I am a French Canadian student from Université Laval, involved in Northern engineering studies since 2011. I am working on road construction on permafrost. I am interested in all Northern countries and very curious about all types of road design and Northern infrastructure. I applied for MobilityDK and I am thankful for the opportunity to participate in the program.

I was first in Copenhagen, where my host, Prof. Thomas Ingeman-Nielsen of Technical University of Denmark (DTU), introduced me to the Arktisk Teknologi department. Since M. Ingeman-Nielsen is an expert in Geophysics, especially in surface electrical resistivity survey, he kindly helped me plan fieldwork in Greenland. This introduction to the Danish methodology of engineering works in the North was greatly appreciated.

The next step was to attend the fourth European Conference on Permafrost (EUCOP) that was held in Evora, Portugal. This event allowed me to meet International decision makers involved in permafrost related research. It was also my first international conference which gave me the pulse of the main topics currently studied by my colleagues. I had many opportunities to network with peoples about the great challenge of Northern research.

The third step was a field trip in Greenland, near the ice cap, just aside of Kangerlussuaq. M. Ingeman-Nielsen and his Doctorate student, Ms. Sonia Tomaskovicova, were tremendously helpful for logistics and organisation. I mainly stayed at Kangerlussuaq International Scientific Support center (KISS). I made two weeks of terrain observation and geophysics to enhance my Master thesis, which already started in Yukon, Canada. I have learned a lot about Northern culture and science organisation.

I came back to Copenhagen to meet M. Ingeman-Nielsen again and discuss about results from Greenland. The experience and the comprehension of M. Ingeman-Nielsen also helped me a lot in understanding the Nordic reality with a Danish view.

I really enjoyed my stay, especially in Copenhagen, Denmark. The friendship and social life of the Capital is amazing. It was a great opportunity to live the history and social organization of residents. The culture and the history of Northern Europe are quite new for me, however discovering Denmark was the highlight of my trip. I want to return back in Denmark in a near future for both cooperation with the DTU and for the unique culture of this amazing country.

Benoit Loranger / Field Trip in Greenland, near Kangerlussuaq
Benoit Loranger / Field Trip in Greenland, near Kangerlussuaq

 

Published in 2014.