• Period of stay: September 5th - 9th, 2023

Report:

In early September, I had the privilege of attending the annual conference of the Society for Home Economics in Education and Research, known as HaBiFo, in the beautiful city of Freiburg, Germany. This incredible experience was made possible through the generous Travel Grant from VDS PhaNuSpo at the University of Vienna, which helped cover a part of my travel expenses.

The conference, brilliantly organised and hosted by the University of Education (PH) in Freiburg, focused on the theme of "Dealing with Complexity: Challenges and Opportunities for Nutrition and Consumer Education."

During this event, I had the opportunity to actively participate in various aspects of the conference on three occasions. On Wednesday, 6 September, I joined a meeting of young researchers in the field of Home Economics in Education and Research, known as HaBiFo-Neo. In this collaborative session, we engaged in meaningful discussions with experienced researchers and educators, tackling important concerns within our young research community. My particular focus was on designing a course on "Consumer Education" and I gained invaluable insights from experts in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.

On Thursday, 7 September, I had the honour of presenting the methodological framework of my PhD project during a dynamic poster session. After this session, I established valuable connections for my research project and received input from fellow members of the scientific community, shaping the direction of my research.

Furthermore, on the same day, immediately after the poster session, I had the privilege of giving a short presentation to a diverse audience on the initial findings of literature review within my research project. The emphasis was on understanding judgement competence, using insights from psychology, neuroscience- and education research.

I would like to take the opportunity to express my gratitude to the conference committee led by Prof. Dr. Ute Bender, Prof. Dr. Angela Häußler, Prof. Dr. Katja Schneider and Prof. Dr. Petra Lührmann. I'd also like to express my appreciation to the organisers of the HaBiFo-Neo meeting, Heike Müller and Renán A. Oliva Guzmán. Additionally, I am deeply grateful to my PhD project supervisors, Prof. Dr. Claudia Angele, Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Wagner, Prof. Dr. Katharina Groß, for not only providing me with the opportunity to participate in this conference, but also for their support throughout the preparations of each element of the event. Their trust and support allowed me to actively engage in the conference's vibrant atmosphere.

This conference has played a pivotal role in advancing my PhD project. It provided a platform for forging invaluable connections within the trinational setting of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Moreover, it enriched my research methodology with insights from the scientific community and deepened my understanding of complexity from various disciplinary perspectives.