European Student Assembly: Great opportunities for students within the NeurotechEU university network

Student council / 01 Jul, 2024

Three students from NeurotechEU joined the European Student Assembly at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Two students from Radboud University and ReykjavĂ­k University tell about their experiences. 

Telma Ósk Þórhallsdóttir, Bachelor student Computer Science at Reykjavik University

“I decided to apply for the European Student Assembly after seeing an advert from my university and I knew that it would be something for me. I‘ve always been active within my own community and country but never had the chance to participate in an event such as this at an international scale. In January I got the exciting news that I had been selected as one of 250 students out of around 2000 applicants to participate in ESA 2024. Along with the news of my accepted application, I also recieved the news of which panel I would work in until and during the event. My panel was panel 8: Cure for the Future, which focused on advancements in Biomedicine. The panel was comprised of 23 individuals of different nationalities and educational background. Some were engineers while others studied medicine, law, computer science and much more.

During ESA, I also got my first real look and experience with NeurotechEU, I did not really know a lot about it when I applied but this project and other NeurotechEU participants that I met in Strasbourg have encouraged me to continue participating in the alliance and strive for a continuing impact in my own community and country but also to continue widening the scope and make my voice heard in the international community.”

These experiences not only broaden your horizons and deepen your understanding of global issues but also connect you with a network of passionate and driven individuals, allowing you to make life-long friends from all across the continent or even the world.

Telma Ósk Þórhallsdóttir


 
NeurotechEU students Denise and Telma at the ESA

Denise Monkau, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cognitive Neuroscience (CNS) Master student at Radboud University

As an Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Cognitive Neuroscience (CNS) master’s student, she has encountered many topics of societal impact related to AI, CNS, and various combinations, such as Neurotechnology.

“NeurotechEU, the European University of Brain and Technology, was gracious enough to allow me to explore the impact of concepts many of us within the alliance study/work with, research, healthcare and AI.”

Denise joined panel six of the European Student Assembly 2024 (ESA24) on the Artificial Intelligence Act. “This panel allowed me to elevate my knowledge and understanding of AI to a more inclusive, ethical and well-thought-through level. We worked on policy recommendations to expand or amend the AI act for up to four months and finalised these recommendations in the European Parliament in Strasbourg.” It was a precious experience to deal with AI from a legislative perspective instead of the academic or commercial side. I recommend anyone, researcher, student, entrepreneur, etc., to dive deeper into your subject and understand its impact on others.

Conclusions

“ESA was a wonderful experience overall. It allows students to voice their opinions, share knowledge and collaborate towards bigger goals like policy changes.” Telma and Denise would recommend that any student, regardless of background, share your unique view in the upcoming ESAs. The students met many interesting people from all across Europe with different backgrounds. “Meeting all these new people was one of the trip’s highlights, ” Telma mentions. 

These types of projects always prove highly beneficial to all involved, which is why it is so great that the university alliances are continuing projects like this and allowing young people to make an impact. All the while, they connect like-minded and different-minded individuals and bring them together for discussions and debates. The experience that we can gain, along with our different views, is something that we can continue to use back in our communities and broaden our view of the world.

We strongly encourage other students to seek out and participate in opportunities like the European Student Assembly. It doesn‘t matter if you have no prior experience or a lot of experience with these sorts of events; you always learn something new, and we should always strive for it. These experiences not only broaden your horizons and deepen your understanding of global issues but also connect you with a network of passionate and driven individuals, allowing you to make life-long friends from all across the continent or even the world. Through ESA, we have gained invaluable skills, incredible new friends, and an opportunity to impact my community and beyond positively.