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The child’s interest should always be the priority 

30/08/2022 - 11:14

The problems of fathers who wish to spend more time with their children, especially in cases where custody is not shared, have received increased attention in the past few years. A recent University of Iceland study focuses on the experiences and feelings of fathers who see their children less than every other weekend. The reactions of child protection committees and civil magistrates to the problems fathers face when seeking more time with their children were also examined. 

Nína Eck at the Faculty for Social Work led the study, under the supervision of Guðný Björk Eydal, professor at the Faculty of Social work and Ingólfur V. Gíslason professor at the Faculty of sociology, anthropology and folkloristics. 

From independent and equality-minded children to perfect and wonderful

31/10/2022 - 11:20

Mothers' descriptions of their children in public interviews have changed a lot over the last 50 years. They are now described as talented, perfect, happy and spiritually fulfilling for mothers, where previously they were said to be independent and equality-minded. These are the findings of a new study by Auður Magndís Auðardóttir, lecturer at the School of Education, that were presented at the Menntakvika conference and Þjóðarspegill in October.

Auður's lecture at Menntakvika was entitled "Perfect and wonderful: Mothers' descriptions of their children in public interviews 1970-1979 compared to 2010-2019." Her data is based on the analysis of 130 interviews with mothers published in print media during these two periods.

Collecting new knowledge to improve health 

02/12/2022 - 08:00

There has been much media discussion about the lifestyles of young people, which sometimes involve long periods sitting on computers and other devices, with less physical activity than children used to do. Research shows how important it is for young people to get sufficient exercise. Studies in many different countries have tried answer the question of whether physical activity in childhood has a positive impact on health in later life. A large number of studies have found that this is indeed the case. Scientists thus believe it is essential to monitor and measure how much young people exercise and how that changes over time. 

A study at the University of Iceland is currently underway that looks at physical activity and fitness in Icelandic children and adolescents aged 7 to 17. The goal is to find out whether these things change as children grow older and what impact that has on mental and physical health. 

Doctoral defence in Tourism Studies - Edita Tverijonaitė

19. December 2022 - 13:00 to 15:00

Aðalbygging

The Aula

Live stream

Doctoral candidate: Edita Tverijonaitė

Dissertation title: Nature-based tourism in renewable energy landscapes: Attitudes of tourism stakeholders.

Opponents: Dr. Bohumil Frantál, Senior Research Scientist at the Palacký University, the Czech Republic & Dr. Marianna Strzelecka, Senior Lecturer at the Linnaeus University, Sweden. 

Advisor: Dr. Anna Dóra Sæþórsdóttir, Professor at the Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland.

Doctoral committee: Dr. Rannveig Ólafsdóttir, Professor at the Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland and Dr. C. Michael Hall, Professor at the Department of Management, Marketing and Entrepreneurship, University of Canterbury, New Zealand.

Searching for traces of literary tradition in medieval times

A gold ring and a couture hat from the 17th century are among the relics archaeology students and scientists at the University of Iceland have excavated this summer from the ruins of Þingeyri, the home of the longest running monastery in Icelandic history. The aim of the excavation is to shed light on book production at the monastery; using in part tools and gadgets shared by the archaeology department and the University's geologists.

Þingeyrarklaustur, the monastery at Þingeyri, was established in 1133 and operated continuously until 1551 when the Reformation swept through Iceland and the grounds and monastery quarters became property of the Danish king. "We are searching for traces of monasticism here and especially the literary tradition. Þingeyraklaustur was a famous centre of literature, culture and education, and was known for its library, and we are looking for traces of the literary tradition," says Steinunn.

Shedding new light on the role of white brain matter in learning and memory

20/10/2021 - 08:51

Until recently, it was believed that the primary function of white brain matter was to insulate nerve fibres, but new research strongly indicates that white matter also plays an important role in memory and learning. The findings are reported in a paper published in the latest issue of Science by a team led by Ragnhildur Þóra Káradóttir, professor in Cellular Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge and professor of Neurophysiology at the University of Iceland’s Faculty of Medicine. She explains that this new information could potentially change the way we think about brain function relating to learning and memory and help identify ways to prevent memory loss.

Ragnhildur's co-authors were Giulia Bonetto and David Belin, her colleagues at the University of Cambridge. The paper is an invited review article, summarising the latest research on white brain matter, or myelin, a subject that has received little attention until recently. 

Doctoral defence in education science - Anna Björk Sverrisdóttir

15. December 2021 - 13:00 to 14:00

Aðalbygging

Hátíðasalur HÍ

Title: Education of students with intellectual disabilities at the upper secondary school level in light of theories of inclusive education and social justice

The doctoral project is about the education of students with intellectual disabilities

at the upper secondary school level in light of theories of inclusive education and social justice.

The wily human brain 

01/12/2021 - 09:34

The University of Iceland is an open and international university where diversity is a priority. Over 1,500 international students from 100 countries study here. One of these is the doctoral candidate Mohsen Rafiei from Iran. He works on research in perception science at the University of Iceland’s Visionlab and will defend his thesis 10 December 2021. 

Árni Kristjánsson, professor of psychology is Mohsen‘s main supervisor. Árni has primarily researched the human visual system, exploring how our attention and visual perception work together. Mohsen’s current project is to map out various tricks the brain uses when it comes to visual perception.

“Yes, I am born in Iran,” says Mohsen, and adds smiling that magnificent pristine nature can be found there, just like in Iceland – along with ancient culture and history, great food, and friendly people. 

Relaxations of the public health restrictions

28/01/2022 - 14:50

Jón Atli Benediktsson, Rector of the University of Iceland, sent the following message to University staff and students today (28 January 2022):

"Dear students and colleagues, 

This morning, the government announced relaxations of the public health restrictions in place due to the pandemic. As of midnight, the limit on gatherings will be raised to 50 people and the physical distancing rule will drop to 1 metre. Specific restrictions on the education system remain unchanged, except that the 1 metre rule will be in place in all UI buildings and facemasks must be worn where this distance cannot be maintained. Gatherings of up to 50 people will be permitted; this applies to both staff and students.

How can competition law take workers' interests into account?

08/02/2022 - 08:58

"Due to the weakening of trade unions and higher levels of market concentration, workers find themselves worse off with fewer potential buyers for their labour. In some cases, companies have very few competitors or have established a monopoly for buying the labour of specific groups of workers. This situation has long avoided scrutiny from the competition authorities, which generally focus on the impact that concentration of market control has on consumers."

So says Haukur Logi Karlsson, a postdoctoral researcher at the Faculty of Law, who is now investigating competition law to discover whether it would be beneficial to expand the law so that it addresses not only consumer interests but also worker interests.

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