The University International Club gave lessons in one of the trickiest of all Danish Christmas traditions: how to weave a Christmas heart. On 5 December the hearts will be hung on the tree at the annual international Christmas tree party.

Aarhus is a fantastic place to study – a message that is worth passing on to new students as well as the students of the future. A group of international AU students have a great idea about how to brand the city

– and their project has just won a competition.

Each year there are more and more international students in Aarhus, and many of them find it impossible to get home for Christmas.

Wen Ge from China is fascinated by the Danish church reformer and educator N.F.S. Grundtvig, who he has been studying for almost two years at Aarhus University.

Apple from China has established a strong friendship with the Sømod family. And the Danish family has learned a lot about China, as well as learning how to eat with chopsticks.

The new study of job satisfaction at our university is being supplemented by special questions focusing on the reorganisation process. The questionnaire has been drawn up in collaboration with staff throughout the organisation, and the voices of part-time staff and student assistants will also be heard.

Aarhus University’s senior management team supports the working groups and has agreed to a new newspaper with extra resources and the appointment of an editorial committee. The successor to UNIvers now needs to find an editor-in-chief and a journalist.

Brazilian Studies is becoming a popular subject, and Aarhus University has increased its collaboration with Brazilian universities. One of the people behind the success story is Vinicius Mariano de Carvalho, who used literature and music to get closer to Denmark.

David Vranicar from the USA is a former student of AU, and also used to be the international student writer for UNIvers. He has now written a book about what it’s like to be a graduate in a time of crisis and to travel half-way round the world in search of a steady job.

In the weeks ahead the University International Club is offering a range of events for international staff and their spouses.

Tobias Wang, the recipient of Aarhus University’s Research Communication Award for 2012, loves sharing his knowledge with other people – including everything from the blood pressure of giraffes to the digestive system of snakes.

Who’s in the front line when the university has IT problems? The staff of the AU IT helpdesk, who offer service facilities to both staff and students. UNIvers has visited three students to see the faces behind the voices you hear on the phone when you call for help. It turned out to be what they regarded as a surprisingly quiet Friday afternoon.

A new interdisciplinary centre will focus on the impact of climate change on the regions at the top of the globe – from the chemical compounds in the sea ice to the health of the Arctic population.

50 researchers from the School of Engineering got together for two days to find out how climate-friendly construction can be utilised to reduce CO2 emissions in the Municipality of Aarhus. The PhD Challenge is a new initiative aimed at raising the profile of engineering research and teaching engineers to make the most of each other’s expertise.

Pickled herrings, fried onions and koldskål. These were just a few of the Danish delicacies offered to new international students at the Danish Food Night at Studenterhus Aarhus.

The working groups have now prepared their recommendation for what should replace UNIvers. Both the employees and the students still want a joint communication channel which reflects AU’s diversity and supports a sense of community across the organisation. At the same time, the groups suggest that the new media should focus on more in-depth journalism.

How can universities in Southern Africa and the Nordic countries give each other more help? This was the topic under discussion when 80 researchers and university staff met at the SANORD symposium 2012 in Aarhus. Associate professor Jens Seeberg, who has been one of the driving forces behind the symposium, tells us more about the potential of this partnership.

Facebook and Twitter can be used for much more than simply updating your status and keeping people informed of what you’re doing. In Spain, hundreds of thousands of indignant Spanish students and citizens are using the social media to strengthen their protests against the system.

According to Professor Poul Nissen, Denmark makes life far too difficult for researchers who want to start their career at a Danish University. He believes the Danish taxation regulations are at loggerheads with the rationale for giving young researchers tax-free fellowships.

International students are leaving their home countries in search of better opportunities in Aarhus, Denmark and in Northern Europe.

The International Centre at AU and the Student House invites all international AU students, mentors, tutors and international coordinators to an End-of-Semester gathering!

The Presidency of the EU has lost some of its status since the Lisbon Treaty. It now tends to involve keeping good order at meetings rather than generating extra kudos for the country in the driving seat. This may affect the commitment of member states.

Aarhus is one of the greenest cities in Denmark, a place where you only have to walk or cycle a few hundred metres to get to the nearest woods, beaches and cycle tracks. Here is a brief UNIvers guide to help you find the quickest way to get out into the spring countryside that surrounds Aarhus on all sides.

Some of the libraries, institutes and administrative departments at ARTS and BSS have already been relocated, while others are still waiting to move or are busy packing.

Excellence 2012 sent a clear signal to the politicians of Europe: research and education are the way to solve the current crisis in Denmark.

On 26 April the winners of this year’s Student Music Awards will be announced at a major competition to be held at Stakladen.

In recent weeks the Danish media have been focusing on freedom of speech and the way issues are debated at Aarhus University. Professor Henrik Kaare Nielsen does not feel that researchers need to be careful about what they say in public. But the politicians don’t want them to imagine that anyone will necessarily listen to what they have to say.

When you arrive in Denmark you learn quickly that you simply can’t get by without a bike. But what might be less obvious to you is that the Danes tend to observe strict cycling conventions and rules. UNIvers takes you on a guided cycling trip.

The great Aarhus festival focusing on life in the 18th century is being held at the moment, and a range of events are being conducted in English – as well as some for which the language used is irrelevant.

The Australian professor Alistair Thomson has gained international acclaim for turning the stories of ordinary people into an important area of historical research.

A new study focuses on three groups of international students, who have been asked what they think about Aarhus University. Some of the respondents feel that it’s hard to make friends among the Danes, and as soon as the lessons end many Danes start speaking Danish.

On 29 February the University International Club is visiting the State and University Library, where hundreds of students and researchers work every day and where the lines of books run for miles all the way from the basement and up into the tall tower.

The university’s largest lecture theatre was full to the brim when more than 500 PhD scholars and supervisors met for Health’s annual PhD Day.

A survival guide to Aarhus, watching the Super Bowl, language exchanges and excursions to Skagen. Studenterhus Aarhus is ready to welcome the 400 new AU exchange students in style. Your study group might even get a free cup of coffee!