Blogg | Háskólasetur Vestfjarða

Reflecting on the course Aquaculture, Environment and Society: Exploring the many facets of aquaculture

Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:36:00 +0000

Over the past weeks, students at the University Centre of the Westfjords have been taking a closer look at one of today’s most talked-about topics in coastal development through the course Aquaculture, Environment and Society.

Styrkir auglýstir til fræðadvalar í Grímshúsi á Ísafirði

Fri, 27 Feb 2026 09:03:00 +0000

Nú hefur aftur verið opnað fyrir umsóknir um dvalarstyrki í Grímshúsi á Ísafirði. Umsóknarfrestur er til 1. júní 2026, og er umsóknargáttin aðgengileg á vefsíðu Grímsson-félaga.

The Wadden Sea World Heritage Summer School - Gustav Hvalkof Kristensen

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 08:19:00 +0000

Last summer, one of our students, Gustav Hvalkof Kristensen, participated in the Wadden Sea World Heritage Summer School and decided to tell us about his expirience there.

UW 20'th anniversary - alumni blog from Ellyn

Thu, 18 Sep 2025 08:30:00 +0000

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.

Student Story: Korea Arctic Academy

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 08:30:00 +0000

I’m Gustav Hvalkof Kristensen, a CMM student from Denmark and I attended the Korea Arctic Academy this summer.

Takk fyrir árin tuttugu! - Ávarp forstöðumanns á aðalfundi 2025

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 09:14:00 +0000

Fyrsti stjórnarformaður Háskólaseturs Vestfjarða, Halldór Halldórsson, sagði fyrir tuttugu árum við opnunarhátíð Háskólaseturs Vestfjarða "Nú er hátíðarstund – að nokkrum árum liðnum munum við líta til baka og segja; þetta voru gæfuspor."

Researching Justice in Greenland’s Blue Economy: My Journey from Nuuk to Narsaq

Fri, 07 Mar 2025 11:53:00 +0000

I’m Tabea Maria Jacob, a second-year student in the Coastal and Marine Management master’s program at the University Centre of the Westfjords. My academic background is in sociology and psychology, and my research interests bring together both natural and social sciences, particularly in the areas of the Blue Economy, fisheries, social justice, and equity.

Sagan öll: Hnöttur er aldrei á hvolfi

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 14:34:00 +0000

Sagan öll – eða það óumflýjanlega óvísindalega í akademískri starfsemi. Háskólasetur Vestfjarða á stórafmæli í ár. Á þeim tuttugu árum hefur margt gerst sem skrifað hefur verið í ársskýrslur og tíundað á vefsíðu, samfélagsmiðlum og Bæjarins Besta. En sumt hefur aldrei verið sagt. Sögur sem ekki þótti þess virði að skrifa niður. Sögur sem eru einum of mannlegar. Það ólýsanlega fyndna í hinni alvarlegu akademísku starfsemi. Sagan sem er ómögulega alvarlega takandi. Undir yfirskriftinni "Sagan öll" tökum við hér saman nokkrar af þeim og það þarf ekki að taka þær alvarlega, það er bara viðeigandi að rifja upp skemmtilegar sögur á afmælishátíðum.

Kiruna – A Town on the Move

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 14:24:00 +0000

For the past couple of days, our academic director, Matthias Kokorsch, attended the 6th Nordic Ruralities conference in Kiruna. The title of the conference was New paths to sustainable transitions? Apart from the conference theme, the city itself– yet not being coastal– is highly relevant for our program on Coastal Communities and Regional Development, and Matthias left with much inspiration for coming courses. Kiruna is on the Move - The mining town is relocating its entire center to make way for continued mining operations— an ambitious plan stretching to 2100. The move began in 2014 and includes shifting historic buildings, designing a denser, greener, and more sustainable city. Yet, the development is not uncontested. As we learned during the conference, the relocation of Kiruna has faced criticism for prioritizing mining profits over the rights and livelihoods of local Sámi communities, whose reindeer herding lands are heavily impacted. This has sparked debates about green colonialism, as the project highlights the tension between sustainability goals and the exploitation of Indigenous territories for resource extraction.

Student story: GLISFO

Wed, 18 Sep 2024 09:19:00 +0000

To start off this term, Tabea and I, together with UW program director Dr. Matthias Kokorsch, attended the GLISFO workshop in Faroe Islands. The workshop is organized by the Research Council of the Faroe Islands, the Icelandic Center for Research, Greenland Research Council, Nordisk Energiforskning & the Icelandic Arctic Cooperation Network, and funded by The Nordic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Council.

Catching up with alumni: Ingrid Bobeková

Thu, 23 May 2024 13:34:00 +0000

Welcome to our “catching up with alumni” series where we introduce you to previous UW students over the years. Ingrid Bobeková is a 32 year old alum who graduated from the Coastal Marine Management master’s program in 2022. Ingrid's hobbies include knitting, surfing, hiking, photography, and bird watching.

Catching up with alumni: Isabelle Price

Mon, 29 Apr 2024 12:59:00 +0000

Welcome to our “catching up with alumni” series where we introduce you to previous UW students over the years. Isabelle Price is a 25 year old alum who graduated from the Coastal Marine Management master’s program in 2023. Isabelle's hobbies include running, biking, and kayaking.

Catching up with alumni: Tyler Wacker

Fri, 19 Apr 2024 10:56:00 +0000

Welcome to our “catching up with alumni” series where we introduce you to previous UW students over the years. Tyler Wacker is a 33 year old alum who graduated from the Coastal Communities and Regional Development master’s program in 2022. Tyler's hobbies include biking, surfing, and skateboarding.

Reflecting on 2023

Sat, 30 Dec 2023 22:14:00 +0000

A year that had mainly challenging news globally, to say the least – it's even more vital to spotlight the good news and achievements. At the University Centre, there were many moments for us that we will keep in good memories. The biggest milestone for UW was the opening of our new student housing this autumn. Witnessing its transformation from an idea to a tangible reality in just over a year was fantastic. Navigating the complexities of such an ambitious undertaking in a remote setting, with its many unpredictabilities, demanded a lot of collaboration, determination, and patience. This wasn't just a construction project; it was coastal community development in practice.

Adapting to Change

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 11:27:00 +0000

My name is Brittaney Key, and I’m a Fulbright Fellow and master’s student in the Coastal Communities and Regional Development (CRD) program. I chose to come to Iceland for my fellowship specifically because of the CRD program and its unique inclusion of sustainability and development in a rural context.

UW Abroad: Exploring the Baltic with NORDPLUS

Fri, 16 Jun 2023 18:59:00 +0000

This spring, from April 28th to May 14th, a group of 8 UW students had the opportunity to participate in a NORDPLUS trip in the Baltic region, where we joined students from universities in Finland, Lithuania, and Latvia to explore “smart shrinking” strategies for regions experiencing population decline.

The Beauty in Everyday Life - Ísafjörður

Mon, 08 May 2023 11:26:00 +0000

Nýlega lauk meistaranámskeiðinu Frá auðlindahagkerfi í aðlöðunarhagkerfi: Sjávarbyggðir á tímum afþreyingar og ferðalaga sem Patrick Maher kennir. Í lok námskeiðsins bjuggu nemendur til myndbönd með þeirra sýn á Ísafjörð og nærumhverfið og útkoman urðu stórskemmtilegar stuttmyndir.

Wake Boarding Westfjords

Mon, 08 May 2023 11:26:00 +0000

A Tale of One Naughty Tourist

Mon, 08 May 2023 11:14:00 +0000

A typical week in the life of two interns in Ísafjörður

Wed, 26 Apr 2023 19:29:00 +0000

Hello we are Hannah and Linda, two students from southern Germany. We are studying Public Administration at the University of Applied Sciences in Kehl. As part of our studies we are doing a three month long internship at the University Centre in Ísafjörður.