It was a very exciting day when archaeology students from the University of Aarhus unexpectedly uncovered a cache of bones from some 200 bodies dating back to the Iron Age. The standard 3-week research exercise for the students turned into a unique excavation project thanks to the sensational find. Read the full story

Applications for business studies at Icelandic universities have reduced considerably while several other fields have increased, including nursing and law. Read the full story

Finnish researchers working on the northwest Russian tundra have come up with the startling new information that during summer, the tundra releases significant amounts of greenhouse gases, including laughing gas. But researchers do not find the presence of nitrous oxide remotely funny.

Finnish national broadcaster YLE reports that the researchers from the universities of Helsinki and Kuopio have discovered that the summer decomposition of the peat tundra releases methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide. Read the full story

The global economic crisis is beginning to extend into more entrenched facets of public life such as higher education. Denmark’s government has stated that several of the nation’s top universities are planning to shorten the length of their semesters and lower the required number of classes for certain degree programs. Read the full story

The national budget for 2009 in Iceland is a balancing act between saving as much money as possible and not damaging essential services. It has been written and debated in parliament, but is still being changed and adapted. Read the full story

It is difficult to say with any certainty by how much the Icelandic krona will depreciate in value, if at all, when it is re-floated, according to Gylfi Zoega, head of the economics department at the University of Iceland. It is likely the currency will be floated before the New Year. Read the full story

Evidence has come to light that some Norwegian university students are cheating the system. It would appear that the students are collecting student aid they are not entitled to. The news comes in the wake of a scandal facing Norwegian ex-parliament members accused of tweaking their pension benefits.

The same newspaper that broke the MP pension story, Dagsavisen, also discovered that university students are using fake addresses to claim they are living independent of their parents. By living alone, the students are Read the full story

Students with A-Level or Scottish Higher results below their expectations don’t have to go to a university below their expectations, according to Thames Valley University (TVU). TVU is still accepting applicants through clearing and offers the UK’s best career prospects.

According to Times Higher Education magazine, TVU has the “Best record for getting their students into employment” within the HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency) survey of the destinations of graduates six months after leaving higher education. The survey compared employment performance indicators for all universities across the UK.

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The University of Iceland Institute of Biology recently purchased a 500 metre rated Gavia AUV mini submarine from Hafmynd Ehf, according to reports on UVonline.com. The Gavia AUV is scheduled for delivery later in the year. AUV means Automated Underwater Vehicle.

The Gavia AUV is required for scientific research by the University which says it will use the vehicle for learning more about the morphology of the sea floor and the quality of water. In addition, the Gavia AUV will be used to monitor benthic habitats and to estimate the density of benthic species such as molluscs and crabs. The AUV will help scientists conduct hydrographical surveys as well.

The University of Iceland will be taking their new acquisition to Norway and to the Faeroe Islands later this year in order to participate in benthic habitat monitoring and other experiments.

The Gavia AUV was selected, according to Dr Jorundur Svavarson, professor of Marine Biology, for its size and mobility. It is ideally suited, according to Dr. Svavarson, for the research projects being conducted by the University.

Makers of the Gavia AUV, Hafmynd Ehf, said they are pleased to facilitate the research being conducted by the University of Iceland and hope that they will work together in the future.

Hafmynd Ehf’s website describes the Gavia as “A small, 2000-metre depth rated AUV. The ideal tool for any research, monitoring or surveillance task where autonomy, cost and ease of deployment matter.”

With a population of only 300,000, Iceland has an impressive nine universities. At one of the largest, Reykjavik University, a recent survey showed that 95 per cent of the staff members were happy working there.

The university’s financial situation is also improving year on year and some have attributed all this success to the women who work there.

One of the major changes at universities in the country was introduced by Svafa Gronfeldt, the female rector at Reykjavik University, who brought in equal pay schemes for men and women as one of her first orders of business.

Management team members systematically examined and eliminated all differences in pay between men and women. “That was a challenge,” Gronfeldt said in an interview with Guardian Unlimited, commenting that gender bias is built into many systems in Iceland and around the world.

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