The University Centre of the Westfjords recently welcomed more French-speaking guests. In addition to David Didier and his colleagues and students from the Université du Québec à Rimouski, three teachers from Lycée de la mer Paul Bousquet—the “Comprehensive School of the Sea”—in Sète, near Montpellier on France’s Mediterranean coast, also paid a visit. These visits highlight just how far-reaching the University Centre’s network of partnerships and collaborations has become.

In recent days, the sound of French has filled the halls of the University Centre of the Westfjords (UW), thanks to a visit from welcomed guests from Canada. The Centre was pleased to welcome Dr. David Didier, university lecturer at the Université du Québec à Rimouski, accompanied by three colleagues and a group of twelve students in the field of geomorphology.

In mid-October, a delegation from the University Centre of the Westfjords attended the Arctic Circle Assembly in Reykjavik, Iceland. The group included 12 students from Dr. Romain Chuffart’s course on Arctic Ocean Governance, alongside four staff members: Dr. Brack Hale, Morgan Greene, Dr. Peter Weiss, and Dr. Catherine Chambers. Students from the School for International Training (SIT) undergraduate and graduate programs in Iceland also attended, representing the University Centre, led by Dr. Jill Welter, Dr. Christine Palmer, and Sadie Ainsworth.

Today, students in the course “Ethics of Conservation and Resource Use” went on a fieldtrip to visit a local hydropower plant in Engidalur.

A course in ethics of conservation and resource use started the 6th of October at The University Centre of the Westfjords.

The course Arctic Ovean Governance begins today at The University Centre of the Westfjords.

On Saturday, September 20th, the Icelandic Basque Centre was formally opened with a celebratory ceremony. The Centre is located in Djúpavík in Strandir and is a collaborative project of the Icelandic-Basque Association, Albaola in Spain, Haizebegi in France, Hotel Djúpavík, and the University Centre of the Westfjords. It tells the story of the Basques and their interactions with Icelanders. The Basques were present in Iceland for whaling for several years, most famously when they suffered a shipwreck while whaling in Reykjafjörður in 1615.

The course Coastal and Marine Management: Theory and Tools is starting today at UW.

The course People and the Sea: Geographocal Perspectives, starts at UW tomorrow.

For the University Centre's 20th anniversary, we reached out to some of our alumni and asked each of them three questions: What is your current position or job? What part of your studies at UW best prepared you for your current role or career? And what is your favourite memory from your time at UW? Their responses were featured in our 20-year anniversary report.