We always enjoy welcoming visitors to the University Centre, especially during the quiet summer days. Last Sunday we welcomed a group of high school students and their supervisors traveling from the United States with the New York Times Student Journeys program. In conjunction with Putney Student Travel in Vermont, New York Times Student Journeys offers educational travel experiences to places that The New York Times has covered. Each journey is carefully designed for intellectually curious middle and high school students who want to explore topics from climate change to business, and fashion to politics, with guidance from New York Times journalists and subject-matter experts (see here for more details https://www.nytimes.com/times-journeys/students).

This particular group is visiting the Westfjords to learn about renewable energy and the impacts of climate change in remote Arctic communities. The group was accompanied by Tryggvi Aðalbjornsson, a former reporter with The Times´s climate desk. We introduced the group to the work of the University Center and spent the morning with an interesting talk about the challenges that the Westfjords face in terms of energy safety, the effects and perception of climate change, demographic challenges, tourism, the environment, and other topics. Three students from the Coastal and Marine Management Program also presented their ongoing master´s research projects. The University Centre of the Westfjörds is happy to host such an energetic and focused group of young students and hopes to continue this co-operation with the New York Times in the future.