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Meet the Expert | Seeds: Social Empowerment and Equity in Disability and Gender by Carla Maria Reale
This presentation introduces Project SEEDS (Social Empowerment and Equity in Disability and Gender in South Tyrol), a research initiative conducted at Eurac Research’s Institute for Minority Rights and funded by the Autonomous Province of Bolzano-Bozen – South Tyrol (Decree: 14101/2025 – CUP D53C25001180003). The project explores a central question: How can South Tyrol develop intersectional…
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Meet the Expert | Student Belonging and Wellbeing in Higher Education by Gabriela Pleschova
In this presentation, Gabriela Pleschova examines the critical role that a sense of belonging plays in student success, mental health, and overall well-being. While belonging has been widely recognised as an important factor in the student experience, cross-national research on the topic remains limited. Drawing on a novel study involving more than 2,000 students from…
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Meet the Expert | The manosphere and digital gender-based violence by Mariella Popolla
In this presentation, Mariella Popolla explores the relationship between the manosphere and digital gender-based violence, examining how online communities can shape attitudes, identities, and behaviours in contemporary digital spaces. The talk begins by introducing the manosphere and its various online networks, discussing how it can be understood as a form of social and cultural backlash…
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Meet the Expert | Communicating Bias in AI to the General Public by Rita Bencivenga
The interview “Communicating Bias in AI to the General Public. Inclusive Science Communication Strategies”. What does it take to communicate complex scientific issues to the general public in ways that are not only accurate, but also meaningful, accessible, and socially relevant? In this presentation, Rita Bencivenga explores inclusive science communication strategies designed to help non-specialist…
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Meet the Expert | The future of AI between innovation and equity by Rita Bencivenga
What does it mean to talk about the future of artificial intelligence not only in terms of innovation, but also in terms of equity? In this talk, Rita Bencivenga reflects on a question that is becoming increasingly urgent: how the systems we design today may shape the ways opportunities, recognition, and trust are distributed in…
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Meet the Expert | Participation as a tool for inclusion by Sebastiano Benasso
In this presentation, Sebastiano Benasso explores how participation can be a powerful tool for fostering inclusion in research and society. Drawing on participatory research approaches, he highlights how involving people directly in the research process strengthens traditional research methods rather than replacing them. The session emphasizes a shift from researching on people to researching with…
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Meet the Expert | A ‘Proper’ Woman? One Woman’s story of success and failure in academia with Pat O’Connor (2/2)
What does it really mean to succeed in academia—and who gets to define success? In this candid and thought-provoking interview, Pat O’Connor reflects on more than four decades in higher education, revealing how gender, power, and institutional culture shape academic careers in ways that are often hidden, yet deeply consequential. Drawing on her personal journey—from…
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Meet the Expert | A ‘Proper’ Woman? One Woman’s story of success and failure in academia with Pat O’Connor (1/2)
What does it really mean to succeed in academia—and who gets to define success? In this candid and thought-provoking interview, Pat O’Connor reflects on more than four decades in higher education, revealing how gender, power, and institutional culture shape academic careers in ways that are often hidden, yet deeply consequential. Drawing on her personal journey—from…
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Meet the Expert | EDI in Teaching Practices with Robert Koglek
How can universities move beyond “diversity as a topic” and embed equity and inclusion into everyday teaching practice? In this interview, we explore the concept of diversity reflexivity as a powerful pedagogical stance that challenges educators to reflect not only on who their students are, but also on who they themselves are in the classroom.…
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Meet the Expert | Gender-based violence in universities with Ana Vidu
Sexual harassment in academia is not an individual problem but a structural one, sustained by power hierarchies and silence. In this interview, we explore how harassment operates within universities, why survivors so often remain unheard, and what happens not only to those who experience abuse but also to those who dare to support them. Drawing…