University of Iceland Language Centre has organized Polish Days from 11th to 14th of September at Veröld – House of Vigdís. The programme focuses on Poland in the first half of the 20th century and guests will get to know the music of that time, visit Gdynia, "the city made of sea and dreams", and see the country in that era through the eyes of Polish movie directors. The events will be conducted in English and open to the public.
The debate on peace, disarmament and the peaceful resolution of conflicts has rarely been more important. Peace is a prerequisite for well-being, equality, social stability as well as environmental and human rights protection. The Icelandic Presidency for the Nordic Council of Ministers and Höfði Reykjavík Peace Centre invites you to join a discussion on the future vision of the Nordic countries for sustainable peace at the Imagine Forum: Nordic Solidarity for Peace, will be held 10 - 11 October 2023. There will be a live stream from the conference.
“The essence of my research resides in the vibrant realm of sports sociology. I want to understand the intricate interplay of social and cultural dynamics that engender the success of a particular sport in a particular society. Brazilian football, Indian cricket, Kenyan long-distance running, New Zealand rugby, Iranian wrestling, are all cases in point,” says Iranian doctoral student Saeed Shamshirian about his research in sociology at the University of Iceland.
His focus is on Iran´s success in wrestling. In his home country, wrestling is far more than a mere sport; it is both the nation's sporting pride and a vital part of its national, religious, and cultural identity, according to Saeed. “On a global scale, wrestling stands as the crown jewel of Iran's international sporting achievements, with a remarkable 47 out of 76 Iranian Olympic medals proudly earned within the realm of wrestling.”
A largescale international study shows decrease in preterm births following the infection prevention measures during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, including Iceland. The research findings are presented in the latest issue of Nature Human Behaviour, published today. Three scientists at the University of Iceland are part of the research team, the largest of its kind covering 50 million births worldwide.Babies born preterm decreased and stillborn rates remained unchanged during the first four months of COVID-19 lockdowns, according to a study across 26 countries. The multidisciplinary study of 52 million births found a 3-4 per cent relative reduction in preterm births – defined as birth before 37 weeks gestation – during the first four months of COVID-19 lockdowns.
"The research is called "The hidden knowledge of women postpartum" („Hulin þekking kvenna í kjölfar barnsburðar“) and the point is to shed light on the period in women's lives after giving birth, and the impact it has on forming their sense of self," says Elín Ásbjarnardóttir Strandberg on a study she conducted recently. The study was funded by The Icelandic Centre for Research Student Innovation Fund. The innovative project is based on her studies at the University of Iceland. The research has already had considerable societal impact.
Elín studied academic literature on this period and conducted in-depth interviews, using micro-phenomenological methodology, with twenty women on their experience of pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period.
"My research is focused on fathers who have been violent towards intimate partners. Their own perspectives on their actions, the process of stopping violent behaviour, and media coverage of fathers and violence," says Rannveig Ágústa Guðjónsdóttir, adjunct lecturer at the University of Iceland School of Education, explaining her current project which she has entitled "Fathers and violence". The study is part of a larger project aiming to map the perspectives of men with a history of violence using various different approaches.
Research of this kind is absolutely vital in Rannveig Ágústa's opinion, because the findings can help us identify solutions to improve the situation. "Sociological research generally enables us to assess a situation at a certain point in time, understand our reality and the society in which we live. By mapping problems, we have the opportunity to work with those problems and develop potential reforms and preventative measures."
The University of Youth has received an award for science communication, presented at the opening of European Researchers' Night on 1 October. Jón Atli Benediktsson, Rector of the University of Iceland, and former and current administrators of the University of Youth accepted the award alongside a group of instructors and other staff who have been involved with the project over the years.
The University of Youth is a programme for children aged 12-14 who have a thirst for knowledge and want to find out more about science and academic subjects with researchers at the University of Iceland. The project was first launched in 2004. Many children come back year after year to explore the broad range of subjects taught at UI and the project has made a valuable contribution to scientific outreach that engages young people.
All of society, including companies and universities, will be increasingly affected by the green transition and the related environmentally aware behaviour, which is why Ülemiste City organised another international business and education network meeting Challenges of Environmental Awareness in Future City. Examples of environmentally aware companies were presented in the project and future talents and campus companies were brought together.
There are three things that probably had the most significant impact on human health in the 20th century: general hygiene, vaccination and the discovery of antibiotics. Because antibiotics are highly effective, they have been extremely widely used, but not always in accordance with the best available advice and what we have later learned from research into the effects of these drugs. There are now a large number of multiresistant bacteria. This is likely to cause serious problems in the near future, both for human health and in agriculture, unless we manage to develop new methods or drugs to deal with pathogens.
Samples have been collected from sediment layers in 52 Icelandic lakes over the past months as part of a study by HM Queen Margrethe II's and Vigdís Finnbogadóttir's Interdisciplinary Research Centre on Ocean, Climate and Society (ROCS). "This is the most thorough investigation of lake sediment to date and will provide a vital insight into historical ecosystems," says Wesley Randall Farnsworth, postdoctoral researcher at ROCS, who has been working on the project.
ROCS has also organised a public symposium taking place in Veröld today at 12 pm, which will go into further detail about the work of the Research Centre and opportunities for collaboration with other Icelandic institutions. The symposium is open to all.