NEWS

The first year of the MSCA4Ukraine fellow Yuliia Kovalenko at the Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences

03 May 2024

It has been already a year since Yuliia Kovalenko, assistant professor at the Kharkiv State Academy of Culture, mostly lives in Latvia and works at ViA. She has been elected as researcher at ViA in July, 2023, and has accomplished her first year activities of the research project “CineGame Ukraine: a contemporary Ukrainian research-based digital art game for developing narrative skills and cinema literacy” No. 1233058 as a part of the European Commission’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions.

The project activities have been aimed at coupling cinematographic education with digital serious games, with the overarching goal of mastering modern film narratives.

The construction of narratives in the gaming prototype will be useful for training courses in filmmaking for cinematography students in Ukraine and abroad. In Ukrainian filmmaking education, techniques of storytelling are almost not included. Developing this project involving Ukrainian characters and plots will as well contribute to promoting knowledge of Ukrainian culture.

Yuliia has been actively using the possibilities of European mobility with the aim of networking, knowledge acquisition and integration in the European research communities. Participation in internships and training programs, as well as attending forums, helps to understand the specifics and trends of European science and gain experience in international scientific collaboration.

“All of this is not just personal development. Against the backdrop of communication processes that you observe, it becomes clear how to develop project and research work in Ukraine, how to make the Ukrainian scientific community an active participant in European scientific cooperation. I have great expectations for the most effective implementation of the acquired experience in my country.”

In the framework of ViA’s Open University, Yuliia has attended classes about cinema, Latvian culture, and obtained A1 certificate of Latvian language. Being passionate about filming, she actively documents everything she manages to visit, be it concerts and festivals like the National Song and Dance Festival, national holidays, city events or excursions to ethnographic and art museums.

“Latvia has enchanted me from the very first day of encountering this wonderful country and its inhabitants. I adore everything – Latvian songs and dances, language and nature, family and festive traditions, way of life and values. I feel happy to be a part of this country, community, and culture. Since my arrival here, a smile has not left my face, which was a stark contrast to the horrors of war I experienced in Kharkiv. I always return to Latvia with smile after internships and participation in scientific forums, visiting various countries in Europe. Latvia remains the most beautiful and wonderful place for me.”

Yuliia says that the Latvian language feels very familiar to her, as if she is not learning it but rather remembering it, as if she once knew it. The living conditions in Latvia inspire the researcher and provide opportunities for creative and scientific growth, giving hope for the best ahead.

Reports in scientific conferences

Kovalenko Y. B., Immersive Narratives: Blending Cinematic Storytelling with Serious Gaming and Interactive Filmmaking. International Scientific Conference of Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences “Society. Technologies. Solutions”, April 12^th, 2024.
Kovalenko Y. B., Updating and preservation of audiovisual collections in the digital space of Ukraine. The 9th Baltic Sea Region Film History Conference. Academy of Culture, Riga (Latvia), June 6th-8th, 2024, accepted.
Kovalenko Y. B., Loginova T. O. Interactive Media as a Means of Teaching Audiovisual Storytelling. Modern engineering innovation technologies. Issue 31. Part 4. Karlsruhe. 2024, 31-35.
Kovalenko, Y. B. Artificial Intelligence in Audiovisual Media Education. Professional Development: Methodological Basis and Innovative Technologies: Materials of the All-Ukrainian Scientific and Pedagogical Qualification Improvement, January 1 - February 11, 2024. Lviv - Toruń: Liha-Pres, 2024, 112-115.

Attēls1 EN Funded by the EU POS

Nordplus Intensive Week activities in Estonia

15 April 2024

From April 7 to 13, representatives of ViA - Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences participated in Nordplus Intensive Week activities, which took place in Tartu and Tallinn (Estonia).

The intensive week is a format that brings together students and their teaching staff from different countries, who, most often, look for solutions according to a specific topic in the environment of a company.

Metropolia University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences (Finland), Kaunas University of Applied Sciences (Lithuania), University of Akureyri (Iceland), TTK University of Applied Sciences (Estonia), Åland University of Applied Sciences (Finland).

You can find out more about the university network at: https://ekoteknord.metropolia.f

Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Program for Staff: Innovative Methods for Future Skills 2.0

14 April 2024

Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Program for Staff: Innovative Methods for Future Skills 2.0

13 - 17 May Valmiera, Latvia

ViA erasmus canva.pdf 2

International scientific conference "SOCIETY. TECHNOLOGIES. SOLUTIONS."

04 April 2024

On April 11th in Riga and April 12th in Valmiera, Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences will host an international scientific conference "SOCIETY. TECHNOLOGIES. SOLUTIONS."

Its main theme, which will span both days of the event, is the study of the historical gross domestic product of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia over a period of 100 years, starting from 1920. Comparative GDP calculations for different regions of the Baltic States have also been conducted, and the researchers will introduce them to the public for the first time. However, the conference will also feature other reports, discussions, and activities to complement this main theme.

We invite you to participate in the conference in person by signing up at this link https://ej.uz/11_12_04_2024 or watch the live broadcast on Vidzeme University's social media accounts.

The conference program can be read at this link: PROGRAMME (pdf.)

Vidzemes University, the International Tourism Studies Association and the International Journal of Tourism Cities are co-organizing the 10th ITSA Biennial Conference in Riga

18 March 2024

Vidzemes University, the International Tourism Studies Association (ITSA), and the International Journal of Tourism Cities IJTC) are co-organizing the 10^th ITSA Biennial Conference in Riga, Latvia, 17-20, September 2024. The overall theme of the event is: “Bridging the Gaps in Tourism Knowledge and Practice: The Future of Sustainable, Smart and Secure Tourism and Hospitality”. There are four sub-themes in Safety and Security, the New Traveller, the Circular Economy, and Urban Tourism Research.

“It is with pleasure and enthusiasm that we extend a warm invitation to the forthcoming 10th International Tourism Studies Association (ITSA) Biennial Conference, a distinguished gathering that will convene in the charming capital of Latvia, Riga. As the third-largest city in Northern Europe, Riga provides an enchanting backdrop for the exchange of knowledge, ideas, and insights in the dynamic field of tourism” (said Agita Livina, Professor, Vidzemes University and Conference Chair).

The conference will serve as a nexus for academia, industry professionals, and researchers to explore and deliberate upon pivotal themes shaping the contemporary tourism landscape. The overarching theme of the conference is intricately woven around three key dimensions: safety and security, changes in traveler behavior, and the imperative of circularity in tourism. These critical facets demand concerted attention from educators, researchers, and industry practitioners. Through collaborative efforts, the even aims to bridge the existing gaps in tourism knowledge and practice, propelling society toward a future marked by Sustainable, Smart, and Secure tourism and hospitality.

“ITSA is uniquely devoted to scholarly exchange between researchers and practitioners focusing on the growth of tourism worldwide. Founded in 2006 in Hangzhou, China, ITSA is an unincorporated charitable association based in London, UK. ITSA is committed to developing a worldwide tourism leadership forum that facilitates improvements in global hospitality and tourism. ITSA is unique among international associations of tourism scholars and practitioners. It has the mission to encourage interaction and cooperation between members in developing and developed countries” (Professor Cinà van Zyl, ITSA President, University of South Africa).

“The International Journal of Tourism Cities is the only academic journal exclusively dedicated to urban tourism research. A peer-reviewed journal, IJTC provides an international forum for the study of urban tourism and tourism cities. The journal aims to be inter-disciplinary in its appreciation of tourism cities and tourism in urban areas. IJTC has the highest rating of Q1 on the Scopus journal ranking system” (Professor J. Andres Coca-Stefaniak, IJTC Co-Editor-in-Chief). IJTC welcomes original, theoretically-informed articles from those involved in the planning, management or marketing of tourism in city destination or places adjoining urban areas. IJTC has four distinct purposes:

To encourage greater research and scholarship related to tourism in urban settings.
To stimulate more interdisciplinary research on tourism in cities, particularly the integration of tourism and urban studies theories and principles.
To generate more research studies on tourism at the edge of cities, where urban and rural areas converge.
To create more literature on best practices in city tourism worldwide through in-depth analyses and the production of exemplary case studies.

IJTC is the official journal of ITSA and is published in England by Emerald.

Around 250 participants are expected from the Baltic States (Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania), Scandinavia, other parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and other countries. www.itsa2024.lv

More information: Alastair M. Morrison, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.