Please note! This event will be held in Norwegian only.
The only thing that can be read from the large gift tag is that it is a present for “better mental health” and that it must not be opened before Monday 15 December at 11:00.
UiA is therefore inviting the press and anyone else interested to witness the opening of the large gift at 11:30.
Because of the size of the present, UiA has asked for special assistance from SIA’s Hokus Pokus kindergarten to carry out the actual opening. They are sending some of their best Christmas-present openers to help, naturally in exchange for payment (in gingerbread biscuits and squash).
Background
The identity of the person behind the gift is still unknown. However, a great deal is happening within mental health at the university, which may be the background for it.
- In 2026, UiA will welcome its first psychology students, following several years of campaigning by the entire region for approval of the programme and funding for operations through the national budget. There are, however, establishment costs of several tens of millions of kroner. The programme lasts six years, and from 2032, more than 30 newly qualified psychologists will graduate in Agder each year.
- UiA also conducts basic research in neuroscience, a research environment established with the help of a Sørlandet joint funding initiative in 2021. The researchers work with awake and content mice, which are given different scents to smell. While this happens, their brain signals are recorded. This allows the researchers to see how the senses and memories influence each other, which is highly relevant for several serious mental health diagnoses such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We know that the researchers have had both better equipment and more staff on their wish list.
In connection with the gift opening, there will therefore be a rare opportunity for the press to enter UiA’s neuroscience laboratory.
Researchers will be available in the lab to demonstrate and explain how the research is conducted.
Some rules for journalists entering the mouse laboratory:
- Must give notice in advance to oivind.eskedal@uia.no, preferably by Friday 12 December at 14:00
- Must not wear perfume, have smoked shortly beforehand, or bring other strong scents in, as this could affect the research results
- Must not have had close contact with rodents or rabbits in recent days, to prevent cross-species transmission
- NB! Limited spaces available
Programme 15 December:
- 11:20 – Meet in the main hall at UiA’s Kristiansand Campus (inside the main entrance), Universitetsveien 25A
- 11:30 – Gift opening by the Hokus Pokus kindergarten and short speeches
- 11:40 – Gingerbread biscuits and squash, plus the opportunity for interviews with key UiA representatives and the secret Santa
- 12:00–13:00 – Tour of the neuroscience laboratory for the press (registration required!)
Contact:
- oivind.eskedal@uia.no
- Phone
- +47 38 14 18 62