Orkney to host international island studies event

Orkney will stage an international gathering of academics and students in June.

Around 50 representatives of island-based universities are due to take part in a two-day conference in June, hosted by the Centre for Nordic Studies at Orkney College UHI. A further 50 students from the universities – from communities as far apart as French Polynesia, Cuba and Japan – will also travel to the county for a three-day summer school.

The UHI is one of 25 universities in island areas around the world that form RETI, which seeks to encourage cooperation in scientific research, training and innovation, and to foster joint research projects in fields such renewable energy and natural resources, information technology and communication, and sustainable development.

This year’s conference will consider the “impact of cultural heritage on economic development in island destinations”.

Professor Donna Heddle, director of the Centre for Nordic Studies, said: “A range of topics of relevance to island communities will be under discussion – from island-based tourism, to protecting the underwater heritage in the seas around us, to the particular factors that affect education and employment choices in island communities.

“Our own students will be contributing to the conference and taking part in the summer school – a great opportunity to mix and share ideas with their counterparts from islands around the world.”