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Research School for Socio-Economic and
Natural Sciences of the Environment
SENSE e-News
    Newsletter February 2018
01 February 2018
Table of contents
Editorial
Safe the dates ! ››
SENSE News
Increase in extremes calls for intensive river monitoring ›› 
Upcoming PhD Graduations
Overview of PhD graduations upcoming period ››
Upcoming Courses
Grasping Sustainability, 12-16 March ››
Aquatic Ecology: Robustness of aquatic ecosystems in the face of global change, 18-23 March ››
A1 SENSE Introductory Course, 28-30 March ››
ECOS (Ecology and Society) Sweden - spring courses ››
Overview of PhD / postdoc courses February - April ››
Overview of recently announced PhD / postdoc courses ››
Discussion Groups
B-Wise: Bioinformatics@Wageningen Seminar Series, 6 February ››
Upcoming Events
SENSE workshop on Transdisciplinarity and the Sustainable Development Goals, 6 April ››
International Conference Water science for impact, 16-18 October ››
Overview of upcoming events ››
Job vacancies
Vacancies at SENSE Partners ››
Other vacancies in the SENSE field ››
SENSE headlines
Grasping Sustainability, 12-16 March
Aquatic Ecology: Robustness of aquatic ecosystems in the face of global change, 18-23 March
A1 SENSE Introductory Course, 28-30 March
SENSE workshop on Transdisciplinarity and the Sustainable Development Goals, 6 April
International Conference Water science for impact, 16-18 October
Editorial
Save the dates !
Have you noticed that the birds around us have already become a little more active lately? The same is perhaps true for SENSE and its PhD candidates. Although the temperatures may not be confirming it as yet, we can all count on it: Spring is approaching!

It is a pleasure to inform you about two upcoming SENSE meetings in the month of April. ‘Save the dates’: Friday 6 April in Utrecht and Friday 20 April in The Hague.

On Friday 6 April (Utrecht), a SENSE Workshop on ‘Transdisciplinarity and Sustainable Development Goals’ has been organized by members of the SENSE Research Committee: Ken Irvine (IHE, Delft) and Marcela Brugnach (ITC, Twente). Keynote speakers will be: Heather Leslie (Dept. of Environment and Health, VU) and Simon Bush (INREF programmes, WUR). For full details and registration, see below!

On Friday 20 April (The Hague), another special SENSE meeting will take place – fully organized by SENSE PhD candidates in excellent cooperation with young researchers of the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL, see: http://www.pbl.nl/en). PBL is the national institute for strategic policy analysis in the fields of the environment, nature and spatial planning and is also (associated) partner in SENSE. This exchange between Young PBL researchers and SENSE PhD candidates can indeed be highly attractive and beneficial to both groups. Besides this, the chosen theme for this first PBL/SENSE meeting is challenging for all of us: ‘Infographics and Data Quality in Sustainability Science’. More details and update about this latter meeting will follow soon!

 Thus, we are looking forward to an exciting Spring season for SENSE: we hope to see you at one (or perhaps even both) of these meetings – let’s make SENSE together!

Ad van Dommelen
SENSE News
Increase in extremes calls for intensive river monitoring
Climate change and changes in land use mean that the past can tell us very little about future extreme discharges of rivers. A clever combined approach of monitoring and management of delta areas improves safety, keeps shipping channels navigable, provides a supply of freshwater and strengthens biodiversity. This according to Prof. Ton Hoitink who was appointed to a personal professorship at Wageningen University & Research on 25 January.
Read more  ››
Upcoming PhD Graduations
Overview of PhD graduations upcoming period
  • Beatriz Ramírez Correal
    Hydro-meteorological functioning of tropical montane cloud forests in the Orinoco River basin
    30 January 2018, Wageningen University, Earth System Science
     
  • Julia Planko
    Strategic collaboration in innovation ecosystems - a case study of collective system building in the Dutch smart grid sector
    2 February 2018, Utrecht University, Innovation Studies - Innovation Dynamics of Emerging Technologies
      
  • Arnoud de Wilt
    Pharmaceutical Removal: Synergy between Biological and Chemical Processes for Wastewater Treatment
    2 February 2018, Wageningen University, Environmental Technology
     
  • Lucie Vermeulen
    Cryptosporidium in rivers of the world the GloWPa-Crypto model
    16 February 2018, Wageningen University, Environmental Systems Analysis
     
More upcoming graduations ››
Upcoming Courses
Grasping Sustainability, 12-16 March
To date, many different scientific concepts and approaches of sustainability exist. What are the differences and what do they entail? What is your role as a scientist in achieving sustainable develop-ment? How can you apply sustainability in your own research? And in doing so, how can you deal with facts, uncertainty, values and opinions?

This on-site course will enable you to think about the ‘bigger picture’, grasp sustainability and to apply concepts and approaches to your own research, in a collaborative learning environment, away from ‘office’.

To ensure that the content of the course is aligned to your own research, the content of the course will also be determined by the research topics of the participants.
Read more and register  ››
Aquatic Ecology: Robustness of aquatic ecosystems in the face of global change, 18-23 March
Aquatic ecosystems play a crucial role in human health and well-being as a source of drinking water and food, recreation, and tourism. Aquatic ecosystems, however, are under severe anthropogenic pressure such as eutrophication, inorganic pollution, acidification, invasive species, extraction of upstream water, and climate change.
In this 5-day course we will provide a multifaceted overview of the science on aquatic ecosystems in the Anthropocene and the means by which its robustness can be restored or even improved.
Read more and register  ››
A1 SENSE Introductory Course, 28-30 March
What is my work good for? Even the most nerdish PhD student asks himself or herself this question once in a while. Is it just for the sake of science or does it relate to other research or even to environmental policy? What are my SENSE colleagues working on in other departments and other universities? How does their research relate to mine?

In the SENSE course 'Environmental Research in Context' several perspectives and approaches to analyse and to solve environmental problems are discussed. You will find out how your own research project fits within other (multi-) disciplinary approaches and you will discuss the advantages and the disadvantages of your approach compared to these alternatives.

In addition, you will evaluate some examples where questions from society were translated into scientific research projects in terms of relevance and scientific validity with experienced researchers and other PhD students.
Read more and register  ››
ECOS (Ecology and Society) Sweden - spring courses
Recently SENSE started a collaboration with the research school Ecology and Society (ECOS), which is part of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. This implies that SENSE PhD candidates are invited to participate in ECOS courses.
 
ECOS PhD courses in spring 2018:
  • Conservation conflicts and stakeholders (1.5 ECTS), 5-9 March 2018
  • Communication for effective management of social-ecological systems (1.5 ECTS), 19-23 February 2018 
If you are interested to take part in one of the ECOS courses, then pls contact SENSE Director of Education, dr Ad van Dommelen, by email at: ad.van.dommelen@vu.nl  
Read more ››
Overview of PhD / postdoc courses February - April 2018
Overview of recently announced PhD / postdoc courses
In case you are interested in either participating or teaching a course that is currently not in the programme, please do not hesitate and contact us with your suggestions.
More upcoming courses ››
Discussion Groups
B-Wise: Bioinformatics@Wageningen Seminar Series, 6 February
In Wageningen, a large number of researchers routinely apply state-of-the-art bioinformatics tools or develop novel algorithms to analyze their data. Through B-Wise, the Bioinformatics@Wageningen Seminar Series, we aim to bring people together on a regular basis to exchange ideas, discuss problems, present our research and learn from each other.
Read more ››
Upcoming Events
SENSE workshop on Transdisciplinarity and the Sustainable Development Goals, 6 April
The global challenges for shaping a future adapted to current, foreseen and unforeseen environmental pressures are acute.
Increased land degradation, urbanisation, shifts in climatic patterns and social inequality, are issues that call for sustainable solutions.

Within the context of a graduate school it is challenging to provide a setting in which post-graduates, focussed on a single PhD topic, can develop these broad, transdisciplinary competencies. This workshop will, therefore, explore how to complement discipline-specific skills with a transdisciplinary approach needed for more sustainable air, land and water management.

Together with the participants we want to reflect on the importance, pros and cons, of knowledge co-production and transdisciplinary. This involves exchanging good experiences with 1) trans-disciplinary approaches in research, and 2) the development of these transdisciplinary skills of PhD candidates.
Read more ››
International Conference Water science for impact, 16-18 October
Water Science for Impact will focus on water quality and quantity in the broadest sense. The conference brings together leaders in science, policy, and the public and private sectors to examine water science from a multidisciplinary perspective. Water science is crucial to expanding our understanding of water quality and quantity related issues that humankind encounters. Such understanding is key towards identifying critical water-related challenges, developing novel solutions and implementing steps that contribute to achieving the sustainable development goals. We welcome contributions from both the natural and social sciences, as well as from stakeholders and decision makers and from private and public sectors.
Read more ››
Overview of upcoming events
Recently announced:
Full list of interesting upcoming events:
See SENSE website ››
Job vacancies
Vacancies at SENSE Partners
Other vacancies in the SENSE field
More vacancies
During the month new vacancies are regularly posted on the SENSE vacancy page.

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