Compulsory education: “The discussion is not really about the young people but rather about other interests.”

In Austria, there is not only a training guarantee for minors, but also a training obligation: all young people must complete an apprenticeship, a training programme or similar measures after completing compulsory schooling if they do not attend secondary school. In his recently published postdoctoral thesis, Alban Knecht investigates the following questions: How does labour market policy support young people entering the labour market? And where does it tend to hinder them? He has analysed political discourses and institutional changes in the promotion of employment and labour market policy for disadvantaged young people in Austria.

Read more

Playing with the digital human

Whenever Tom Tuček talks about the world, he invariably needs to specify: Are we talking about the real world or virtual worlds? A doctoral student at the Department of Information Technology, he is currently investigating digital humans, i.e. virtual characters such as those we encounter in video games. Tom Tuček would like to find out how contact with digital humans equipped with new artificial intelligence affects players.

Read more

The predictor of the future

Witesyavwirwa Vianney Kambale can predict the future, and he can do it without using a crystal ball. Working in the “Transportation Informatics” research group at the Department of Smart Systems Technologies, this doctoral student uses data from yesterday and today to look ahead to tomorrow.

Read more

Mini-helicopters in greenhouses: Research project nominated for Houska Prize

Greenhouses are currently not up to date with the latest technology. In order to increase food production there, mini-helicopters could be used in the future.  Their task will be to record the condition of the plants 24 hours a day, without GPS and without human assistance.  A team of researchers at the University of Klagenfurt is developing the technological foundations for deploying these “flying helpers”. Their project has been nominated for the Houska Prize 2024.

Read more