“ There is a desire to ‘improve’ something in the interest of others, without actually knowing what those interests are.”

In the Western world we are very quick to demand specific ethical criteria relating to working conditions. However, the Pakistani sociologist Farah Naz, who earned her doctorate at the University of Klagenfurt and now researches and teaches at the University of Sargodha, raises the following issue: Before judging child labour and home-based work, we should understand the living and working conditions of the families concerned. Together with sociology professor Dieter Bögenhold, she has published a book with the title “Unheard Voices”. The publication forges links between the work of Pakistani football stitchers and the great global inequalities. The two authors discuss the main ideas of their book in this interview.

Robots set to learn how to provide better assistance during surgery

Minimally invasive surgery has many advantages for patients and surgical teams, such as shorter recovery times, lower post-operative complication rates, higher patient acceptance rates and increased cost efficiency. One key area here is interventional radiology, where external imaging equipment is used to guide the surgical instruments through the body. Robots can support in this task. However, those who believe that robots “operate” independently are (as yet) mistaken: The robot systems available today are pure tele-operators or mere assistants for holding and targeting tools; that’s all they can do. Now, a research project led by the University of Klagenfurt wants to explore additional advantages of “operating robots” and increase their autonomy when it comes to supporting surgeons. Read more →

Helga Rabenstein-Moser is the new Student Ombudswoman

As of 1 October 2020, Helga Rabenstein-Moser will take over as Student Ombudswoman in Klagenfurt for the next three years. The Office of the Student Ombudsman was established at the University of Klagenfurt in 2014 and, until now, Hans-Joachim Bodenhöfer has provided students with advice and assistance.

Studying and working on campus at the University of Klagenfurt

After completing her Bachelor’s degree at Vienna University of Economics and Business, Melisa Midzan decided to pursue her Master’s degree in Business Administration at the University of Klagenfurt. She is now entering her third semester and is simultaneously completing a Bachelor’s degree in Information and Communications Engineering. She is using the Klagenfurt scholarship to forge valuable contacts with Carinthian companies.