University Center in Svalbard

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University Center in Svalbard
logo
founding 1993
Sponsorship state
place Longyearbyen , Svalbard , Norway
management Ole Arve Misund
Students 772 (2018)
Networks UArctic
Website www.unis.no
Main building of the University Center in Svalbard
BV 206 of the UNIS

The University Center in Svalbard (UNIS) is a university center that is essentially a branch of the universities in Oslo , Bergen , Tromsø and the Technical and Natural Sciences University of Norway . The main tasks are university research and training in Arctic science and technology fields as well as establishing Spitzbergen as a research location for Arctic studies.

The UNIS is located in Longyearbyen . Teaching began in 1993 in the Arctic Geology and Arctic Geophysics departments . In 1994 the Arctic Biology department was added, followed by Arctic Technology in 1996 . The students come primarily from Norway, Germany, Russia and the other EU countries. Teaching is exclusively in English. The Svalbard Museum of the history and fauna of Svalbard is also located in the UNIS building .

This forms the center of the Svalbard Science Center (SSC), an international research association of various research institutes that are active on Spitsbergen. The UNIS operates numerous outstations, such as the Aurora station in Adventdalen .

UNIS works with numerous private institutions and houses and operates research equipment from other research institutions, such as a ground station for the TUBSAT satellite fleet.

In order to enable field research and field studies by academic teaching staff and students in the high Arctic under the same conditions as expeditions , UNIS maintains its own vehicle fleet with Bv206 , watercraft and a university's own armory . For proper use of equipment and wilderness skills, UNIS runs its own wilderness skills course at the beginning of the academic year. The passed AS-101 Arctic Survival and Safety Course is a prerequisite for further participation in field excursions. In addition, the UNIS provides extensive HSE information on its website.

The students are housed in former miners' barracks in the Nybyen district . Many of the students use a mountain bike to drive to the university building.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ About UNIS. Students. Accessed July 22, 2019 .
  2. ↑ AS-101 Arctic Survival and Safety (3 ECTS) - UNIS . In: UNIS . ( unis.no [accessed August 29, 2018]).
  3. ^ Health, safety and environment (HSE) - UNIS . In: UNIS . ( unis.no [accessed August 29, 2018]).

Coordinates: 78 ° 13 ′ 21.4 ″  N , 15 ° 39 ′ 6.4 ″  E