Webpages tagged with «Students»

It's official. Yesterday was the World's Coolest Day in Oslo. The DNB Savings Bank Foundation hosted a free day of activities at the Akershus fortress. I volunteered with a group of spunky students from IBV at the mobile touch tanks from Drøbak Akvarium. Check out the marine stars of Oslofjord!

It feels great to be reunited with my study species, kelp! This summer, I took a  ForBio class in Bergen: Kelp communities: marine macroalgae and associated flora and fauna. I spent 10 days collecting samples by wading, snorkeling, and boating, then subsequently identifying the catch with some of the top seaweed and marine invertebrate biologists in Scandinavia. See some of the neat critters we found... and check out ForBio's homepage for upcoming courses!

Three ongoing classes this Spring, BIO4400, BIO4320 & MBV4110, expose students to tiny marine critters, or provide a closer look at macroscopic organisms, (e.g. my study organism: kelp!). "Marine Pelagic Oceanography" introduces students to the processes of the sea, including three expeditions out on the water in Oslofjorden. "Systematics and Ecology of Marine Algae" provides on overview of the global diversity of algal species, with a special focus on Norway's intriguing flora. The "Electron Microscopy" course provides a tool to view any organism in finer detail, marine or terrestrial. Take at look for yourself to see some examples of what Master students at IBV are viewing  under the microscope.

Winter is my favorite time of year in Oslo. What is there to do? Plenty! From “friluftsidrett” (outdoor sports) to indoor attractions, Oslo has a plethora of good times to be had. Check out these trip ideas from Master students at IBV.

During the last few days of October, I volunteered at the Nordic Marine Science Conference in Asker, Norway. This joint meeting hosted by the Norwegian Oceanographic Society (NHF) and Swedish Society of Marine Sciences (SHF) included three days of talks and presentations from students and researchers working throughout Northern Europe. Among this gregarious, seafaring bunch, the University of Oslo was well-represented.

Not all of us dive. That's why aquariums are AMAZING! We have a glimpse into the deep blue without ever getting wet. Behind the glass, spiny stickleback, flat flounder, bright anemones, and sluggish snails dance about, either starring back at us or waving their long tentacles. This post is a tribute to the folks who keep these windows into the sea (and their inhabitants) healthy and happy, first off with the little aquarium at UiO, Steinbiten Akvarieforening, and then with the larger Drøbak Akvarium, just south of Oslo.

Benjamin is a fisherman of a different fin. Intstead of cod, salmon, or stickleback, Benjamin is writing his Masters at the CEES and working with IMR on a project about the Corkwing wrasse, an iPhone-sized fish known for its showy blue scales, taste for salmon lice, and male "cross-dressers" or sneakers (males mimicking females). This is his second year invetigating the effects of size-dependent fishing on the proportion of sneaker-males in populations in Norway.

Biology is vast, covering many diverse fields, from human medicine to the breeding behavior of toads. The study of ecology, often depicted by rugged, safari-hat-wearing field biologists tracking the interactions of butterflies or lemurs in their habitat, is generally quite different than the model-heavy and lab-based study of evolution, especially genetics. The Center for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES) aims to connect these divergent fields, creating a more holistic understanding of life.