The ColdCast – Details, episodes & analysis

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THIS IS A SPECIAL EPISODE OF THE COLDCAST, RECORDED IN NORWEGIAN.

Vi tar en prat med tidligere kirke-, utdannings- og forskningsminister Gudmund Hernes. Hernes ble tidlig bitt av "Svalbardbasillen" og var pådriver for at Universitetssenteret på Svalbard ble til. Hvordan har forskningen utviklet seg over 30 år, og kan forskning bidra til stabilisering i et betent geopolitisk landskap?

Podcasten er produsert av informasjonsrådgivere Maria Philippa Rossi og Ingrid Ballari Nilssen.

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In this episode of The ColdCast we meet glaciologist and science communicator Heïdi Sevestre. In the spring of 2021, Heidi and three fellow glaciologists went on a month-long research expedition in Svalbard – on skis! And what they experienced there was too important to not be communicated. Heidi’s passion is that science and research gets communicated beyond academia. It’s important that the knowledge reaches politicians, stakeholders – and you!  

The podcast is produced by technician Simen Salomonsen Hjelle and information adviser Maria Philippa Rossi.

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In the first episode of The Cold Cast we have the pleasure of being joined by Frank Nilsen. Frank is a professor in oceanography, and has worked at UNIS since 2001. He has had multiple roles at UNIS, including being in charge of the very popular Arctic geophysics course Air-Sea-Ice-interaction.  

The podcast is produced by technician Simen Salomonsen Hjelle and information adviser Maria Philippa Rossi.

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THIS IS A SPECIAL EPISODE OF THE COLDCAST, RECORDED IN NORWEGIAN.

Hvordan var det å være student ved Unis på 90-tallet? Endrer feltarbeidet seg i takt med klimaendringene? Hvilken rolle spiller Unis når morgendagens fornybare energikilder diskuteres? Hvordan blir fremtidens Longyearbyen, når alt er bygget på tinende permafrost?

I denne jubileumsepisoden i forbindelse med Universitetssenteret på Svalbards 30-års-feiring får du møte direktør Jøran Moen, geolog Hanne Christiansen, oseanograf Ragnheid Skogseth, geofysiker Fred Signernes, ansvarlig for feltsikkerhet Fred Skancke Hansen, marinbiolog Janne Søreide, professor i fornybar energi, Anna Sjöblom og historiker Thor Bjørn Arlov.

Podcasten er produsert av informasjonsrådgivere Maria Philippa Rossi og Ingrid Ballari Nilssen.

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In this episode we talk to department leaders in geology and biology at Unis, Maria Jensen and Steve Coulson. They are involved with two Centres for Excellence in Education, iEarth and bioCEED.

The Norwegian Centres for Excellence in Education (Senter for fremragende utdanning, SFU) is a prestigious scheme that gives Norway's leading educational communities the resources to further develop their programs and practices.

The idea is to move away from the old concept of one-way delivery in lecture theaters and see how the universities can make their teaching better. One example is in the field of geoscience. Norway used to educate a lot of petroleum geologists, but the job market is changing, and different from what it was 10-15 years ago. The underlying idea is to use new teaching methods and change the curriculum towards educating modern geoscientists that the modern society needs.

The Centres for Excellence in Education have had a collegial approach to teaching, and encouraged staff to talk to discuss what works well and not so well. The students are highly involved, and their feedback and input are a valuable part of the project.

This is the last episode of season 1 of The ColdCast. We would like to extend our thanks to The Norwegian Research Council for contributing with funding, and to staff and students at the University Centre in Svalbard for participating. All episodes are available on Spotify, or your favourite podcast player.

The podcast is produced by technician Simen Salomonsen Hjelle and information advisor Maria Philippa Rossi. 

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Let’s talk about the weather, Norwegians’ favourite small talk topic! In this episode we are joined by Lukas Frank, who is working on a PhD on regional interaction between atmosphere, ocean and ice. Lukas has been involved with a project called iWin, Isfjorden Weather information network, which aim is to improve the local weather forecasting in Isfjorden, the area surrounding Longyearbyen. Through the project, they gather weather data that are crucial for a better understanding of the rapidly changing, local and regional climate system.   

We talk about weather models and their challenges in producing accurate forecasts in an Arctic environment where glaciers, sea ice and months of complete darkness or sunlight influence the accuracy. And you also get a tip or two about how to prepare weather-wise before embarking out on a trip in the wilderness.

The podcast is produced by technician Simen Salomonsen Hjelle and information adviser Maria Philippa Rossi.

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THIS IS A SPECIAL EPISODE OF THE COLDCAST, RECORDED IN NORWEGIAN.

I denne spesialepisoden av The ColdCast møter vi paleontolog og øglegraver Jørn H. Hurum. Jørn har ledet en rekke ekspedisjoner til Svalbard på jakt etter fossiler av havlevende øgler. Jørn forteller om øglegravernes arbeid, om å drive fossiljakt på Svalbard, om hvordan klimaendringene påvirker utgravingene – og ikke minst – om de seneste funnene.

Denne episoden ble spilt inn i samarbeid med Svalbard Museum, i forbindelse med UNIS sitt 30-års-jubileum. 

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We will talk about the Arctic Safety Centre and the ARCT-RISK project, a Research Council of Norway funded project focused on management of climate-related risk in Longyearbyen. This project, which employees all three researchers we interviewed, seeks to develop knowledge and tools to manage the effects of climate change on societies using the rapid climatic changes in Longyearbyen as a case-study.

As an example of the collaboration between stakeholders this project encourages, we discuss a snow monitoring project involving cooperation between the municipality, Telenor Svalbard, and the Governor. By using relatively cheap technology, like what you would find in a smart home, the scientists can monitor the snow depth around town, and in real time send the data to avalanche observers and other risk managers. The system works so well that the Arctic Safety Centre has started a cooperation with Honningsvåg to assist them with the same technology and knowledge.

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They are tiny, they are everywhere, and they are bad for us and the environment. In this episode we are joined by Doctor Gijsbert Breedveld, professor in environmental geochemistry, and department leader of the technology department here at UNIS.  

Gijs’ field of expertise is per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also called PFAS, and he research contaminants in soil and groundwater, and how they can pose a risk to the environment and our health.

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