The Grimsson Fellowship Program
One of the projects that the University Centre of the Westfjords participates in is The Grimsson Fellowship residency in Grímshús in Ísafjörður. The project was launched at a conference at UW in November 2022, and in 2023 the first guests arrived at Grímshús. The residency is a collaborative project between the Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson Foundation, the University Centre of the Westfjords, the University of Iceland, the universities in Reykjavík and Akureyri, Kerecis, and the Arctic Circle. Guests at Grímshús leave their mark on life at UW, with up to five scholars staying at Grímshús each year. The guests have access to workspace at the University Centre, and the vast majority of them participate in Vísindaport, a series of lunch lectures held every Friday.
Both international and Icelandic scientists, specialists, scholars, writers, and others may apply for a 2–6 week stay at the house at Túngata 3 in Ísafjörður, which for a time was the childhood home of former President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson. The guests who stay at Grímshús come from very diverse backgrounds and work on projects spanning everything between heaven and earth, which they then present to students, staff, and other guests during Vísindaport.
Saying that the scholars at Grímshús work on projects covering “everything between heaven and earth” is certainly accurate, as this January Sarah Hopkins from Huntsville, Alabama is in residence there. She is an aerospace engineer with Amentum at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, where she works on developing flight software for the SLS rocket (Space Launch System) as part of the Artemis Program. However, Sarah is only an aerospace engineer by day – because by night, she is a science fiction writer. Her research through the Grímsson Fellowship in the Westfjords of Iceland is for her book, “Beyond the Frozen Island,” that takes place in a remote arctic setting much like Ísafjörður, Iceland. Her book is largely inspired by a combination of her love for the country and culture of Iceland and also the work she does at NASA.
Sarah’s connection to Iceland is more than just the Grímsson Fellowship. Back in the 1990s, her parents lived in Keflavik, Iceland while her father was stationed at Naval Air Station (NAS) Keflavik. She grew up hearing many stories about the "Land of Fire and Ice," and getting to travel there with her family in 2017 to explore the entire island made her all the more fascinated with its unique landscape and culture.”
Sarah won’t be able to take part in the conventional lunch lecture on Friday, but earlier next week she will still be able to tell us about her work at the Artemis Program and the novel she is currently writing. Her lecture date and time will be advertised on our website and social media after the weekend.