RHA is one of 7 partners involved in the EU funded Research on the intensity and prevalence of internet addictive behaviour risk among minors in Europe (www.eunetadb.med.uao.gr).  The study will encompass in total 14,000 children in Spain, Greece, Romania, The Netherlands, Poland  and Iceland.  During the spring of 2011 RHA carried out a pilot study assessing internet use, access to the internet, use of computer games, feelings, thoughts and behaviours among 15-16 year old children attending schools in Akureyri and Reykjavík. RHA is now preparing for administrating the survey to 2,000 children in 9th and 10th grades during the autumn of 2011 in schools across the country.

The 20th Nordmedia conference was held at the University of Akureyri 11-13 August. Over 200 participants met at the conference whose title this time was: Media and Communiation studies - Doing the right thing?

This was the fourth time the conference was held in Iceland but the other three times it was held in Reykjavík. RHA and Þetta var í fjórða skipti sem ráðstefnan frór fram á Íslandi en í hin þrjú skiptin hafði hún farið fram í Reykjavík. RHA and Aktravel jointly participated in organizing the conference.

RHAs staff took an actice part in the  IASSA conference on social sciences in the Arctic and the organization of the conference. This was the largest scientific conference that has been organized in Akureyri with just less than 450 participants. RHAs researchers contributed to the conference with several presentations, such as research on socio-economic impacts of megaprojects in East Iceland (Hjalti Jóhannesson og Jón Þorvaldur Heiðarsson), social impacts of climate change (Sigrún Sif Jóelsdóttir) and on the impact of the credit crisis on employees of municipalities (Hjördís Sigursteinsdóttir). The conference was very successful and the newly extended facilities of the University og Akureyri turned out to be a very suitable venue for such a large conference.

The first draft of the Thematic Program for the 6th Open Assembly of The Northern Research Forum, which will be held in Oslo and Kirkenes, Norway in 24th - 27th of October 2010, is now available on the NRF website.

The projects are a part of the Arctic Cooperation Programme 2009-2011. This is the second year RHA gets grants for projects under the Arctic Co- operation Programme 2009-2011.

Recently was published by Nordregio in Stockholm the report Interaction between higher education institutions and their surrounding business environment - Six Nordic case studies. In the report one of the case studies is RES - the School for Renewable Energy Science which is located in Akureyri and has close ties with the University of Akureyri. On behalf of RHA Hjalti Jóhanneson carried out this part of the research in spring of 2009.

RHA-The Research Centre of The University of Akureyri will be closed from July 6th until July 17th (both days included) due to employee´s vacation. Urgent matters that need to be resolved during this period can be sent to the RHA director via email: gudrunth@unak.is

Best regards

RHA staff

The Research Centre of the University of Akureyri (RHA) has formally opened its new and much improved website, www.rha.is. The new website’s design and configuration was carried out by Hjalti S. Hjaltason, project manager at RHA and Kristján Ævarsson, programmer at Stefna.