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Rethinking excellence

Webinar N°7 within a series of nine webinars on gender equality and diversity

Time

16:00 - 17:00

The term “excellence” is extensively used in academic research to justify and target funding and recruitment decisions and policies. In this webinar, we invite our participants to an open critique of the concept of excellence. The Better Science Initiative calls for a rethink in academia towards more sustainability, diversity and equal opportunities.

male and female scientists on dark green background
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Diversity in excellence – “Better Science” as an approach for rethinking the current academic culture

Natascha Flückiger, Board of Students’ Union University of Bern, Switzerland

Sabine Höfler, Scientific officer, Office for Gender Equality, University of Bern, Switzerland

Joël Schaad, Academic trainee Better Science Initiative, Office for Gender Equality, University of Bern Switzerland

The term “excellence” is used in academia to determine outstanding scientific work. Yet it is only vaguely defined with no clear criteria for its application. What does excellence mean in different academic settings? What is the least common denominator for excellence across disciplines? How do we measure it and what are its implications? This webinar invites participants to an open critique of the concept of excellence and how it has to change. The Better Science Initiative calls for a rethinking of scientific work towards more sustainability, diversity, and equal opportunities.

Rethinking excellence

Categories

Languages: English