On October 8, the representatives of the Riga Technical University Information and Communication, Computer Science, and Informatics Council unanimously decided to elect Oskars Java to the position of Associate Professor at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences in the field of Electrical Engineering, Electronics, Information and Communication Technologies, in the subfield of Systems Analysis, Modeling, and Design.

An essential part of the criteria for becoming an Associate Professor is an open lecture, attended by students and members of the Council of Professors. For his presentation, O. Java chose a topic related to his scientific work: “From Data to Decisions: Linking Data Collection with Sociotechnical System Modeling.”

“During my first seven years in academia, I dedicated myself to research and its administration. However, with the attainment of Associate Professor status, I will shift my administrative duties toward academic ones. In other words, I will devote a larger portion of my time to working with students and developing the doctoral program I lead, turning it into a truly international and modern program. Through my activities, I want to inspire more graduates to choose research as their future profession,” says Ph.D. O. Java.

On October 10 at 4:00 PM, the exhibition “Unissued Diplomas” will open in Valmiera, at Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences (ViA), Cēsu Street 4 courtyard. The exhibition will present the stories of Ukrainian students and will be on display from October 10 to November 11.

Valmiera — as an educational hub of the Vidzeme region — will be one of the places hosting this international exhibition, offering everyone the opportunity to learn more about the experiences of Ukrainian students and the current situation in Ukraine.

The exhibition opening will feature Member of the European Parliament Reinis Pozņaks, Deputy Chair of the Valmiera Municipality Council Ričards Gailums, ViA Rector Agnese Dāvidsone, ViA Council Member Gatis Krūmiņš, ViA researcher from Ukraine Yuliia Kovalenko, and a ViA exchange student from Ukraine. The event will be moderated by ViA Vice-Rector for Development Iveta Putniņa.

The exhibition presents the stories of Ukrainian students who lost their lives during Russia’s invasion. The project serves as a reminder that the war continues — and that it claims lives every single day. Each unissued diploma in the exhibition is accompanied by a personal story, revealing who the student wanted to become and what their life was like before the war.

“We share the life stories of young people who will never graduate from their study programs and who will never walk through their university doors again. We invite reflection on the opportunities we have — and how fragile they really are. We hope these stories will inspire thoughts on how to build better education for the future. Support for Ukrainian universities, their educators, and students is essential — and Ukraine’s experience is invaluable for our own learning,” said Iveta Putniņa, Vice-Rector for Development, Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences

Over the past year, ViA — together with other E³UDRES² European University partners and representatives from Ukraine and the Western Balkans — has worked on a joint cooperation strategy. This initiative has enabled Ukrainian university staff to actively participate in various on-site and online training events, take part in international weeks hosted by universities, contribute to the development of the “Future Universities” concept, and partially continue their daily academic duties and work with students.

The “Unissued Diplomas” project began in 2023 and has since been showcased in more than 110 exhibitions across 24 countries.

Admission to the exhibition is free, and it is accessible at any time of day.

The E³UDRES² Sustainability Guide aims to provide recommendations on how to align the activities and processes of the E³UDRES² European University Alliance with the goals of the European Green Deal. It shows which actions E³UDRES² as an alliance already takes in terms of sustainable practices, where there is still room for improvement, and which actions can be taken to meet sustainability goals.

The main components of the guide include: 

• Summary on the status of the climate crisis and main emission factors
• Overview of current sustainability efforts of E³UDRES² as an alliance
• Prospective sustainability goals for E³UDRES²
• Practical recommendations for sustainability advances

Read more here

Join Master in Applied XR: Gamified Reality Application team for the Global XR Jam, a free online game jam where creators from around the world come together to build XR (Extended Reality) games over one weekend!

What’s Happening?

We’re challenging you to create an immersive XR experience - whether in VR, AR, or MR - over the course of a single weekend. Connect, collaborate, and create with fellow developers, artists, and storytellers!

Program Overview

• Friday 24 October: Live Opening Event at 17:00 CEST.
  Kick off the jam with a live welcome session and theme reveal!
• Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 October: Game Development
  Build your XR game solo or in teams — the jam runs non-stop until Monday!
• Monday 27 October: Live Closing Event at 17:30 CEST
  Celebrate your creations, share your work, and reflect on the jam experience.

Theme Reveal

The theme will be unveiled at the start of October, so stay tuned!

Award for Best XR Experience

An expert jury will vote on the best XR experience created during the jam. More details about the award will be also announced in October. Register now to receive the news!

Deadline: to be considered for the Award, submit your game by Sunday 23:59 CET!

Registration

This event is free, but registration is required: Global XR Jam 2025 Tickets, Fri, Oct 24, 2025 at 5:00 PM | Eventbrite

Once registered, you’ll receive a link to join our Discord channel, where all jam activities will take place.

Organised By

This jam is brought to you by three universities as part of the Master in Applied XR: GRACE.