"It is impressive to see what you are achieving in academic esports and that you are the best in the country in this field," says Oddmund Hoel after touring the esports lab at UiA.
He had the chance to try a racing game under expert student guidance, but he also gained insight into how academic esports is much more than just gaming. Hoel met PhD Research Fellow Elisabeth Cederberg Øvensen, whose research focuses on preventing social exclusion through a greater understanding of game-based experiences.
Earlier in the day, Hoel met UiA Professor Ole-Christoffer Granmo to learn about his work developing a free, green, and democratic artificial intelligence.
"It was impressive to hear that this new artificial intelligence uses up to 10,000 times less energy than conventional AI," Hoel says.
At Campus Grimstad, Hoel got a peek into the holy of holies: the server room with supercomputers that provide UiA with a computing power of 208 petaflops. This means billions of calculations per second, making it the most powerful computer facility in Norway.
Flexible engineering education
In autumn 2025, UiA will launch a new flexible construction engineering programme. Through digital teaching, students across the country can become construction engineers. Professor Rein Terje Thorstensen and Head of Department Paul Ragnar Svennevig
Svennevig took Minister Hoel into the construction lab, showcased research projects, and talked about collaborations with Lister kompetanse and Dalane utdanningssenter related to this new programme.
Hoel learnt about UiA's collaboration with Fagskolen (Agder Polytechnic College) and how students at such colleges can reduce their total study time by one year by qualifying for the engineering programme while attending Fagskolen.
"It's great to see that you are closely connected to the labour market and in close collaboration with Fagskolen. It was also fascinating to see your research on concrete that lowers CO2 emissions in the construction industry," Hoel says.