UNS HOSTS TWO EUGLOH BLENDED COURSES DURING OCTOBER 2025

The University of Novi Sad hosted two short, credit bearing courses during October 2025 – Edible, medicinal and poisonous mushrooms, and Communication and Presentation Skills in the Professional Environment. Both courses were organized in a blended format, which combined online and onsite programme, gathering students from different EUGLOH partner universities.

The course Edible, medicinal and poisonous mushrooms aimed to familiarise students with the significance of mushrooms as both beneficial organisms used in nutrition and medicine (functional food), and as microorganisms capable of producing toxins harmful to human health. Students learned about the basic morpho-anatomical features of edible mushrooms, their nutritional value, key medicinal and toxic species, the chemistry of toxic substances, poisoning syndromes, and first aid measures. The theoretical lectures were successfully combined with the fieldwork at the National Park Fruška Gora, located in the surrounding area of the city, south of Novi Sad. The programme combined lectures from Prof. Dr. Maja Karaman from the Faculty of Sciences, University of Novi Sad, and Dr. Pierre Le Pogam-Alluard from the Université Paris-Saclay - Faculté de Pharmacie.

On the other hand, the participants of the course Communication and Presentation Skills in the Professional Environment learnt and practiced successful communication and presentation through various interactive concepts. The course enabled them to develop the today’s important soft skills that are used not just in professional environment, but also in everyday life. The course programme combined lectures from Prof. Dr. Ira Prodanov Krajišnik from the Academy of Arts, University of Novi Sad, and Prof. Dr. Ágnes Matuska from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Szeged.

The participants of both courses also had the opportunity to participate in the EUGLOH Cultural Corridors programme, organized by the University of Novi Sad in collaboration with several institutions. The participants of the course Edible, medicinal and poisonous mushrooms visited the photo exhibition from the National Park Fruška Gora by biologist Dr. Dragiša Savić, funded by the Provincial Institute for Nature Conservation. This exhibition marked the achievement of 5,000 photographed species of living organisms and 20 years of his successful work. The author presented a portion of the biodiversity—the biological richness—of the Fruška Gora National Park. Part of the exhibition was specifically focused on mushrooms and perfectly suited the interests of students that attended the EUGLOH course.

Furthermore, the participants of the course Communication and Presentation Skills in the Professional Environment participated in a musical walk through Novi Sad and attended a concert at Novi Sad Synagogue.

Students’ overall positive impressions, also mentioned in the final evaluation sheets of both courses, testify about the quality of knowledge gained throughout the courses, and also about unforgettable moments and valuable experiences gained during online lectures and their stay in Novi Sad.