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Life on board
First day at sea. Photo: Malin Kvamme

Studying under full sail

almost 2 years ago
Written by Ronald Toppe
Life on board > Studying under full sail

Studying under full sail

almost 2 years agoLife on board
Written by Ronald Toppe
First day at sea. Photo: Malin Kvamme

Statsraad Lehmkuhl has left Valparaíso, Chile, and are headed west toward Tahiti. On board are 90 students from the University of Bergen, Norway.

Studying while sailing across the Pacific does not sound bad. The 385 students who applied for the subject SDG200 at the University of Bergen, Norway, obviously agrees.

90 of them were admitted, and will now spend the summer diving into the UN's sustainability goals. Statsraad Lehmkuhl left Valparaíso May 1, and the students will combine studying and crew-work until the ship reaches Palau in august.

Boarding in Valparaíso. Photo: Malin Kvamme
Boarding in Valparaíso. Photo: Malin Kvamme

The UN sustainability development goals

The UN sustainability development goals are concrete goals that must be achieved if the world is to succeed in eradicating poverty, fighting inequality and stopping climate change by 2030.

The 17 goals were decided in 2015, after a worldwide survey was held, where everyone could provide input.

The UN sustainability development goals.
The UN sustainability development goals.

It is up to each country to follow up on the goals, and for that, competent people are needed. Therefore subjects such as the course SDG200 at universities worldwide. Since the course at the University of Bergen is arranged on board a ship, the focus is naturally on sustainability related to the sea and climate, and how these goals can be achieved in particular.

First day at sea, getting used to the waves. Photo: Malin Kvamme
First day at sea, getting used to the waves. Photo: Malin Kvamme

Interdisciplinary

The students will be on board Statsraad Lehmkuhl until the ship arrives in Palau August 25. Crossing the Pacific ocean, the ship will visit Tahiti, the Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and the Solomon Islands. All of these islands are already feeling the effects of climate change, which makes the course extra relevant.

The students come from various faculties and departments, and study everything from psychology to marine biology.

Emil Sønsteby studies comparative politics, and is one of the ocean ambassadors. Photo: Malin Kvamme
Emil Sønsteby studies comparative politics, and is one of the ocean ambassadors. Photo: Malin Kvamme

Ocean ambassadors

The students will do more than studying and sail handling along the way. They will also share stories about the life on board. Ten of the students are engaged as sea ambassadors, responsible of sharing on social media. A separate Youtube series is also being made.

Here you can follow the students online, on Facebook, on Instagram, and on TikTok.

One Ocean logoUN logos

The One Ocean Expedition is a circumnavigation by the Norwegian tall ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl. We aim to to share knowledge about the crucial role of the ocean for a sustainable development in a global perspective.

Website by TRY / Netlife