Community Projects

The University of Iceland has participated in the Biophilia Educational Project since autumn 2011. The project was originally created by Björk Guðmundsson as music workshops for children in connection with the release of her album Biophilia and the tour by the same name. The University as well as the City of Reykjavík then developed the workshops further, in closely collaboration with Björk, the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, and the Nordic Council. This cooperation resulted in the Nordic Biophilia Educational Project, an interdisciplinary project, combining natural sciences, the arts, and technology to engage children's creativity. Biophilia methodology is now used in primary schools in the Nordic countries and has gained much attention.

For further information, visit the Biophilia Educational Project website.

The Children's Culture Festival (Barnamenningarhátíð) is held each spring in Reykjavík. It is one of the city's most popular festivals, focussing strongly on participation. The entire city serves as the venue, and various and diverse events take place all over town. The University of Iceland has been actively involved in the Children's Culture Festival, particular with the UI Science Centre programme and events taking place at the city's cultural institutions.

For further information, visit the website of The Children's Culture Festival.

FIRST Lego League is a design and programming competition for primary school students, which has been held at the University of Iceland for years.

The competition is aimed at helping students practice various important skills, such as collaboration, innovation, problem-solving, critical thinking, and scientific methodology. Its purpose is to inspire young people to make a difference in the fields of science and technology. Moreover, it emphasises the development of important life skills, such as self-confidence, communication skills, and leadership skills.

For more information, visit the website of the FIRST Lego League.

The Hiking trips with Science tips  (Með fróðleik í fararnesti) series of walks is a collaborative project of the University of Iceland and the Icelandic Touring Association. It was first established at the University's centennial in 2011.

During these interesting walks, the experience and knowledge of the Touring Association's guides blend with the knowledge of University teachers and researchers. The goal is to raise public interest in education and pursue healthy outdoor activities as well as to increase the number of options of such activities. At the same time, the walks offer the opportunity to draw attention to the University of Iceland's and the Icelandic Touring Association's diverse work. The individual events are advertised each time on the University of Iceland website. Participation is free of charge and everyone is welcome, although events are generally held in Icelandic.

Each spring since 2011, the Knowledge Train (Háskólalestin) has travelled through Iceland with great popularity. The idea of the Knowledge Train is to introduce young people to science in a hands-on approach through a diverse programme for the entire family. People of all ages come together whenever the Knowledge Train rolls into town. Visits of the Knowledge Train are always prepared in close collaboration with municipalities and primary schools in the local areas. The regional University of Iceland research centres are also often active participants, as well as local businesses with a connection to scientific and academic work and innovation in the area.

The Knowledge Train offers selected courses from the University of Iceland Youth Programme for primary school students. One school day is dedicated specifically to this. The next day, a colourful science festival is held for all and everyone, with a planetarium, demonstrations of experiments, unexpected discoveries, and fun happenings.

Information on the Knowledge Train schedule can be retrieved online.

The Primary School Innovation Competition (Nýsköpunarkeppni grunnskólanna) is a competition for the best idea for students in grades 5-7. Preparations take place at primary schools around the country throughout the school year. Students receive instructions on how to develop a project in their field of interest, from the idea to its realisation. The University of Iceland sponsors the competition and provides expert knowledge for preparing competing students.

The goal of the event is to inspire children's creativity and development, encourage their initiative, and strengthen their self image. The competition also aims at promoting innovation in primary schools and raising awareness for children's ingeniousness in school and industry.

For further information (in Icelandic), visit the competition's website.

RANNÍS, the Icelandic Centre for Research, organises the Researcher's Night events in Iceland, but similar events by the same name are held each year in many major European cities, always on the last Friday in September.

The main objective of Researchers' Night is to show science and the scientists behind the research in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere to the general public, and to raise awareness of the work of researchers and their contribution to contemporary society. This is done in hands-on introductions, fun and educational events for the entire family. All academic fields are introduced as part of Researchers' Night, humanities and physical sciences alike.

News and further information can be found on RANNÍS' website, as well as on Facebook (in Icelandic).

The University of Iceland Science Centre (UniSci) was established in spring 2012 at the University Cinema and has been almost fully booked ever since. The goal of the Science Centre is to increase young people's interest in the sciences and academia through an interactive and hands-on approach, and in doing so strengthen teaching in the field of the natural and physical sciences. The Science Centre is open to school groups and best suited for primary school students, grades 6-10. Visits of the Centre to primary schools are free of charge. The staff and instructors of the Science Centre are University of Iceland teachers and students. The Science Centre is available to the general public at various occasions, such as on University Day, during the Children's Culture Festival, and the FIRST Lego League Competition.

For further information (in English) and bookings (in Icelandic only), visit the UniSci website.

Science - Plain and Simple (Vísindi á mannamáli) is a University of Iceland lecture series, initiated by the Biomedical Centre and the University of Iceland Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences.

The goal of the lecture series is to highlight how scientists at the University try to uncover the mysteries of nature and the significance of scientific research for the daily lives of people, e.g. battling diseases or natural forces or to enhance quality of life and address new challenges related to environmental changes.

The Science Day of the School of Engineering and Natural Sciences (SENS) has been held annually since 2014, always at the end of October.

The day is intended as a fun event (with presentations in both Icelandic and English) for the entire family and its goal is to introduce both young and old to the marvels of engineering and the natural sciences.

Information on the event (in English) and the programmes of previous years (in Icelandic) can be retrieved on the Science Day website.

On the centennial of the University of Iceland in 2011, the Icelandic television channel Sjónvarpið (now RÚV), broadcast three excellent episodes on scientific research conducted at the University of Iceland. The aim was to introduce people to the diverse work of University of Iceland researchers and how the work they conduct, their circumstances, and methods vary greatly. The episodes covered research from each of the five University of Iceland schools.

Clips of the episodes (in Icelandic) can be viewed online.

The University of Youth has taken place each summer since 2004. Knowledge-hungry and energetic youngsters between the ages of 12 and 16, enrol for a few days in June and take over the University campus. The courses on offer are linked to all academic fields of the University and taught by teaching staff, University students, and University partner institutions.

For further information (in Icelandic), go to the Programme's website.

The Web of Science (Vísindavefurinn) was launched 29 January 2000 and has been open ever since.

The Web of Science covers all fields of science, from astronomy to manuscript studies, from molecular biology to psychology. Visitors of the website can read answers to almost any question imaginable (in Icelandic only). Moreover, readers can submit new questions on anything the University of Iceland staff may know or find the answer to.

The questions go straight to the website staff. Users of the site can also search for keywords related to topics of interest and receive information on replies and related content already available on the Web of Science.

Questions and answers can be viewed on the Web of Science.

EUCYS, the European Union Contest for Young Scientists (is. Ungir vísindamenn) is a project by the European Union, set up to allow young students to develop skills to work on research projects, to promote increased initiative, and independent working practices. The competition is open to students of upper secondary school, ages 15-20. It primarily takes place on the national level, but winners of each country participate in a Europe-wide contest. Almost all academic subjects are represented, humanities and social sciences, natural sciences, educational sciences, and technology.

For more information, visit the Young Scientists website.