April was a short month due to Easter, but still a lot happened. To name just a few of the things, Chaos held their 60th anniversary, DISCO 1 was sent off and Mads' appointment as a professor was celebrated.

In May, Alumni Day, Geoscience Day and a PIGA trip to the Planetarium await. It is not too late to register for the events.

Soon it will be time to enjoy our last Great Prayer Day, but before then here is a newsletter. It is worth even more to read it this month because this letter contains a competition.

We have replaced the old sorting boxes with new ones. When you use the sorting boxes, remember to follow the instructions. Eg. deposit cans and bottles must ALWAYS be EMPTY before they are thrown into the deposit box.

Nat Tech HR has written this mini-guide to use for various HR-related questions.

At the start of 2023, the faculty managements at Nat and Tech have decided on a number of general principles which will form the basis of the faculties' scheduling of teaching in dry classrooms. The background for this is both to ensure optimal schedules for students and teachers and to ensure optimal use of an expensive resource – our teaching rooms.

The decision has been taken right now, partly because the faculties are financially challenged and therefore want to ensure optimal use of an expensive resource, and partly because the National Audit Office is currently taking a critical look at the universities' use of premises. Overall, it amounts to 4.5 billion of the ministry's grants to Danish universities (discounting DTU and CBS, which have a different arrangement) expenses per square meter, so it is natural that they also have a look at it.

If you have any questions about the above, you are welcome to contact your head of department or head of administration, Niels Damgaard Hansen.

The registration of the use of teaching laboratories is currently too deficient for it to form a basis for optimizing the use. It is exclusively the time that takes place in teacher-led teaching in the laboratories that is registered, while the time used for setting up and taking down experiments and the like is not.

In order to ensure a fair basis, a project is being initiated together with the departments with the aim of clarifying how we can ensure that all activities are registered in the future. Only when the registration is in place can it be determined whether there is also a basis for optimizing the use of the teaching laboratories.

When you use your credit card, you automatically receive the transaction in  RejsUd, and this expense must be placed where the cost will be covered. This is done by settling your expenses in RejsUd, and at NS/TS the deadline for this settlement has so far been 180 days, hereafter salary deductions have been made on the amount that has not been settled. Per 1st of May 2023, this deadline will be aligned with other faculties and changed to 90 days.

As always, it is important to pay attention to settling your expenses within the deadline, and should you exceptionally approach the deadline, AU Accounting sends a notification, which reminds you about the transactions that approach the deadline for salary deductions.

You are encouraged to activate the function in RejsUd, which sends you a notification when there are transactions on your profile that await settlement; you will find the function under Settings. It is also a good idea to have a fixed routine in making the payments, so that you pay immediately after the purchase and, not least, immediately take photos of the receipts that must be attached to the settlement.

There is good help and guidance available for settlements on the website and via email at rejser@au.dk.

On 24 April, Nat and Tech published the first curriculum-based teaching schedule for the Department of Computer Science, Department of Geoscience and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

In May 2022, the senior management team at Aarhus University decided that the entire university should convert to curriculum-based teaching planning. With curriculum-based teaching planning teaching activities are scheduled and published before students register for courses. Up until now, Nat and Tech have used enrollment-based teaching planning, where the schedule is based on student course registrations and published shortly before the start of the semester. It is a big and positive change for students and instructors that the teaching schedule is now published before the registration period.

The Department of Computer Science, Department of Geoscience and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering have participated in the first pilot project at Nat and Tech on curriculum-based planning. The pilot project has taken place in close cooperation between the study administration and the departments. Thanks to the close cooperation, the teaching schedule was published within the deadline of 24 April set by the senior management team.

Looking ahead, Department of Mathematics, Department of Chemistry and Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering will also convert to curriculum-based teaching planning with the teaching schedule for spring 2024. When the spring 2024 schedule is published on 24 October 2023, 34 degree programmes across Nat and Tech will have curriculum-based teaching planning. The project has continued to follow its time plan, which looks towards full implementation with the autumn 2024 schedule.

Partners with office hours, room 1672-123:

• Max Anthon Ikkala Lerager, IT supporter | maxl@au.dk | +45 6020 2616
  Tuesday 12-15
• Kathrine Kofoed Jensen, HR-partner | kofoed@au.dk | +45 9350 8204
  Tuesday 8-12 (uneven weeks)
• Nanna Duelund, HR-supporter | nadk@au.dk | +45 9350 8538
  Tuesday 8-12 (even weeks)
  Mette Møller Larsen, Business Controller, Finance | mmla@au.dk | +45 6057 1105
  Wednesday 8.30-15.30
• Jakob Steen Olesen, Project Finance Controller, Finance | jakob.steen.olesen@au.dk | +45 9352 1027
  Wednesday 8-15
• Helene Hallas, PhD partner, The PhD administration | heha@au.dk ​| +45 9352 2609
  First Thursday of each month 13-15
• Gitte Bindzus Foldager, International Center | gbf@au.dk | +45 2331 6355
  Last Thursday of each month

Other partners:

• Rikke Hartmann Haugaard, AU Research Support and External Relations - Research Support Office (FSE) | haugaard@au.dk | +45 9352 2552
• Henriette Withen Hansen, AU Research Support and External Relations - Technology Transfer Office (TTO) | hwh@au.dk | +45 4189 3290
• ​Torkil Bukkehave Hansen, AU Research Support and External Relations - Technology Transfer Office (TTO) | tbh@au.dk | +45 9352 1166
• Anne Ambrosius Frederiksen, studies/ courses & exams | aaf@au.dk
• Morten Hjorth Gad, AU Library | mhga@kb.dk
• HR-related questions should be adressed to Nat Tech HR Team 1 | HR.Nat@au.dk
• Questions regarding absence due to sickness, maternity leave or jobs on special terms should be sent to Nat Tech HR Specialist team | Nat-Tech.HR.Team.Specialist@au.dk
• IT support, use AU Serviceportal, write to aarhus.st.it@au.dk or call 8715 4010
  Monday - Tuesday: 8.00 - 15.30 and Friday: 8.00 - 14.30
  AV support call 8715 0903

Thomas Ulrich's office hours for students:
Tuesday 12-14 and Thursday 9-11

The above information is also available at: geo.medarbejdere.au.dk/en/

Newsletters on the web
This and all previous newsletters are available on the Geoscience staff web pages.
- There is a direct link from the entry page.

Newsletters for students
http://studerende.au.dk/en/studies/subject-portals/geoscience/practical-infomation/news-for-students/

Other newsletters
Nat: https://nat.medarbejdere.au.dk/en/news-and-events/news/
AU: https://medarbejdere.au.dk/en/info-and-news/newsletters-at-au/