Sea ice is the main challenge to the development of oil and gas industries in the High Arctic. Ships and structures should be designed by taking into account sea ice concentration, thickness and strength. Lucie Strub-Klein has studied level ice and sea ice ridges and will defend her PhD thesis on 22 May at UNIS.
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The master and PhD course (10 ECTS) will run in October-November and has an extended application deadline until 15 June.
Course description – AGF-345 (master level)
Course description – AGF-845 (PhD level)

There are still available spaces in MSc and PhD level courses in CO2 sequestration, calving glaciers and Svalbard fossils within the Arctic geology department in summer and autumn 2012. The extended admission will be on a first come, first serve basis so apply today!

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UNIS researchers have recorded large amounts of Norwegian spring spawning herring in Adventfjorden and Isfjorden. This represents the northernmost mass-occurrence of herring, and a significant extension of its northern distribution limits.
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Several UNIS students and scientists won poster prizes at the IPY 2012 conference in Montréal last week. PhD student Lorna Little from New Zealand won first prize for her Polar Palette poster in the category polar terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems.

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A warmer ocean climate has resulted in Atlantic cod and haddock extending further into Arctic waters, presenting a potential threat to the native polar cod.However, a new study reveals there is little competition for food between the invaders and the polar cod.
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There are over 600 applications for the autumn semester 2012 at UNIS, which is the highest number ever recorded. – This proves that UNIS is an attractive institution for future Arctic experts, says UNIS director Ole Arve Misund.

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By request of the Norwegian Red Cross, UNIS PhD student Thomas Gölles together with UNIS alumni Karoline Bælum set off for Pakistan this weekend to assist in the search operation after the avalanche accident on 7 April. With them they have a snow radar that can detect objects buried under metres of snow.
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The PAGE21 is going to expand our knowledge about the permafrost in Svalbard. UNIS starts the field campaign in Adventdalen next week.
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Five UNIS research projects have received funding of almost NOK 47 million from the ConocoPhillips Arctic Research Program. Last week representatives from the ConocoPhillips management visited Longyearbyen to mark the kick-off of the Arctic Research Program.
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There are available places in some master courses in biology, geology and technology this spring and early summer. The extended admission will be on a first-come, first-serve basis so apply today!

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Polish scientists have identified a new species of water bears in Svalbard and named it after our own Dr. Steve Coulson.
– I am ridiculously proud, says the associate professor in terrestrial ecology.

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UNIS will visit the Norwegian universities over the next weeks to inform about our course portfolio, application process and answer questions about admission. This week we will visit Bodø and Tromsø, then Trondheim, Bergen, Oslo, Ås and Kristiansand.

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The UNIS CO2 Lab commissioned a design studio to create an animation to explain to school children (and adults) the principles of carbon capture and storage. The result is a series of videos available for free online.

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Applications to the fourth IPY Field School are now accepted. The course will run between 25 June – 13 July and only 25 highly qualified undergraduate and early graduate level students will be admitted. Application deadline is 1. April.

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The Jan Christensen endowment for Norwegian students and staff at UNIS has a number of stipends available.
Application deadline is 1. March, 2012.

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UNIS can offer a total of 45 courses on the Bachelor-, Master- or PhD-level in summer and autumn 2012. You can now apply for these courses online. More information about the courses and how to apply is found via the link below.
Application deadline: 15. April 2012.
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The course will give students a basic understanding of the Sun, how events on the Sun trigger space weather, including the Northern Lights and the processes in the Earth’s atmosphere. Course start: 06.02.2012 at 17:15 in auditorium "Lassegrotta".

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UNIS offers four master/Ph.D. courses in Arctic biology this spring and summer. The online application database is now open and the application deadline is February 15, 2012.

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There are available student places in master courses in environmental toxicology and pollution in March-June 2012. The extended admission will be on a first-come, first-served basis, so apply today.

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The course offers an overview of Svalbard’s history from its discovery in 1596 until the present day. Main aspects of economic history, politics, social and cultural development are covered.

Course start: January 23 at 17:15 in auditorium "Lassegrotta".

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New research shows that a warmer climate will have quite different consequences for plant species in the Arctic. While most species are expected to lose part of their current habitat, the genetic consequences will differ markedly among species. The research results will have major impact on future conservation efforts.
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Another zooplankton research project at UNIS has received millions in funding from the Research Council of Norway. The three-year project CLEOPATRA II is a follow-up to the IPY-project CLEOPATRA to study the copepod Calanus glacialis, a key Arctic grazer in the seasonal ice covered seas.
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