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Research School for Socio-Economic and
Natural Sciences of the Environment
SENSE e-News
    Newsletter October
29 September 2016
Table of contents
Editorial
SENSE News
Rik Leemans in "De Kennis van Nu": How can you predict the consequences of climate change? ››
Call to participate in the new SENSE network on the transition to a circular economy ››
Upcoming PhD Graduations
Overview of PhD graduations upcoming period ››
Upcoming Courses
SENSE Writing Week, 31 October - 4 November 2016 ››
Grasping Sustainability, 13-17 March 2017 ››
Overview of PhD / postdoc courses October-December ››
Overview of recently announced PhD / postdoc courses ››
Discussion Groups
Research seminar Earth System Governance, 13 October ››
R Users Discussion Group Meeting, 19 October ››
Plant-Soil Interaction Discussion group, 21 October ››
Upcoming Events
Farewell symposium professor Grietje Zeeman (WIMEK-WU): Recovery and Reuse of Resources from source separated domestic wastewater, 7 October ››
NonSENSE Forest Walk - Autumn Edition, 16 October ››
Symposium on Learning and Innovations in Resilient Systems, 23-24 March 2017 ››
Overview of upcoming events ››
Tips
Make a difference, join PostdocNL ››
Job vacancies
Vacancies at SENSE Partners ››
Other vacancies in the SENSE field ››
SENSE headlines
Call to participate in the new SENSE network on the transition to a circular economy
SENSE Writing Week, 31 October - 4 November 2016
Grasping Sustainability course, 13-17 March 2017
NonSENSE Forest Walk - Autumn Edition, 16 October 2016
Symposium on Learning and Innovations in Resilient Systems, 23-24 March 2017
Editorial
SENSE is an organisation for PhD candidates, and also by PhD candidates. Three activities with active organisational involvement of SENSE PhD candidates are ongoing:

SPC Survey 2016
The SENSE PhD Council (SPC) conducted an online survey in summer 2016 to increase the understanding of PhD’s preferences and potential barriers regarding SPC and SENSE activities. We want to thank all 282 PhD students who took the time to fill in this survey and to share their ideas with us. This constitutes valuable information and we will use it to make recommendations to the Board of SENSE and to better organize ourselves as council. We drafted a report with main recommendations and suggestions for improvement and the SENSE Board has promised to discuss the report and suggest constructive measures on its basis as soon as possible in Fall of this year. We will share the results of the survey and the detailed response from the SENSE Board ASAP with you in the SENSE newsletter.
The SENSE PhD Council (SPC)

NonSENSE Forest Walk - Autumn Edition
On 16 October the second Non-sense forest walk will take place. Meet your colleagues in a relaxing atmosphere and enjoy one of the most beautiful parts of Dutch nature.

SENSE Writing Week
Another edition of the SENSE Writing Week will take place from 31 October - 4 November. This time on the beautiful Dutch island Terschelling, famous for its nature and endless sandy beaches.

We want to thank the PhD candidates who make all this possible!
SENSE News
Rik Leemans in "De Kennis van Nu": How can you predict the consequences of climate change?
Rik Leemans told in "De Kennis van Nu" about how scientists can know which events are caused by climate change, and how a climate scientist can explore what will happen in the future when predicting the weather four days ahead is already a challenge.

"De Kennis van Nu" is the science programme of the Dutch broadcasting company NTR.
Listen to the interview with Rik Leemans (in Dutch) ››
Call to participate in the new SENSE network on the transition to a circular economy
The government of the Netherlands initiates a transition towards the circular economy. This offers a very interesting opportunity for the SENSE network to take part in this transition. Our graduate school organisation is well positioned in inter- and transdisciplinary research approaches and very well suited to assist this national process on achieving sustainability in the key resources of our societies economy.

Huub Rijnaarts, chairman of the SENSE Board is preparing a SENSE network meeting together with Joke van Wensem of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment on how SENSE researchers, Companies and Governments can join forces to assist this process. If you are interested to take active role in this please send an email to johan.feenstra@wur.nl. Those registered will be approached for a network meeting 2nd half of November - 1st half of December to discuss possible future initiatives with SENSE participation.
Kabinet: Nationaal grondstoffenakkoord voor recyle-economie in 2050 ››
Upcoming PhD Graduations
Overview of PhD graduations upcoming period
  • Micah Mukungu Mukolwe
    Flood Hazard Mapping: Uncertainty and its Value in the Decision-making Process
    4 October 2016, UNESCO-IHE, Hydroinformatics
     
  • Jacqueline Augusiak
    Improving communication and validation of ecological models. A case study on the dispersal of aquatic macroinvertebrates
    6 October 2016, Wageningen University, Aquatic Ecology and Water Quality Management
     
  • Abebe Mohammed Ali
    Quantitative remote sensing of forest leaf functional traits: leaf dry matter content and specific leaf area
    6 October 2016, University of Twente, Department of Natural Resources
     
  • Boris van Zanten
    Quantifying landscape aesthetics across spatial scales
    7 October 2016, VU University Amsterdam, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Spatial Analysis and Decision Support
     
  • Bruna Figueiredo Oliveira
    Lift up of Lowlands: Beneficial use of dredged sediments to reverse land subsidence
    11 October 2016, Wageningen University, Environmental Technology
     
  • Jeremiah Kipkulei Kiptala
    Managing Basin Interdependencies in a Heterogeneous, Highly Utilized and Data Scarce River Basin in Semi-Arid Africa: The Case of the Pangani River Basin, Eastern Africa
    13 October 2016, UNESCO-IHE, Water Management
        
More upcoming graduations ››
Upcoming Courses
SENSE Writing Week, 31 October - 4 November 2016
During this week you can fully concentrate on writing an article without the distraction of every day practice. The writing week will take place in a comfortable environment where you can spend the night. The presence of other PhD students will provide motivation, support and social contacts. Additionally, an English writing coach will guide us through the writing process with tips&tricks, feedback sessions and individual advice. Each participant will receive information on how to prepare.
Read more and register ››
Grasping Sustainability, 13-17 March 2017
Explore, understand and utilise sustainability, the different concepts, objectives, indicators and methodologies.
To date, many different scientific concepts and approaches of environmental sustainability exist. What are the differences? What do they entail? How can you achieve sustainable development? How can you apply sustainability in your own research? Moreover, what is your role as a scientist and how can you deal with facts, insecurities, values and opinions?
This course will enable you to grasp sustainability and to apply concepts and approaches to your own research.
Read more and register ››
Overview of PhD / postdoc courses October-December
Overview of recently announced PhD / postdoc courses
More upcoming courses ››
Discussion Groups
Research seminar Earth System Governance, 13 October
The Amsterdam Laboratory on Earth System Governance is a research seminar, hosted by the IVM section Environmental Policy Analysis, on new research in the area of environmental and earth-system governance. In weekly meetings, held each Thursday 12-13 hrs, participants will be given the opportunity to present and discuss their work, and receive valuable feedback. The research seminar will provide a regular opportunity to exchange views on new research directions, concepts, themes and methods in earth system governance research.
Read more ››
R Users Discussion Group Meeting, 19 October
The R Users Meeting is a monthly meeting for people working with R. PhD and MSc students, as well as staff members, both beginners as well as advanced R users are welcome. The meeting offers an opportunity to help each other with specific questions and exchange ideas. In each meeting a specific topic is discussed by demonstrating and discussing examples of R functions and example data. The second part of each meeting is reserved for short questions on R codes and offers opportunity to get advice on your R code and how to fix or improve it.
Read more ››
Plant-Soil Interaction Discussion group, 21 October
The Plant and Soil Interactions discussion group offers a platform to discuss the current and cutting edge research in plant and soil science. Meetings are aimed at facilitating networking and collaboration between young scientists researching many aspects of how soil and plants interact. Topics of the meetings are related to plant and soil research and are chosen according to the current interests of the group, e.g. topics involving nutrient and carbon cycling, plant interactions with soil biota or connections between the above and belowground communities.
  • 21 October 2016: PSI special in Amsterdam with Vincent Merckx from Naturalis (Leiden). Vincent Merckx will enlighten us on the symbioses of plants with mycorrhizal fungi. His talk will be combined with a visit to Micropia, a museum on the World of Microbes.
Read more ››
Upcoming Events
Farewell symposium professor Grietje Zeeman (WIMEK-WU): Recovery and Reuse of Resources from source separated domestic wastewater, 7 October
Besides sharing the inspiring experiences of our speakers there is the possibility to present your own research through a poster. If you want to present a poster please let us know as soon as possible so that we can reserve a poster board for you. Additionally, please send us an abstract of the research that you want to present on the poster. Due to space restrictions the maximum number of posters is 36 (first come, first served).
Read more ››
NonSENSE Forest Walk - Autumn Edition, 16 October 2016

The second Non-sense forest walk will take place on the Sunday October 16th. The plan is to meet at 10:00 at the Dieren train station. From there we will do a 14 km walk through the Natural Park Veluwezoom, a nature area with hills (yes, in the Netherlands!), heather, forest and the previously hunting grounds of the Prince of Orange. Depending on speed, relaxedness and eating breaks, we should arrive to the station Velp between 16:00 and 18:00.

Read more ››
Symposium on Learning and Innovations in Resilient Systems, 23-24 March 2017
Resilient systems address pressing societal and environmental challenges. Resilience has been widely adopted in policy, practice and research on (i) information and computer systems, (ii) organizational and management systems, and (iii) environmental systems. However  there is little consensus regarding what resilience is and what it means to society. And perhaps most importantly, what societies require to learn from the past and to innovate supporting resilient systems in the future. The symposium on Learning and Innovation in Resilient Systems, is a large international conference that offers an unique opportunity to discuss innovation and learning processes in resilient systems.

Call for abstracts: Interested participants/authors are encouraged to submit 250 word abstracts by 15th October 2016 as a first step towards full paper development.
Read more ››
Overview of upcoming events
Recently announced:
Full list of interesting upcoming events:
See SENSE website ››
Tips
Make a difference, join PostdocNL
PostdocNL was initiated end of 2015 and the board already contains 15 members representing 11 knowledge institutes around the country. Within the four committees legal, local networks, policy and public relations, they focus on several issues like more support for career development within and outside academia, short-term contract issues and having a voice at a local and national level.

PostdocNL is looking for new enthusiastic board members who want to make a difference. Since PostdocNL aims to represent all Dutch knowledge institutions, postdocs from Wageningen, Eindhoven, Tilburg and Enschede are extra welcome! If you are interested, please send an email to info@postdocnl.com. Are you interested in joining PostdocNL, join their LinkedIn group and follow them on Twitter (@PostdocNL) .
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 and in the SENSE LinkedIn group.

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SENSE Research School for Socio-Economic and Natural Sciences of the Environment.

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