4-Oceans workshop in NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
Authors: Sophia Chapple and Bernard Allaire
This past week, members from all four 4-Oceans teams met for their biannual workshop, and this time it was hosted by PI James Barrett at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) Vitenskapsmuseet in Trondheim, Norway.
As this was the first time in Trondheim for many team members, the day of arrival consisted of some much-appreciated exploring of the local historical sites.
The Saturday of arrival also held the Rugby Quarter Finals between Ireland and New Zealand. Since two 4-Oceans teams hail from Trinity College Dublin, there was a keen interest in seeking out a public showing of the match. Some team members watched the match, and while Ireland unfortunately lost, it was a nice way to get settled into Trondheim with some of the locals!
The workshop spanned two full days, and ended with a group dinner kindly arranged by James Barrett and the team at NTNU. Sunday consisted of introductions from new members, presentations from all four teams on project progress, and concluded with a group exercise to brainstorm case studies and how to best synergize our efforts further. Monday also began with presentations, and ended with breakout sessions discussing the key research questions and different types of sources that are being utilised interdisciplinarily.
The last day of the workshop concluded with a dinner in Café Dublin, a local pub in Trondheim, where members of the team had a nice time socializing, synergizing, and wrapping up a hard day’s work!
The final day in Trondheim was an excursion organized by James Barrett and the team at NTNU. The 4-Oceans teams took a short ferry across the Trondheim Fjord to Museet Kystens Arv, where an apprentice told us about the process of building a traditional clinker boat. We were also given a guided tour of Museet Kystens Arv, and were encouraged to wander the shipyard, exhibits, and grounds.
Lastly, we visited Reins Kloster, a thirteenth-century women’s religious house, which has been in the same family for about three centuries. We were kindly welcomed by the current owner into his home, and he even gave a few team members an exclusive tour of some of the original house, which now serves as a basement and wine cellar. The team was constantly met by marvellous rainbows along the entirety of the excursion!
A huge thank you to James Barrett and the team at NTNU is for the smooth running and incredible accommodations for this month’s 4-Oceans workshop!