UW students research marine mammals in Húsavík
UW’s master’s students have participated in a field course in Húsavík for many years, which is held during the summer by the Research Center of the University of Iceland in Húsavík. The course is called "Methods for Research on Marine Mammals" and is part of the Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Iceland. It is stated on the University of Iceland’s website that 25 students from various countries participated in the course this year, and a large part of them were UW students. UW students participate in the course as guest students, but over 10 years ago, state universities established a system that makes it much easier for guest students to take individual courses at other universities. UW participates in this system since students are officially enrolled at the University of Akureyri. Through the system, UW both receives and sends out students.
This year, for the first time, an agreement was made between UW and the University of Iceland regarding this course in Húsavík, establishing a formal collaboration. The changes include, among other things, that a certain number of students in the master's program Coastal and Marine Management at UW are guaranteed access to the course. "In connection with this field course, over the years a considerable number of participants have come from UW, and it is therefore natural to formalize the cooperation better" - says Peter Weiss, director of UW.
The course is described on the University of Iceland's website, where it is stated that the course provides students with a unique opportunity to get to know the methods used in researching whales, and the teaching is both in the form of lectures and fieldwork on board the boats of whale watching companies and the Research Center of the University of Iceland. The topics of the lectures are whale species in the North, but the students also receive training and education in the field about whale imaging, population size estimation, and behavior analysis, to name a few.
It is also interesting to point out that one of the course's instructors, Dr. Charla Basran, is a former UW student and currently works at the Research Center of the University of Iceland in Húsavík. This shows just how good and long the connection is between UW and this course. Other instructors of the course are Dr. Marianne H. Rasmussen, director of the University of Iceland Research Center in Húsavík and Dr. Ole Lundquist.
Photo from student presentations - from the website of the University of Iceland
Collaborations of this kind are extremely important for students studying at university level as they enable them to gain experience in a new place. Students at an Icelandic university who are interested in taking a summer semester course at UW as guest students can view our selection of summer semester courses here. It is ideal to come to the westfjords as soon as the academic year ends at other universities, as there are many modular courses here during the summer as well. Guest students can apply for courses from two interdisciplinary study programs and the selection is wide. Your summer term is here!