- SymBioSE
SymBioSE ("'Symposium of Biology Students in Europe") was founded in 1996 by the
German Student Association . The basic idea was to connect all European biology students, allowing for the exchange of ideas, perspectives and experiences about student concerns. This led to the first meeting inBerlin in 1997.What is SymBioSE?
After a successful start with 12 European nations it was continued as an annual event to be held in the different participating countries. Since then, every host country has built upon the initial framework and upgraded it with aspects of their own cultural background. Thus far, this has resulted every time in a unique and enriching symposium.
Activities
Today, SymBioSE meetings have three major goals:
#to broaden the horizons of the participating students by excursions and lectures,
#to connect the people by discussions and cultural exchange and
#to inform everybody about current university matters.The biological topics presented always rely upon the trends in research that complement both local institutions and their resources. Lectures are usually held at a local university, so the students gain a detailed insight into other university systems.
During round tables and national meetings representatives of the participating countries discuss the following issues:
*new developments within their parent universities,
*newly created or planned biological study programs, and
*the various ways of student collaboration.Social events in the evenings further enhance contacts between the participants. This will allow everyone to create a personal network throughout Europe, thereby facilitating student exchanges and international work experience. All of this will promote a mutual understanding between countries through academic and cultural exchange while developing a different perspective on their own educational systems.
In general, SymBioSE is not a rigid organization with a hierarchical structure. SymBioSE is a symposium that takes place once a year and aims to connect European biology students through the year by personal contact. Therefore, it is open for every student and not limited to student representatives.
Representative function of SymBioSe.
The participants of SymBioSE have a certain right to make statements as representatives of the European biology students, and not as representatives of particular countries. This is based on the idea that every biology student who wants to get involved possesses the right and the ability to do so. To guarantee this, letters of invitation to the annual symposium are sent to every biology faculty in Europe explaining the ideas and aims of SymBioSE, and announcing the dates of the
symposium .During the symposium, representatives of every participating country have to get together regularly to discuss topics related to the current SymBioSE [old version: current student matters] . They can work out position proposals, which will thereafter be presented to the
plenum of all participating students who have the right to comment upon and to discuss these proposals. The plenum will vote by the system of double majority: A majority of 2/3 both in the number of participating students and countries has to be obtained in order to pass it. This position will then be published as the official opinion of "the participants of SymBioSE".On the basis of this agreement, SymBioSE is a non-elected but representative body of biology students in Europe.
External links
* [http://www.symbiose.eu.org/ The official home of the SymBioSe]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
