News

First nGICE year productive despite all corona restrictions

In summary, the first nGICE year has turned out to be productive, despite all corona restrictions. We had the Grand Opening in Lund and Alnarp in January before the pandemic. We have successfully recruited 15 well qualified postdocs and PhD-students internationally, via Skype and zoom interviews. Ten of them have to date started projects in their nGICE institutes and five more are expected to arrive at the beginning of 2021, as soon as corona related issues with VISA, master- and PhD-degrees have been solved. Instead of planned meetings and courses, we have established zoom alternatives and have monthly zoom seminars and a journal club including all new co-workers. Board meetings and PI meetings have also mainly been organised via zoom.

The first physical meeting including all PIs and new co-workers, the on-boarding meeting, is now planned for May 2021 in Jena.

Merry Christmas and a Happy new Year 2021!

The nGICE board

The official opening of the Max Planck Center next Generation Insect Chemical Ecology was held on January 26-27, 2020, in Lund and Alnarp, Sweden.

Here are some impressions.

Grand Opening, January 2020.

Torbjorn von Schantz, Vice-Chancellor of Lund University, Martin Stratmann, President of Max Planck Society, and Maria Knutson Wedel, Vice-Chancellor of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, sign the contract for a new Max Planck Center on "next Generation Insect Chemical Ecology" (nGICE). In the background: Bill Hansson, head of the Department of Evolutionary Neuroethology at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, who is one of the nGICE co-directors. Photo: Mårten Svensson

Grand Opening, January 2020.

The co-directors (cd) and group leaders (gl) of the Max Planck Center "next Generation Insect Chemical Ecology" (from left to right): Silke Sachse (gl, MPI-CE, Jena), Martin Andersson (gl, Lund University), Christer Löfstedt (cd, Lund University), Rickard Ignell (cd, SLU Alnarp), Mats Sandgren (gl, SLU Uppsala), Peter Anderson (gl, SLU Alnarp), Bill Hansson (cd, MPI-CE Jena), Markus Knaden (gl, MPI-CE Jena), Sharon Hill (gl, SLU Alnarp), Susanne Erland (nGICE coordinator). Photo: Mårten Svensson

Grand Opening, January 2020.

In her presentation, Dr. Sharon Hill from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Alnarp asked "Are we making the most dangerous animal in the world more dangerous?" Photo: Mårten Svensson

Grand Opening, January 2020.

The Vice-Chancellor of Lund University, Prof. Dr. Torbjörn von Schantz, represented one of the three partner institutions. Photo: Mårten Svensson

Grand opening, January 2020.

Dr. Maria Knutson Wedel, Vice-Chancellor of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), talked about the role and responsibility of her university in the light of climate change. Photo: Mårten Svensson

Grand Opening, January 2020.

The President of Max Planck Society, Prof. Dr. Martin Stratmann, explained the role of Max Planck Society in the world of Science. Photo: Mårten Svensson