The organisation Unge Forskere (“Young Researchers”) run an annual competition throughout Norway, inviting applicants attending upper secondary school to submit their research projects. The IB Extended Essay format lends itself appropriately to research at this level. Of 153 projects submitted by upper secondary students nation-wide, 24 were selected as finalists, including five RCN students:

• Liva (Latvia) – The distribution and abundance of four coastal lichen species on an island Svanøy (Sogn og Fjordane, Norway)
• Kieren (Malaysia) – – Will nudges be effective in helping students make rational decisions when it comes to consumption habits?
• Musonda (Zambia) – A study of the natural resource curse and the Dutch disease on the city of Chingola (microscale) and Zambia (macroscale).
• Ossian (Finland) ) – Special economic zones as a development tool for economically Less-Developed Countries – learning from experience
• Sona (Armenia) – Assessing the existing tobacco problem in Armenia and analyzing the effectiveness of the current and potential policies of reducing tobacco consumption in the country.

These students are invited to Oslo to meet with the other finalists, the panel of judges and professional researchers, before receiving their prize and attending a celebratory meal.

Every term we have a special day with no normal classes, where we focus on one of our pillars: Nordic, Humanitarian and Environmental. On Friday 15th March it was time for the Nordic Global Concern, an event by the students for the students. The workshop themes ranged from youth culture to migration and use of energy in the Nordic region. The event crowned a long process of preparation for the students responsible for the day.

Special thanks to our guest speakers: Geir Kjell Andersland, Pål Nesse (the Norwegian Refugee Council) and Genet Ashebir for shedding light on humanitarian issues in the Nordic region, in a way that has relevance to all.