Awardees
2023: ELSA students involved in EUI application
The ELLS award 2023 was awarded to Wietske de Groot, Tereza Otcová, Hannah Riegler, Eefje Van Dael and other ELSA students that contributed to the application from European universities.
2021: BOKU Organisers of the online SSC 2020
The ELLS Award 2021 was awarded to the organising team of the online BOKU SSC 2020. BOKU’s early decision to prepare for the online format in advance allowed them to successfully organise the ELLS conference online. Their innovative approach and endeavour in facing the obstacles in organising the conference online were recognised by the ELLS Board, which awarded the ELLS Award to Mag. Ulrike Piringer and Kyrill Sattlberger from the BOKU IRO and to three ELSA students from BOKU (Nora Korp, Sarah Moser and Sarah Sperrer).
2018: Euroleague Student Association
ELSA as a group has supported the purpose of ELLS pertaining to internationalisation and student mobility, through their promotion of the network partners during the conferences and their initiative to organize a case study competition. Furthermore, they have added significant value to the ELLS Scientific Student Conference by acting as moderators. A task that was highly commended in the subsequent evaluation by both students and scientific participants at the conference. Their increased involvement in the student conference holds great potential, and the ELLS Task Force would like to see this developed further.
2016: Professor Nicholas Dickinson, Prof. Simon Swaffield, Lincoln University, New Zealand
Since Lincoln University joined the ELLS Network in 2013 the professors Dickinson and Swaffield have dedicated rewardable efforts to reduce the distance between Europe and New Zealand by bringing students and teachers together and by adding a wider global perspective to the subject areas.
Swaffield and Dickinson have arranged ELLS summer schools with hands-on experience for the students, worked on research methods and contributed to put focus on ELLS collaboration on both MSc and PhD level.
They are both having a central role in developing their subject areas and by coordinating and implementing summer schools. This has provided ELLS students and teachers with new insights and opportunities to share expertise and resources in a non-European environment.
In all, their personal engagement and involvement in ELLS activities have contributed to additional values to ELLS, and to increase the quality and attractiveness of ELLS among students. Least but not last, Swaffield and Dickinson have been fundamental in the successful and active inclusion of Lincoln University in the ELLS network.
2015: The ELLS E-Learning Group
Since the foundation of the ELLS network, the Support Team E-Learning has been fundamental for achieving the goals of the ELLS network. The team has played an active role in establishing the ELLS E-Learning Strategy, in providing innovative teaching tools within the network, and in qualitative support to the ELLS Subject Areas when introducing new initiatives (e.g. the Environmental Science group).The recently developed tool “Framework for Online Teaching”, responding to the latest technological advances, has proven to be fundamental for the ELLS subject area groups and the ELLS summer school coordinators. The E-Learning support team has played a key role in the elaboration of the ELLS EU applications in 2014 and 2015 for an Erasmus+ grant for the Euroleague for Life Sciences - Strategic Network Biodiversity and Habitat Management, by structuring and designing the plans for future Open Educational Resources and their delivery.
2013: The ELLS IRO Group
The Board and Task Force would like to show the International Relations Officers (IROs) their appreciation for the group's commitment to the tasks within the ELLS network and their general contribution to the deveopment and success of the network. The IROs are the central units that provide support for all issues concerning students exchange and mobility. Moreover, the IROs have contributed extraordinarily in terms of supporting the implementation of the ELLS strategic priorities/objectives. Their work and commitment plays a determining factor within the network. This 2013 award is dedicated to the current IRO members of ELLS as well as the talented and enthusiastic former members of the group. The ELLS Board and Tast Force look forward to continuing the close collaboration with the IRO group for many years to come.
2012: Subject Area "Organic Agriculture"
Under the coordination of Dr. Sabine Zikeli “Organic Agriculture” is a highly active and productive subject area group within the ELLS network – with participating members from all seven partner universities. Moreover, the group has played a determining role in the establishment of the successful double degree programme “EUR-Organic”. Sabine Zikeli (UHOH), Bernhard Freyer (BOKU) and Ewa Rembialkowska (SGGW-WULS) the representatives of the ELLS network, have worked hard and and focused to help found the programme, which has now earned both well-deserved popularity and success. The programme has furthermore added great value to the ELLS network and provided the network with an additional joint ELLS MSc Programme.
2011: Euroleague Student Association ELSA
"The student representation in ELLS is organised through ELSA. It is a standout feature of our network that students are represented and have voting rights in all bodies of ELLS. Thus input and ideas of ELSA students have substantially contributed to the success of ELLS. With proposals as the initiative to enhance bachelor mobility, the creation of an interactive research platform or a new promotional concept, etc., ELSA always recalls that the formation of highly qualified students prepared for the international job market is the core business of our network. ELSA projects as the ELLS brochure for students – now already in revised edition – or the student mobility survey successfully popularised the ELLS network among students of all member universities Furthermore, with the adoption of the ELSA bylaws, the current ELSA team successfully improved the internal organisation of the student team facilitating the changeover between “new” and “old” ELSA members"
"ELSA has been contributing to the success of ELLS from the very beginning. The students are vital for creating new ideas and serving as “critical voice” in the process of implementation and evaluation of ELLS programmes and associated measures for students and teacher mobility. Especially during the last 2-3 years, ELSA representatives have shown great enthusiasm in contributing to the development of ELLS products and have become much more visible than in the past".
2010: Dr. Gabriele Klumpp, ELLS coordinator, University of Hohenheim
"Dr Gabriele Klump has in her role as Secretary for the Euroleague for Life Sciences contributed through her experience gained as a researcher combined with her excellent administrative skills to building the organization which fruits we are today harvesting. During her function as coordinating secretary of ELLS at the University Hohenheim she set the standards of best practice. She has great communication skills and cares personally for the proper information flow with all ELLS members. At the ELLS student conference in Hohenheim in November 2009 she was personally in charge of the
organisation, assisting the students, working over time, always keeping things under control. Her personal care for the participating students (arranging for their accommodation, financing their travel costs etc.) was very much appreciated not only by them, but also by members of the ELLS Task Force and Board. Her experience is of great value for the future planning of ELLS SSC. Dr Klumpp systematically promotes ELLS Summer Schools, Intensive Courses and ELLS Master Programmes. She has also played an important role in the IRO team which has been a benefit for the cooperation between the ELLS universities."
2009: Subject Area Environmental Sciences
The SA Environmental Science was the first and up-to now (2009) only group who established a full ELLS joint master program in which several ELLS universities cooperate on equal terms. Starting from a very successful yearly summer school program which is still fully operational today and which is circulating between the different locations of the ELLS universities they went out to set up a master program with an attractive topic and a real European dimension. Overcoming serious bureaucratic and financial hurdles they succeeded in 2007 to establish the Joint MSc Programme EnvEuro “European Environmental Science – Soil, Water, and Biodiversity” –, with the partner universities LIFE, UHOH, BOKU, SLU as main participants. Without the constant commitment and the strong input of the SA members the Euroleague could not have achieved this goal and would not be in such a good shape. This Subject Area has always been responsive and professional, which is undoubtedly due to its outstanding leadership by Hans Christian Bruun Hansen".