Summer course in Húsavík in collaboration with the UI Regional Research Centre

Twenty-five students from various countries took part in an on location course at the UI Institute of Regional Research Centres in Húsavík, and The University Centre of the West Fjords on methods for research on marine mammals at the end of May. The summer course has been a part of the centre’s operations for a while now, and students come from all over the world.

The course is a part of the curriculum of the Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Iceland. Students at the University Centre of the Westfords have made up a large part of the student body, and this year there a formal collaborative agreement between the University of Iceland and the University Centre of the Westfords was reached, which stipulates that a certain number of students studying Coastal and Marine Management at the University Centre have access to this summer course.

The course provides a unique opportunity to learn methods used in researching wild whales; both in the form of lectures and field trips on whale watching vessels and boats owned by the centre. The course covers the species found north of Iceland and the academic background of the methods used in marine mammal research. Students also receive diverse training and instruction in the field on image analysis of individual whales, population estimates, behaviour analysis, and how to use microphone in different ways. Part of the studies is to organise and execute research projects with the data acquired in the field, and those found in the centre’s database. Despite the summer snow the course was a success and the students gave excellent presentations of their results at the Whale Museum in Húsavík at the end of the course.

The supervisors and teachers in the course were dr.  Marianne H. Rasmussen, director of the UI Institute of Regional Research Centre in Húsavík,  Ole Lundquist and dr. Charla Basran, centre employee. Furthermore, a few doctoral students supervised by Marianne participated in teaching and student training.