As part of UTN, the Biological Subject Council’s main responsibilities are to:

Monitor education. At IBG, this is usually done through regular course representative meetings organized by the board’s Director of Studies, as well as through contact with course coordinators.

Organize social study-related activities. Examples include the reception for new students, Wednesday pub nights, parties, and much more. The board has a Social Affairs Officer whose main responsibility is to promote a positive social study environment, and in addition, BIF and Darwin (who are responsible for events) do a great deal to provide social activities.

Provide connections to working life. This is currently handled mainly by IBG and UTN, but BÄR is working to improve its efforts in strengthening links to professional life.

These are the fundamental pillars of UTN, and therefore also of BÄR. Beyond this, BÄR works to create a sense of community among its members and gives them an opportunity to make their voices heard at higher levels.

Unlike many engineering sections, the Biological Subject Council does not represent just one program. Anyone who takes courses at the IBG can become a member of BÄR, which means the section’s members include students pursuing a bachelor’s degree in biology or molecular biology, teacher education students studying biology, master’s students at IBG, and of course exchange students. However, the majority of BÄR’s members are master’s and bachelor’s students in biology.

P.S. Are all the abbreviations confusing? Scroll down to the end and you’ll find a glossary of the most important abbreviations to help you understand BÄR’s activities.

BÄR works to ensure that everyone feels safe, are able to relax and enjoy our events!

That’s why we use Safety Hosts (trygghetsvärdar)! At all events were alcohol is involved, we always make sure to have one or two people who are sober and who have undergone a little training in crisis management. The Safety Hosts act as an extra pair of eyes and ears and are there as a support if anything were to happen or if anyone needs somebody to talk to. They are distinguished by a purple sash with the text “Trygghetsvärd” so that they are easy to find! All BÄR members are welcome to sign up as a Safety Host, and it is a great way to contribute to the section if you don’t want to take on a particularly big responsibility. 

If you want to be involved and contribute to the safety of the section, apply as a Safety Host now! Sign up in the form and you will be contacted before the upcoming semester. 

Ps. If you act as a Safety Host at a seating, you will receive both a badge and a diploma as a thank you for your help!

• BÄR –  Biologiska Ämnesrådet or the Biological Subject Council. An interest association for students of biological sciences at Uppsala University, founded in 1973. It is also a section association within UTN that represents the BIO section.

• BIO – The section that includes UTN members studying bachelor’s and master’s programmes in biology, as well as the master’s programme in applied biotechnology. Represented by BÄR.

• UTN – Uppsala Union of Engineering and Science Students. A student union for those studying at the Faculty of Science and Technology, founded in 2001.

• TekNat – The Faculty of Science and Technology at Uppsala University. It makes up one third of Uppsala University and was established in 1956 to coordinate education and research in engineering and the natural sciences.

• Section – All UTN members are divided into sections. Section membership is determined according to UTN’s governing document “Regulations for Section Affiliation.”

• Section Association – An association that has undertaken responsibility for a section’s activities by being approved by the UTN council.

• IBG – The Department of Biology Education. Read more about IBG here.