‘Amazing experience’ for UHI Inverness students as field trip to Iceland focuses on environment and conservation projects
Students at UHI Inverness returned from an exciting trip to Iceland where to visit restoration projects and geothermal landmarks.
Twelve students on Geography, Environmental Science and Archaeology honours degree programmes travelled to Iceland as part of one of their modules to highlight how places outside of Scotland work towards a sustainable future.
The trip, held in partnership with the Agricultural University of Iceland, was also a chance to strengthen ties with international academic partners and offered innovative learning opportunities to its students.
Lecturer Karen Marshall, who, accompanied students on the trip, said she was inspired by the students’ openness to learning new ways of thinking during the week-long visit.
“I know we have wonderful students at UHI Inverness, but our field trip group blew me away,” she said.
“Their openness to the teaching and learning, creativity in discussions around sustainable development and rational sensemaking was exceptional. They inspired me with new perspectives and positivity for oftentimes complex and difficult topics.
“We had every season in our week: a winter wonderland of snow on arrival followed by wind, rain, and the most spectacular aurora borealis lightshow I have ever seen. I can’t thank our module partners enough; they embraced us into their field of expertise and enriched our curriculum with their knowledge and understanding. We hope to continue the relationships we have started to build through the module and look forward to what we can achieve in the future. I really felt it was an excellent field trip and a great enrichment to our teaching and learning portfolio.”
The group visited a riverbank protection project on one of Iceland's top salmon fishing rivers, a hydroelectric facility, Mýrar peatland in West Iceland, Krauma geothermal spa, the volcanic features of the Snæfellsnes peninsula and the volcanic eruption protections near the town of Grindavík.
A highlight of the trip was a visit to the eruptions near the town of Grindavík, hosted by Verkís Consulting Engineers.
Hörn Hrafnsdóttir, a Water Resources Engineer, gave the students an insight into her field of work protecting society and infrastructure from the destructive forces of volcanic eruptions.
Angus Doig, who studies geography, said: “Going out to the lava fields around Grindavík, seeing the barriers and visiting the town itself was incredible. It showed how vulnerable the town really is, yet how the work Verkis is doing can make a huge difference to the town, its people and the infrastructure around it.”
The students were impressed by a talk by Christian Schultze, Director of International Relations and Research at the Agricultural University of Iceland. He spoke about the university and its place environmentally, economically and socially – sparking an interest in studying there in the future.
Sarah Main, another geography student, said: “What a wonderful job Audrey and Karen did of making this trip such an amazing experience. Audrey’s volcanology background allowed me to put the landscape into context from a geology perspective and Karen’s uplifting and positive personality, as well as her experiences and knowledge, was an absolute treat.”
Professor Bernd Hänfling, Director of the Institute for Biodiversity and Freshwater Conservation at UHI Inverness, prepared the students to think about the environmental DNA analysis undertaken in the area. These eDNA results will add to the story of peatland restoration in the area. This project will culminate with a visit from colleagues at Agricultural University of Iceland to UHI Inverness in spring 2025, when they will attend the Integrated Land Use conference and tour the eDNA laboratories.
