Workshop: Scientific Writing

Online Workshop || 29 and 30 November 2023

Writing scientific papers, publications and theses places high demands on natural scientists. Among others, the text must appeal to the target readership, be structured logically and stringently, and be written in a precise and concise style.
During the 2-day workshop "Scientific Writing" for our SmartAge ESRs, strategies for efficiently planning scientific texts and adequately implementing style and structural conventions during the writing process will be taught. The focus will be on practical exercises. Furthermore, individual strategies to avoid writer's block and to optimize the writing process will be worked out. In addition to writing-specific topics, journal selection criteria and conventions of the submission and review process for scientific publications will be covered.

SmartAge Network Meeting III

4. - 6. October 2023 II Wageningen, Netherlands

From October 04 - 06, we will be holding our third SmartAge Network Meeting as face-to-face event in Wageningen, Netherlands. 

The main focus of our third network meeting will be to discuss the status and progress of the whole project as well as of the individual Work Packages again. In addition, our ESRs will present their research findings and there will be plenty of time for networking. We are looking forward to three exciting days full of microbiome research topics and would like to thank this year's hosts, the team from Prof. Lisette de Groot from Wageningen University, for their reliable organisation.

ESR-Seminar: "Gut-brain axis: from mental health to cognitive functions"

Zoom Webconference || 25 May 2023 || 02:00 pm

During this seminar there will be two lectures from Dr. Jordi Mayneris Perxachs and Dr. Anna Castells Nobau (both IDIBGI, Spain) on the topic of “Gut-brain axis: from mental health to cognitive functions” and two ESR progress presentations. We look forward to an interesting afternoon and lively scientific exchange. Planned Programme

ESR-Seminar

Zoom Webconference || 20 March 2023 || 11:00 am

During this seminar our three newly added SmartAge ESRs - Raphaëlle (ESR4, UKJ), Andrea (ESR8, IDIBGI) and Johanna (ESR15, ZHAW) - will take the opportunity to introduce themselves with their old and new projects.

SmartAge Winter School 2023 for ESRs

30 January - 03 February 2023 || Kiel, Germany

We will be conducting our first face-to-face Winter School in combination with a special training part, which is carried out by our partner organization Qiagen, for our SmartAge ESRs on January 30 to February 03, 2023. The event is organised by our beneficiary Christian Albrechts University Kiel, Germany and also takes place there.

The program on the topic "System Biology and Metagenomis" includes numerous interesting scientific presentations, workshops and courses. The speakers come from various institutions and universities from Germany and Ireland. We are looking forward to an interesting training week with a lot of scientific input, networking and exchange opportunities. For more details: Program SmartAge Winter School 2023.

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Course on Statistics

Online || 25 January 2023, 10:30 - 12:00 am and 1:00 - 2:30 pm

We start the new year 2023 with a statistics course. This will take place online via Zoom for our SmartAge ESRs on January 25 and will deal with application-specific questions in addition to a general introduction to statistics.

ESR-Seminar: "Eating behaviour in times of transformation"

Zoom Webconference || 07 December 2022, 2:30 - 4:30 pm

Within the framework of our next SmartAge ESR-seminar, Prof. Christine Brombach from Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Switzerland, will give an overview on the topic of  "Eating behaviour in times of transformation".

The war against Ukraine has once again made us aware of how much our health, the environment and society are interconnected. In which way can we influence the systems around us through our diet? What is the planetary health diet, how can we implement such a diet in our everyday life and why should we do so?
This seminar will give some insights into the concept of planetary health diet and how to actually change eating behaviour in a given setting, based on a theory called “transtheoretical model”. I would also like to touch upon how challenging it is to change eating behavior and sustain it. I encourage students to see this seminar also as a platform to ask questions and think about ways on how to make changes in eating and diet. We will also touch upon in which way we can help to make transformation of our food system. How can we reach out and help to move towards more sustainability to keep our use of resources within planetary boundaries.

Learning objectives:
• Overview on how nutrition behaviour evolves and links to nutritional biography
• Highlight global trends in eating behaviour, obesity, non-communicable diseases from a nutrition and health perspective
• Link to possible policy interventions
• Include some solution approaches from one or multiple sectors
• Comment on the implications of food systems being in transition for your topic and what this means looking forward

ESR-Seminar: Neurobiology and Cognition

Zoom Webconference || 07 October 2022

Our next SmartAge ESR seminar will take place in October. During the Seminar one SmartAge ESR and three PIs will give presentations on the topic cognition and neurobiology in ageing. Planned Programme

SmartAge Network Meeting II

8. - 10. September 2022 II Jena, Germany

From September 08 - 10, we will be holding our second SmartAge Network Meeting as face-to-face event in Jena, Germany.

The main focus of our second network meeting will be to discuss the progress of the project and the individual Work Packages. In addition, our ESRs will present their research findings and there will be plenty of time for networking.

We are very excited that after many virtual meetings we will finally all meet in person. Planned Programme

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Workshop: Effective Presentation

Online Workshop || 05 and 06 July 2022

Science is mostly production of high quality data and conclusions. However, presentation of data and conclusions is arguably of similar importance: after generation of results, each scientist want to convey the information and messages to fellow scientists, be it in the form of talks and posters at conferences or in manuscript for great publications. In addition, presenting for the lay public is of outstanding importance not only to get understood but to get a job. 

The main content and the aim of this workshop will be to provide Ph.D. students with an opportunity to build their understanding, skills and confidence in oral and poster presentations. This will enhance their overall effectiveness as they pursue their research studies and maximize success of their future careers. 

ESR-Seminar: From Bench to Bedside

Zoom Webconference || 09 June 2022

Our third SmartAge ESR seminar will take place in June. The seminar will consist of two parts. In the first part, two SmartAge PI will give presentations on the topic working with human data. Ines Thiele from University of Galway will talk about "Human metabolic modelling" and Kathrin Finke from University Hospital Jena about "Human study conduction". In the second part, three selected ESRs will present the progress of their projects. 

Workshop: Fundamentals and Myths of Time and Self-Management

Online Workshop || 24 and 25 May 2022

In the two-part workshop on "Fundamentals and myths of time and self-management," the trainer will focus on the challenges and opportunities during a doctorate journey and an unique Ph.D. experience.  The following topics will be discussed among others:

• keeping track of ESR achievements and progress, 
• realistic planning and prioritizing 
• considering well-being and resources during planning, 
• adjusting plans according to work demands and individual needs, 
• managing multiple side-projects

ESR-Seminar - SmartAge: A global view

Zoom Webconference || 18 March 2022

Our second SmartAge ESR seminar will take place in March. The seminar will consist of two parts. In the first part, Christiane Frahm (UKJ) will give an overview of the development, application, structure and objectives of the SmartAge project. This should show an overall picture of the SmartAge project. In the second part, three selected ESRs will present the progress of their projects. 

Mid-Term Check Meeting with REA Project Officer

04 February 2022 || Virtual Event

Our Mid-Term Check Meeting will be held in early February 2022. Our SmartAge consortium, including the Project Coordinator, the scientists-in-charge, the representatives of our Partner Organisations as well as all appointed ESRs, will meet our REA Project Officer. The objective of this meeting is to assess the fulfilment of the recruitment procedure, the eligibility of the fellows, any deviations of the original training programme and raises awareness on the fellows' and host institutions' rights and obligations. The Mid-Term check should be understood as a constructive dialogue between the network participants and the REA Project Officer and is a valuable source of feedback to both the consortium and the REA.

SmartAge Training Week I

Zoom Webconference || 28 and 29 October 2021

Planned Programme

SmartAge Network-Meeting and Summer School

Zoom Webconference || 13 - 15 October 2021

Planned Programme

Workshop on Good Scientific Practice

Online Workshop || 28 July 2021

The major objective of the workshop “Good Scientific Practice” is to know and understand the basic rules and values of the responsible conduct of research in all its stages, according to local, national, and international regulations and guidelines. The participants will explore the differences and grey areas between good scientific practice, questionable research practice, and scientific misconduct. They will learn about the consequences of scientific misconduct. The content of the workshop follows the curriculum “Good scientific practice” which was commissioned by and developed in cooperation with the German Research Association:

• Definitions of good scientific practice and scientific misconduct
• Data and source management
• Authorship and the process of publication
• Mentoring and supervision
• Conflict management: how to deal with scientific misconduct
• Consequences

ESR Seminar - Get-to-know Meeting

Zoom Webconference || 21 July 2021

We are holding our first SmartAge ESR Seminar on July 21, 2021 as a Zoom Meeting. This first meeting is to allow the already recruited Early Stage Researchers (ESRs) to get to know each other. In the future, the regular bi-monthly ESR seminar will be used to get an overview of the research progress of the PhD students and to discuss scientific problems or open questions.

9th Beneficial Microbes Conference

Amsterdam || 14 - 16 November 2022

The 9th Beneficial Microbes Conference will provide an overview of the latest scientific results and future developments related to pre- and probiotics and their importance to human and animal health across the lifespan. Topics include but are not limited to pre- and probiotics and the gut microbiome, the gut-brain axis, the microbiome beyond the gut, and more.

The 9th Beneficial Microbes Conference features:

• Plenary lectures & parallel sessions
• Poster sessions
• A commercial exhibition, parallel to the conference, presenting products and services related to pre- and probiotics.

The 9th Beneficial Microbes Conference promotes the creation of new initiatives for the customised application of pre- and probiotics in food, feed, and healthcare in a networking environment. The conference topics are intended to meet the needs of researchers, food, feed, and healthcare professionals who want to be updated on the advances in pre- and probiotics research. Interested attendees include basic and translational research scientists, nutritionists, dietitians, physicians, students, policy makers, and key opinion leaders with an interest in pre- and probiotics.

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Lifelines Webinar

Webinar || 25 May 2021, 3:00 pm

Are you thinking about using population data for your research? In this webinar we would like to meet and welcome (new) researchers that want to learn more about working with Lifelines data. We will be showing you our available data and walk you through the access procedure. Are you preparing a (grant) application with Lifelines data or just want to ask us some questions? Feel free to join this meet up!

Ilse Broeders will explain the study design and will show some insights in the available data. Bas Bolmer will show you how data access in our virtual workspace environment works. 

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8th Beneficial Microbes Conference

Virtual Meeting || 22 - 24 March 2021

The virtual meeting, BMC2021, takes place 22-24 March 2021. BMC2021 will continue to provide the real-life opportunities to network, learn and engage that participants have come to know, value and expect. Join the experts in a highly interactive environment featuring video-streaming presentations with live Q&A, on-demand sessions, interactive booths on the exhibition floor, an engaging poster hall, and more.

BMC2021 is about defining gaps, needs, and opportunities for practical applications of pre- and probiotics in human and animal health throughout the lifespan. Internationally renowned speakers will present their latest research results on pre- and probiotics and the gut microbiome, the microbiota-gut-brain axis, the microbiome beyond the gut, such as the placenta microbiome, the milk microbiome, and the skin microbiome, beneficial microbes to combat SARS-CoV-2, and more.

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