharest/ Research Institute of the University of Bucharest
Foyer Cismigiu
16.15 – 16.30
Coffee break
Session III: Democracy and social cohesion
Cismigiu Room
16.30 – 17.00
Mental Health and the Idea of ‘Progress’: Some Problems from the Dialogue between Ancient and Modern Medicine
Dr. Chiara Thumiger, Christian Albrechts University of Kiel, Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Excellence Cluster ROOTS
17.00 - 17.45
How Cognitive Biases and Depression May Interact in Social-Economic Decision Making
Denisa Caculidis, PhD student, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Bucharest
AND
Contamination Fear in the Time of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Moderated Mediation Quasiexperimental Model of the Effect of Disgust on Outgroup Bias towards Diaspora
Andreea Luca, PhD student, Laboratory of Cognitive Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Bucharest
17.45 - 18.15
On the Freedom to Choose: Adaptive Free Will in a Complex World
Prof. Ian Durham, St. Anselm College, NH, USA, Chair of the Physics Department, American Physical Society
Foyer Cismigiu
18.15 - 18.30
Coffee break
Cismigiu Room
18.30 – 20.00
Romanian Young Academy (RYA) Advisory Board and Reviewers Meeting
Restaurant – Beef Room
20.00
Dinner
Saturday, 21 March 2020 (postponed to 21 November 2020 due to the COVID-19 contingency)
Foyer Cismigiu
8.30 – 8.45
Welcome Coffee Break
Cismigiu Room
8.45 - 9.30
Info session on research programmes, networking and institutional background in Romania
The Interdisciplinary School of Doctoral Studies at the University of Bucharest
Prof. Bogdan Murgescu, University of Bucharest, Vice-rector for Budget and Human Resources
New Research and Networking Opportunities for Young Researchers Offered by the Doctoral School for Linguistic and Literature Studies (in German)
Dr. Bianca Bican, Director of the Doctoral School for Linguistic and Literature Studies, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj
Institutional Responsibility for Big Data Research
Dr. Toni Gibea, University of Bucharest, Faculty of Philosophy, Research Center for Applied Ethics
Session III: Democracy and social cohesion (continuing from the previous day)
09.30 – 10.00
Facts and Values (in Romanian)
Prof. Mircea Flonta, University of Bucharest, Faculty of Philosophy, corresponding member of the Romanian Academy
10.00 – 10.30
Conceptualizing Modernity in Multi- and Intercultural Spaces: The Case of Central and Eastern Europe
Prof. Victor Neumann, West University, Timisoara, Director of the Timisoara Museum of Arts
10.30 – 11.00
Cohesion and Cultural Transmission: A Philosophical Approach
Prof. George Bondor, ‘Alexandru Ioan Cuza’ University of Iasi, Department of Philosophy
Foyer Cismigiu
11.00 – 11.15
Coffee break
Cismigiu Room
11.15 – 11.45
The Arab Waves of Migration to Europe and Their Impact on European Societies
Irina Bogdan, PhD student, University of Bucharest, Political Science Department
11.45 – 12.15
Perceived Context of Reception, Sense of Belonging and Well-being among Syrian Refugees in a Mid-sized Town in Germany
Dr. Jolanda van der Noll, Fern University, Hagen, Perceived Context of Reception
12.15 – 12.45
Would Condorcet Be a Member of the Pirate Party? The French Enlightenment and the Philosophy, Politics and Economics of Intellectual Property Rights
Dr. Radu Uszkai, Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences
12.45 - 13.15
Carnism and Its Roots
Dr. Paul-Gabriel Sandu, University of Bucharest, Faculty of Philosophy, RYA member
Restaurant – Beef Room
13.15 – 14.15
Lunch break
Cismigiu Room
14.15 – 14.45
Upgrading Memory through Digital Humanities towards Cohesion in Romanian History
Dr. Alexandru Simon, Romanian Academy, Cluj Branch
14.45 – 15.15
The Ethics of Using Algorithms to Predict Individual Behaviour
Prof. Emanuel Socaciu, University of Bucharest, Faculty of Philosophy, Director of the Research Centre for Applied Ethics
15.15 – 15.45
Capabilities, Conscious Agency and Moral Decision Making
Dr. Diana Stanciu, Research Institute of the University of Bucharest/ Gerda Henkel fellow at the Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BBAW)
15.45 – 16.15
Law and Judgment – And What about Democracy?
Prof. Rainer Maria Kiesow, EHESS Paris, Director of the Centre Georg Simmel – Recherches franco-allemandes en sciences sociales, Die Junge Akademie (German Young Academy) founding member
Switching (due to other simultaneous events) with
Achieving Superpersonal Moral Status as a Result of Cognitive Enhancement: Are We Justified to Believe It?
Dr. Alexandru Dragomir, University of Bucharest, Faculty of Philosophy
Foyer Cismigiu
16.15 – 16.30
Coffee break
Cismigiu Room
16.30 - 17.00
More Logic for Less Intolerance of Uncertainty: Evidence-based Therapeutic Approches to Socially Relevant Anxiety Disorders
Dr. Alexandra Varga, Romanian Association of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapy
17.00 – 17.30
Morally Responsible AI? Limits & Boundaries
Dr. Mihaela Constantinescu, University of Bucharest, Faculty of Philosophy, Research Center for Applied Ethics
17.30 - 18.00
Daily Life on the Romanian-Soviet Frontier: Propaganda, Hostility and Cooperation
Dr. Dumitru-Alexandru Aioanei, ‘A .D. Xenopol’ Institute of History, Romanian Academy, Iasi, RYA member
18.00 - 18.30
The Last Prime Minister of Austria’s Monarchy: Heinrich Lammasch on Democratization, Federalism and Peace
Prof. Miloš Vec, Department of Legal and Constitutional History, University of Vienna
Switching (due to other simultaneous events) with
The Influence of Urban Climate on Bioclimatic Conditions in the City of Iasi, Romania
Dr. Pavel Ichim, ‘Al. I. Cuza’ University of Iasi, Faculty of Geography and Geology, RYA member
Foyer Cismigiu
18.30 – 18.45
Coffee break
Cismigiu Room
18.45 - 20.00
RYA General Assembly
Restaurant – Beef Room
20.00
Dinner
Sunday, 22 March 2020 (postponed to 22 November 2020 due to the COVID-19 contingency)
10.00 – 11.00
Visit to the Research Institute of the University of Bucharest, and meeting with specialists from various sections of the institute: Humanities, Social Sciences, Exact Sciences, Earth, Environment and Life Sciences.
(postponed for the follow up, when the COVID-19 restrictions are dropped)
11.00 – 14.00
Visit to a museum: National Fine Arts Museum, Art Collections Museum, Zambaccian Art Collection, Museum of Bucharest History or National Museum of History (upon request).
(postponed for the follow up, when the COVID-19 restrictions are dropped)
Replaced with
10.00 – 18.00
Meeting of the RYA members to complete various applications for further RYA funding
2020 rya.org.ro