Methodology Presentations

The CMM students presented their week-long methodology research for Albertína Friðbjörg Elíasdóttir’s class. After going out into the community and speaking with locals regarding various coastal topics, students came back and discussed issues from environmental reporting in the BB, to sustainable fisheries, to overall town goals and vision. Guests included: Daníel Jakobsson, Mayor of Ísafjörður; Gísli Halldór Halldórsson, town councillour, Menntaskóli worker and former CMM student; Þorleifur Ágústsson, PhD in animal physiology and Menntaskóli teacher, and; Kristján Viggósson, Menntaskóli English teacher.

Class presentations are always open to the community! If you are interested in knowing what the CMM students are up to, please do not hesitate to contact the University Center. (chelsea boaler)

Student Collaboration

The CMM students visited the local students at Menntaskólinn Ísafirði, Thursday November 8th 2012. The visit was our first of many, where we introduced ourselves, the countries and cultures we represent, and how we ended up in Ísafjörður. This was a great way to connect our home regions with Iceland, though we, as CMM students, also learned a lot about our peers (and in some cases, our own countries)! We had a great time, and hope to continue our involvement with the Menntaskólinn Ísafirði academically, socially, and culturally. (chelsea boaler)

International Buffet – Alþjóðlegt hlaðborð

PLEASE NOTE: Tickets are required for this event- see below for details. Cash only.
Are you interested in meeting some of this year’s foreign students of Haskolasetur Vestfjarda and sampling some international recipes? Then join us at Kaffi Isol on Saturday, November 10th, for our first ever International Buffet, brought to you by Aegir, the Coastal and Marine Management Students’ Association. The kitchen will be open from 18:00 until 22:00 to serve you delicious bits and bites prepared with love by the students themselves and you will be welcomed into a warm ambiance with an international theme so you can learn more about the cultures behind the food. We look forward to meeting and getting to know you!Tickets are 1500 KR per person and will be on sale at Kaffi Isol until Thursday, Nov. 8th. A ticket is required to sample food as there will be limited quantities, however the bar will be open and serving drinks separately.
For more information:
rana12@uwestfjords.is
nordgren.laura@gmail.com
Facebook
—————————————————————————————————
ATHUGIÐ: Kaupa þarf miða á hlaðborðið – sjá nánar hér að neðan. Ekki tekid wid kortum.
Hefur þú áhuga á að hitta nokkra af alþjóðlegum nemendum Háskólaseturs Vestfjarða og um leið fá að smakka á ýmsum alþjóðlegum réttum? Komdu þá á Kaffi Ísól laugardaginn 10. nóvember á fyrsta alþjóðlega hlaðborðið okkur sem haldið er af Ægi, nemendafélagi Haf- og strandsvæðanema. Eldhúsið verður opið frá kl. 18.00 og til 22.00 og verður ýmislegt girnilegt í boði, útbúið af nemendunum sjálfum sem koma víða að. Boðið verður upp á notalega stemningu og girnilegan mat frá ólíkum löndum. Okkur hlakkar til að hitta og kynnast þér!Miðaverð er kr. 1500 og eru miðar til sölu á Kaffi Ísól fram á fimmtudag, 8. nóvember næstkomandi. Nauðsynlegt er að tryggja sér miða þar sem takmarkað framboð er af mat. Barinn verður þó auðvitað að venju opinn.

Fyrir nánari upplýsingar:
rana12@uwestfjords.is
nordgren. laura@gmail.com
Facebook

Company Visit #5: Fiskbúð Sjávarfangs – Local Fish Shop

As students of coastal and marine management we are, of course, very interested in gaining hands-on experience at every possible level. Hence, a visit to the local Fish-Shop has been one favorite on our agenda.

Eventually, mid-October the owner of the main local Fish-Shop “Fiskbúð Sjávarfangs“, Kári Jóhansson, invited us to take a look at the facilities as well as how fish is prepared for sales.

We were impressed by learning how today’s IT helps to instantaneously monitor fishing efforts as well as buying and selling fish within seconds over the internet. After introducing us to the main local types of fish Kári went on showing how each fish is prepared for sale. The fileting skills required for that made quite an impression on us. Perhaps one of the most interesting findings was to learn that literally every part of a fish gets used.

Takk fyrir, Kári Jóhansson! (katrin krzewina)

South-Westfjords Trip Day 2 (Company Visits #2 #3 & #4 Included)

Monday, 24th September 2012, started with a very-scary for some and wonderful-in-the-sky event for others in our group: a visit to the Látrabjarg bird cliffs. We learned all about the plans and initiatives for turning the area into a national park.

Our first company visit of the day was to Mátis, where we met with Project Manager Lilja Magnúsdóttir. This branch of Mátis is involved in value chain and processing of aquaculture. Overall, the company is involved in many sectors, including genetics, biotechnology, and consumer analysis and consulting.
(Thanks Rob Salisbury for providing this missing information!)

This was followed by a visit to the Mayor of Patreksfjörður, Ms Ásthildar Sturludóttur. In consequence of her discussions at least a couple of students now contemplate moving to Patreksfjörður for life.

Next was our third company visit to Íslenska Kalkþörungafélagið ehf. (Ískalk) in Bildudal, a calcareous algae processing plant. After a thorough introduction into the plant’s set-up, development and current economic standing we were allowed a hands-on experience of facilities and technology. We also gained insights into the Icelandic concept of health and safety at work.

Our final stop was company visit #4 at Fjarðarlax in Fossfjörður where aquaculture farmer Jón Örn Pálsson introduced to us the technology and processes of his aquaculture operation.

South-Westfjords Trip Day 1 (Company Visit #1 Included)

With a great interest in learning as much as possible about the regional heritage as well as coastal and marine management, we set off for a tour around the South-Westfjords on 23rd September 2012. The first stop was at the Hrafnseyri-Museum, the birth-place of “President” Jón Sigurðsson where we enjoyed a picturesque introduction into Iceland’s history.

This was later followed by our first company visit: Mjólká is the regional hydro energy plant and situated very closely to the impressive waterfall Dynjandi (aka Fjallfoss) – a chance we used for an impressive group photo. (katrin krzewina)

Sheep Round-up

On Saturday, 15th September 2012, students participated in a sheep round-up in Ingjaldssandur. This is an annual highlight at the end of autumn where farmers, local volunteers and mad students come together to help bring the sheep down from the mountains into farm valleys. It, usually, takes about one day, however, our student expertise helped to cut that down to a bit more than a couple of hours this year.
It has been an exceptionally wet experience (I never believed how much water one boot can hold), however, we were all very happy afterwards (though I have doubts regarding the sheep). Thank you so much for the experience and also the reward (hot soup, salad, cheese sandwiches, tea and coffee) provided afterwards, Betty! (katrin krzewina)