Get involved

Probably, at this stage, your awareness about the importance of developing such skills is changed and you are at the “next” level. You may ask…”Ok, but…could I make the difference as soft skills are not my expertise?” Let’s reflect on a concrete example.

A group of university students from the Environmental Sciences course at the University of Bologna decided to organise a sit-in to protest against the reopening of a quarry in the nearby town of Marzabotto. The quarry, closed for over a decade, is located in an ecologically sensitive area and its reopening poses serious risks to the local environment, including the pollution of groundwater and the destruction of the habitat of protected species. Moreover, the resumption of mining activities poses a threat to the health and well-being of the area's inhabitants, who are already experiencing an increase in respiratory diseases due to fine dust.

The students, deeply concerned about the environmental and social impact, decide to devote an entire week to the protest, just before their final exams. The decision poses a significant challenge: balancing their activist commitment with the need to adequately prepare for the two final mandatory exams of the third year, Structure and dynamics of the atmosphere and ocean and environmental microbiology (your course), which are crucial to their academic career.

You are impressed by the students' dedication to environmental causes and you want to support their call to action as you believe their activism is an excellent example of applying their academic knowledge to real-world issues and demonstrates commendable civic engagement. However, you are also concerned about the potential impact this commitment might have on their academic performance, particularly with final exams approaching in 10 days.