Visiting students from Iceland sample USM’s science offerings

From the University of Southern Maine’s Husky News Briefs, dated March 18, 2025.

Cod liver oil might just be the glue in a partnership between the University of Southern Maine and a college in Iceland.

That partnership was renewed when five students from Reykjavik University (RU) visited the Portland campus on March 18. The students were teammates in a competition to create the best marketing strategy for a brand of cod liver oil. The prize for winning was a trip to the United States, with stops in Boston and Maine.

The campus tour focused heavily on science in deference to the RU students’ academic specialty of applied engineering. Their guides led them through the Composites Engineering Research Laboratory (CERL), the Quality Control Collaboratory (QC2), and the primary Maker Innovation Studio (MIST) location, as well as MIST’s satellite lab for virtual reality.

Five students from Reykjavik University won a trip to Maine in a competition about marketing cod liver oil.
Five students from Reykjavik University won a trip to Maine in a competition about marketing cod liver oil.
An RU student explores a virtual shoe store at the MIST VR Lab.
An RU student explores a virtual shoe store at the MIST VR Lab.

A detour into the Osher Map Library and Smith Center for Cartographic Education offered a change of pace. The tour group enjoyed a private viewing of the gallery. The exhibition showcased the favorite maps of faculty and staff. Of particular interest to the students was a 1585 map of their home country.

The tour ended at Glickman Library for lunch with mealtime entertainment provided by the students themselves. They delivered the presentation about cod liver oil that won them their visit to campus. The audience included President Jacqueline Edmondson, along with members of the Tourism and Hospitality program, and the World Affairs Council of Maine.

The partnership with RU includes reciprocal visits, which are organized by Tourism and Hospitality to allow USM students to compare industry practices in both countries.