Porto Regional Centre and the Serralves Foundation organise in a scientific partnership, the "Feeding a Cause" series of talks that will take place between January and December 2023.

There will be 11 sessions given by professors and researchers from the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, from areas ranging from Psychology to Biotechnology, Law and Management, and the central theme will be Food.

The first Conversation will take place on 29 January at 11am with Patrícia Oliveira e Silva, director of the Human Neurobehavioral Laboratory (HNL) and vice-director of the Faculty of Education and Psychology, under the theme "How emotions are influenced by what we eat".

For Célia Manaia, professor and researcher at the Porto Regional Centre, this cycle of conversations "brings a panoramic and interdisciplinary look at the topic of Food, ranging from well-being to pleasure and from technological innovation to environmental and social sustainability. "Through a single theme, bridges and synergies will be created that highlight the importance of food in society, from the impact on our body to all the activities associated with them, namely in economic development, or job generation," she adds.

In this Cycle of Conversations several themes will be discussed, such as:

"How emotions are influenced by what we eat" (Patrícia Oliveira e Silva, from the School of Education and Psychology);

"Wine is a simple thing, or maybe not" (Tim Hogg, from the Faculty of Biotechnology);

"Pulses without borders: sustainability and resilience in times of crisis" (Marta Vasconcelos, from the Faculty of Biotechnology);

"Food functionalisation and health" (Ana Gomes, from the Faculty of Biotechnology);

"Citizens and food waste: legal perspective" (Raquel Carvalho, from the Faculty of Law - Porto School, and Alexandra Afonso Ribeiro from CETRAD-UTAD);

"Consumer trends and choices" (Maria João Monteiro, from Faculty of Biotechnology, and a member of Portugal Foods);

"Food, Nutrition and Well-being!" (Marta Correia, from the Faculty of Biotechnology);

"Economies, agricultures and food safety" (Leonardo Costa, from Católica Porto Business School);

"Viruses and bacteria (too) make food safe!" (Paula Teixeira, from the Faculty of Biotechnology); "The power of packaging! Myths and facts" (Fátima Poças, from Faculty of Biotechnology;

"Innovation in sustainability and regeneration" (João Pinto, from Católica Porto Business School).

The sessions are free of charge, but require prior registration.

The Faculty of Human Sciences will host Professor Byung-Chul Han, one of today's most renowned philosophers, in what will be his first conference in Portugal, on April 13.

Byung-Chul Han is a South Korean philosopher and essayist. Professor of Philosophy and Cultural Studies at the University of Berlin, he is the author of several books, having dedicated his most recent work to reflecting on the impact of technology on contemporary society, as well as on the mechanisms of capitalism itself.

The conference is part of the "50 Years Conferences", which marks the foundation of FCH in the academic year 1972-73.

Catholic universities in the USA "seek to be open for the larger world" and make "a powerful difference". These were the words of Rev. Dennis Holtschneider, President of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU), in the Conference "Catholic Universities in the United States: challenges and transformation", which took place this Thursday, 24th, at the headquarters of UCP in Lisbon. At the event, the guest speaker, who has seven honorary doctorates and a long and distinguished career in the management of North American universities, spoke about the challenges faced by these institutions and the good practices that have been developed.

The expert identified some of the main issues which American Catholic higher education institutions are currently struggling with, from the ageing population of religious congregations, to the decreasing number of university students, and the decrease in believers. Dennis Holtschneider also pointed to the "losing confidence in all major institutions," the "new models of education" and "other competitors that offer certificates, such as Microsoft and Amazon."

In the face of these changes, the academic pointed out that all institutions, despite being "orginizing and/or cutting costs," "they are continuing to offer online education" and "experimenting with credentials," a new educational offer. The speaker also highlighted the importance of introducing "new programmes" and focusing on careers such as mechanical, but "adding a liberal arts catholic component".

Also important to the Reverend are the adaptation efforts of some schools that are "moving to new locations" and joining through new partnerships. To strengthen "the Catholic identity" that defines these universities, the manager advocated the creation of faith-oriented leadership positions such as "vice presidents for mission" and of "catholic studies departments," in parallel with a focus on training.

In the words of Dennis Holtschneider, "ideas change the world" and it is in this sense that Catholic universities and educators should work, to raise and seek to answer the "great questions". As such, he describes the Universidade Católica Portuguesa as "a gift to the world", stressing the importance of the professors who give "their lives for these young people."

The President of the UCP, Isabel Capeloa Gil, who attended the lecture, thanked Dennis Holtschneider, whom she described as "global thought leader on catholic higher education", for his presence and share. This event was also attended by Vice-Rectors and directors of the various schools of the UCP.

Simão Salazar, with a degree in Communication Sciences by the Braga Regional Centre of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, and currently a student of the Master in Digital Communication of the UCP, was awarded in the field of Marketing and Communication, by Liga Portugal and Marketeer, as FC Vizela's coach.

This award was given to FC Vizela and Casa Pia AC, last October, for the joint initiative of fair-play, held in the preview of the duel between the two teams.

According to Simão Salazar, this recognition "is the result of teamwork and of a message that we want to send out regarding, essentially, sports fair play and the mark we want to leave in the area of social responsibility. To make a difference in football, especially in terms of communication and marketing, we have to create different dynamics that allow us to evolve and project the Vizela brand in the area of social responsibility".

This distinction, resulting from a partnership between Liga Portugal (Portugal League) and Marketeer, the most relevant national magazine for the marketing area, aims to recognise the best campaigns, actions and promotional content promoted by the Sports Societies throughout the season.

For the student from the Braga Regional Centre, "the victory is our department and our communication team's, but it is also Casa Pia's that was available to collaborate with us and help implement the true sports FairPlay".