Norway
NIH
The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences is a specialized university in sport sciences focusing on research and higher education in Norway. The NIH can look back on many years of teaching and research in the field of aquatic activities, predominantly within swimming and lifesaving. On the international project "Can You Swim" to study the actual and perceived swimming competency in the context of drowning prevention NIH was instrumental. The NIH operates its swim school with more than 1500 participants yearly, between 4 years of age to adults.
The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences will be represented by:
Bjørn Olstad
Bjørn Harald Olstad is an associate professor at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences (NIH) with a research focus on swimming and lifesaving performance, drowning prevention and aquatic education. He lectures in swimming, lifesaving, CPR and first aid and is an instructor for certifying swimming instructors and coaches, and for CPR/first aid. He is professionally responsible for the NIH swim school where more than 1000 children in the age of 6-12 participate each year in learn to swim and water safety lessons. For more than 10 years he has held teacher courses for strengthening the knowledge and skills within planning, conducting and evaluating learn to swim and lifesaving education for pupils in elementary and secondary school.
May Grydeland
May Grydeland is an associate professor at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences. She is responsible and involved in several research projects (planning, performing and disseminating research), supervision of Master and PhD-students, lecturing at different courses at undergraduate level, development of courses and curricula, production and communication of swimming research and learn-to-swim promoting acts at national and local community level. She was appointed as an expert member in a government set task force to promote and improve teaching of swimming in the Norwegian school system.
Ingeborg Ljødal
Ingeborg Ljødal is a PhD candidate at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences (NIH) and The University of Rouen, Normandie (URN) working in the field of talent identification and development of swimmers. Alongside the PhD she teaches swimming, CPR, first aid, and lifesaving with bachelor- and master students, and physical education teachers. She has a background in sport psychology and the motivation of young swimmers, and their motivational climate created by coaches and parents.
Emilie Simonsen
Emilie Halmrast Simonsen has a bachelor's degree in teaching physical education and sports science and a master's degree in pedagogy from the Norwegian School of Sport science (NIH). She worked at the NIH swimming school for many years and now teaches swimming, CPR, first aid and lifesaving at the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences.
