Summer researchers have arrived on campus

Participants at BSRS 2008 Foto: BSRS

They have come to Western Norway from Uganda and Pakistan, from USA and Nicaragua to take part in the Summer Research School.  Over a period of 11 days, they will immerse themselves in global health issues.

- We are crossing our fingers and toes and hope the final arrangements are completed on time.  The last few weeks have been particularly hectic logistics wise. A lot of things have to be in place when 115 students and approx. 20 scientists and university lecturers have to be assigned to eight classrooms and given a bed to sleep in, says Professor Kjersti Fløttum, who is the school leader.

Global health
It’s about HIV, about the wellbeing of children and rights connected with health issues and how climate changes affect our health, and about reproduction, among other things.

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) statistics for 2010, show that there have been great improvements pertaining to specific areas of health.  The percentage of undernourished children has decreased from 25 percent in 1990 to 16 percent in 2010. There was a 16 percent reduction in infection and HIV between 2001 and 2008, and the percentage of the world’s population that has access to clean water has increased from 77 to 87 percent during the same period of time.

At the same time, the statistics also show that 40 percent of all children under the age of five, die during the first month after birth. The majority die during the first week. There are still a lot of challenges to be faced over much of the world. 

The Summer Research School looks into these problems from various angles and disciplines.

The summer school is multi-disciplinary and all of the UiB faculties have arranged courses this year.  The goal is that the summer school should be a meeting-place for scientists and students with different skills and backgrounds, says Kjersti Fløttum.

Students choose one of the eight courses to follow throughout the week. Some of the lectures are group-lectures, whilst others are held in plenum. The students and lecturers then go back to their various course groups and continue the discussion there.

Six of the lectures are open for all who are interested.  Here is the programme for this years BSRS (pdf).

One of the lectures, held by Prof. Alicia Yamin of Havard Law School, is in prolongation of the official opening on Tuesday morning at Dragefjellet.  Yamin reflects on why we bother with human rights as a starting-point for health related issues.  On Thursday, Prof. Hans Rosling of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, holds an open lecture about global health in the large auditorium at Haukeland University Hospital.

Institute leader Roger Strand of the Centre for the Study of the Sciences and the Humanities, leads the debate about the uncertainty and complexity surrounding global health, next Tuesday.

Visa problems
Lunchtime on Friday, the BSRS secretariat on Professor Keysers Street: Organised chaos and hectic activity amongst a group of assistants preparing to receive large numbers of students in a few days.  The students must be given access to IT-systems and the web during their stint at summer school.  Webpages must be updated, MIside must be filled with teaching material, programmes must be printed and open arrangements must be announced.

Kirsti Thesen Sælen stands in the middle of the room, like a conductor, issuing orders.  Calm, authoritative and with a well maintained sense of humour.

- These assistants are extremely competent!  They are here because they want to be here.  They are important to the summer school participants, because they help create a pleasant atmosphere, says Sælen.

Students from all over the world are in Bergen to discuss global health issues.  But in-between, our guest must be fed and watered.  They also need guiding around Bergen and for the summer school to be a good social experience.  This job is taken care of by the assistants.

We are in Kirsti Thesen Sælen’s office. A photograph of previous summer school participants hangs on the wall.  She has spent a lot of time talking to various Norwegian Ambassadors during the last few weeks.  Norwegian authorities have denied several visa applications, and she finds this regrettable.

- Two applicants have been refused and six are still uncertain.  I think we will manage to arrange a visa for one of these, but it’s difficult for students from Iran, says Sælen.

Praises UiB colleagues
Sælen is well aware of the financial crisis.

- Our budget has been cut, whilst at the same time, the price of plane-tickets has risen.  Even students from the USA and Europe have difficulty financing their travel.  We could take in more highly qualified participants if we had more money to help them with, she says.

The University of Bergen provides most of the funding for BSRS. The Research Council of Norway and Sparebanken Vest also provide considerable funding. Sparebanken Vest in particular funds scholarships explicitly for students.

Kjersti Fløttum praises their goodwill prior to this years BSRS.

- In addition to all of the academic staff at the UiB and the institutes that are responsible for the professional content, we get a lot of fantastic help and support from the university library and all of the central administrative departments at the university.  Even during the most stressful moments, voluntary spirit and goodwill have prevailed, says Kjersti Fløttum.

She is looking forward to the opening.

- We are looking forward to welcoming the students and scientists – and to everything that will be happening during the next 10 days.

Bergen Summer Research School

Program for the BSRS 2010