Connor Dennhardt

My name is Connor Dennhardt, and I spent a lengthy semester abroad at the University Centre in Svalbard. Growing up in Canada, cold winters and talk of climate change were pervasive, culminating in my interest in studying biology within the finite environment that is the arctic.

Out of all the universities I could choose from, I selected Svalbard because I thought it would be the most unique experience of all, and these expectations were not disappointed.

My first days there were filled with the midnight sun, a stunning lack of trees, and a staggering amount of wind. Eventually the courses began and it became clear why UNIS was such a unique location, after every lecture we were able to go and do fieldwork that solidified the knowledge we just attained.

No matter where you were you would be surrounded by like-minded individuals who were pursuing incredibly interesting topics of their own, it was a dream for any science-lover who ventured that far north!

Every lecture was fascinating and made more so by the occasional guest lecturers that would come in from far and wide to explain their research and interests in the arctic.

After these classes, the entire student body would return to their dorms together, where we would then spend our evenings talking, studying (occasionally), partying, and becoming deep friends in a remarkably fast time.

In the end, my Terrestrial Arctic Biology and Polar Ecology courses finished up, and so came the polar night. My last days there, as though mirroring my first, were filled with darkness scattered by the northern lights; deep talks with friends I wouldn’t see for several years, and reminiscing on the greatest memories I’ve ever made.

Thank you for that opportunity, I will forever be grateful.

Connor's exchange at UNIS on Svalbard Foto: Connor Dennhardt