Head of the scientific laboratory “Forestry of the North-East of Ukraine”, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Ecology and Botany R. YAROSCHUK and Candidate of Agricultural Sciences, Senior Researcher S. YAROSCHUK completed internships at the School of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Sciences (School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL) at the Bern University of Applied Sciences.
In December 2022, BFH-HAFL launched the Mobility Program for scientists and researchers from Ukraine as part of the “Solidarity with Ukraine” initiative. In January 2023, BFH-HAFL invited four Ukrainian researchers from the Northern and Eastern parts of the country for two months. The aim: to support Ukrainian researchers who continue to work in Ukraine and to strengthen cooperation with Ukrainian partners on topics related to forestry, agriculture and food security.
During the internship, scientists had the opportunity to get acquainted with new teaching methods. In particular, they took part in the workshop of Professor D. GENANT, Doctor, who shared his experience of using the problem-based learning method in practice.
During the internship, the participants got acquainted with the current research projects related to forestry and agriculture by Jan HRENTZ, Marjana MELNYKOVYCH, Jürgen BLAZER, Patrick Olivier WABERA, and Claude GARCIA.
Scientists of the Sumy National University also visited the Stammheim forest, got acquainted with the peculiarities of forestry and wood processing in the region, and discussed the situation regarding the impact of adverse natural and climatic factors on plantations.
The excursion to the Konrad Keller AG woodworking enterprise, where a large part of the wood from the Stammheim forest is processed, was interesting. The enterprise uses modern technology and is as computerized as possible, which allows to process wood with minimal waste.
During the internship, the participants got acquainted with local tree and shrub species used in the park landscapes of Basel, Bern, Zurich and Geneva.
During the meetings and negotiations between scientists of Sumy National Agrarian University and Bern University of Applied Sciences, agreements were reached regarding the joint submission of an application for a grant and the preparation of scientific publications.
The scientists are sincerely grateful to everyone who participated in the implementation of the internship and continues to support researchers in such a difficult time for Ukraine.
