The summer camp was organised as part of the Erasmus+ project EcoDigify and focused on sustainable digitalisation. Over the three days, the students moved from identifying problems and challenges to developing and presenting possible solutions.
Different perspectives sparked new ideas
The students worked in interdisciplinary and international groups, exploring sustainability challenges related to digitalisation. Through practical exercises, problem-solving and idea development, they encountered perspectives from different academic disciplines and cultures.
For Stina Johansson, a fifth-year student on the Master of Science in Engineering programme in Communications, Transport and Infrastructure (KTS), the international collaboration was an important part of the experience.
“It was fun working with people from other countries. You realise that different cultures can give us different perspectives on things, and that created a good dynamic within the group,” says Stina Johansson.
Elin Fredriksson, who is also studying Communications, Transport and Infrastructure, highlights how different cultural perspectives influenced the group work.
“It was interesting to see how different cultures influenced the roles we took on in the group. In my group, I noticed that people from different countries could approach the topic in different ways,” says Elin.
The aim was to go beyond simply discussing the problems. The groups were encouraged to turn their knowledge into ideas and consider both the feasibility of their solutions and their potential impact on sustainability and society.
One group that included LiU students developed a proposal for guidelines for AI companies building data centres. The idea was that the companies would also contribute funding to local places where people could meet and spend time together without digital technology. The group received The Positive Societal Impact Award for its work.
“Our idea was that AI companies building data centres should also contribute to funding a youth centre or another place where people in the local area can spend time together without technology,” says Elin.
Other projects involving LiU students were also recognised, including from the perspective of Think globally.
New perspectives on sustainable digitalisation
The summer camp also gave the students an opportunity to explore what sustainable digitalisation can mean. For Stina, it was an area that had not previously received much attention in her programme.“Sustainable digitalisation is something we haven't really discussed in my programme before. So it was exciting to explore these issues and discuss them with others,” says Stina.
For the nine Linköping University students, the days in Thessaloniki provided an opportunity to work across disciplines and encounter perspectives from other countries, experiences they can take with them into their continued studies.
