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Research School for Socio-Economic and
Natural Sciences of the Environment |
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Newsletter December 2018
6 December 2018 |
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Community as opportunity ›› |
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Feeding 10 billion people by 2050 within planetary limits may be achievable ›› |
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What if the sea level should rise with ten metres? ›› |
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Four SENSE professors in Trouw Sustainable 100 ranking 2018 ›› |
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Overview of PhD graduations upcoming period ›› |
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Integrating disciplinary approaches in health sustainable development, resource- and conflict management, 8-29 January 2019 ›› |
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Introduction to R for statistical analysis, 20-21 February 2019 ›› |
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Grasping Sustainability, 11-15 March, 2019 ›› |
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Overview of PhD / postdoc courses December 2018-January 2019 ›› |
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Overview of recently announced PhD / postdoc courses ›› |
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Currently no new information on the Discussion Groups |
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Annual Conference of Pathways to Sustainability, 29 January 2019, Utrecht ›› |
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ESP regional conference Africa 2019: "Management of Ecosystem Services for Nature Conservation and Human Wellbeing in Africa", 4-8 February 2019, Togo, Africa ›› |
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European Climate Change Adaptation conference (ECCA) 2019, 28-31 May 2019, Lisbon, Portugal ›› |
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Overview of upcoming events ›› |
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The new version of the Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity ›› |
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| Editorial |
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| Community as opportunity |
What would you consider ‘more fun’ and a ‘more interesting’ learning experience to do: ‘benefiting from’ a network, or ‘contributing to’ a network (this ‘network’ could be your friends, your neighbours, your family, your fellow bird-watchers, etc – and it could also be SENSE)? In fact this general question could be a nice one to consider at some point during your end-of-year holidays.
My general impression is that people usually enjoy it ‘even’ more to be able to contribute in some way to a like-minded group of people, than to take benefit from being part of such a group. If this makes sense at all... then it could imply that the SENSE community may be (even) more relevant to you as a PhD candidate as a potential ‘target’ of your contributions – than the SENSE community can be as a source of taking potential benefits. I am sure that this can also be looked at in quite another way... but that does not necessarily undermine such a line of thought.
For example, what motivates the members of the SENSE PhD Council in their efforts to contribute to the SENSE community? My guess is that they consider it a potentially pleasant thing to do, whilst at the same time experiencing what type of contributions make more sense to bring to a community of researchers.
Obviously, this can take many forms. Such as the recent initiative by SPC member Viola Bennink to organize a newly designed edition of the SENSE forest walk in the new year. Will this be a fun experience to take part in (benefit from)? I am quite sure it will, especially considering previous occasions of similar events. And will it be a gratifying experience for the organizers of this event as contributors to the SENSE community? I believe it will be: being at the source of a network initiative usually brings along a special feeling of being a person who... contributes.
So, please look out for the details on this special SENSE joint walking initiative in the new year. Perhaps we will conclude on its basis that it would be good to have more ‘walkshops’ so as to make our ‘workshops’ even more inspiring?
Enjoy the upcoming ‘Community Season’, and please remember to see the ‘opportunity of community’ and give sufficient room to the contributor that you are – it will be fun, guaranteed.
Let’s make SENSE together!
Ad van Dommelen |
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| SENSE News |
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| Feeding 10 billion people by 2050 within planetary limits may be achievable |
| If we all start eating more healthy and plant-based foods, halve our food loss, recycle more waste and improve our agricultural practices, then by around 2050 we can feed around 10 billion people sustainably. "But it has to be a combination, because with just one of these measures we will not make it without exceeding environmental boundaries," says SENSE professor Wim de Vries of Wageningen University. |
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| What if the sea level should rise with ten metres? |
"The sea level kept rising. With higher dikes and big pumps the situation had been mastered for long. But with a 10-meter rise this was no longer possible."
SENSE professor Jeroen Aerts (VU) and SENSE alumnus Marjolijn Haasnoot (Deltares) contributed to an article with a "what if" scenario about this topic in NRC Handelsblad of 11 October 2018. (in Dutch) |
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| Four SENSE professors in Trouw Sustainable 100 ranking 2018 |
| Four SENSE scientists are on Trouw’s 2018 annual list of the 100 most influential Dutch people in the area of sustainability. |
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| Upcoming PhD Graduations |
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| Overview of PhD graduations upcoming period |
- Yin Ye
Micro pollutant degradation in water by photochemical processes
7 December 2018, Wageningen University, Environmental Technology
- Tapos Acharjee
Changes in water requirements of dry season rice under climate change. Quantifying recent & future changes and developing adaptation strategies in Northwest Bangladesh
11 December 2018, Wageningen University, Water Systems and Global Change
- Geert Litjens
Here comes the sun: Improving local use of energy generated by rooftop photovoltaic systems
14 December 2018, Utrecht University, Energy and Resources
- Belinda McFadgen
Opening the black box of policy experimentation: How the governance of policy experiments affects learning outcomes for climate adaptation
17 December 2018, VU University Amsterdam, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM), Spatial Analysis and Decision Support
- Peter Rudberg
Can we solve it in the workshop? Learning in river restoration and climate policy implementation
18 December 2018, Wageningen University, Environmental Policy
- Jelle Peter Hilbers
Modelling population viability of birds and mammals
21 December 2018, Radboud University Nijmegen, Environmental Science
- Jan Hessels Miedema
Biomass or batteries: the role of three technological innovations in the energy transition
14 January 2019, University of Groningen, Energy and Environmental Studies - Energy and Sustainability Research
- Nicola Strepis
Bioprospecting of Trichococcus species
16 January 2019, Wageningen University, Microbiology
- Nick Zwart
Miniaturization of in vitro bioassays for high throughput Effect-Directed Analysis
18 January 2019, VU University Amsterdam, Environment and Health
- K.F. Tieskens
Cultural Value of European Landscapes: A quantitative approach
21 January 2019, VU University Amsterdam, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM)
- S.S.K. Scholte
The value of nature through an ecosystem service lens: Exploring public perceptions
23 January 2019, VU University Amsterdam, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM)
- Leonardo Vargas Barbosa
Using remote sensing and ecosystem accounting to assess changes in ecosystems, with an illustration for the Orinoco river basin
23 January 2019, Wageningen University, Environmental Systems Analysis
- Bingzen Du
Effect of land-use change on grassland ecosystem services in Inner Mongolia and their implications for livelihoods and sustainable management
30 January 2019, Wageningen University, Environmental Systems Analysis
- Martijn Diender
Exploration of microbial systems as biocatalysts for conversion of synthesis gas to bio-based chemicals
8 February 2019, Wageningen University, Microbiology
- Urania Michaelidou
Electrochemically Active Bacteria in Microbial Fuel Cells
13 February 2019, Wageningen University, Microbiology
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| Upcoming Courses |
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| Integrating disciplinary approaches in health sustainable development, resource- and conflict management, 8-29 January 2019 |
| Understanding causes and impacts of global challenges such as, for example, the spread of infectious diseases, antibiotic resistance, obesity or malnutrition, requires synergetic and multiple scientific approaches. Learning to reflect on a PhD research project from an integral perspective is crucial for becoming able to identify and exploit synergies between complementary disciplines, their theories, methods and working styles. |
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| Introduction to R for statistical analysis, 20-21 February 2019 |
| The aim of this course is to provide an introduction to R, a language and environment for statistical computing and graphics. Focus of the course will be on getting familiar with the R environment, to use R for manipulation and exploration of data, and to perform simple statistical analyses. Hands-on exercises will form a large part of the workshop. |
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| Grasping Sustainability, 11-15 March, 2019 |
| Explore and understand sustainability, the different concepts, objectives and methodologies to improve the impact of your research. 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? |
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Overview of PhD / postdoc courses December 2018 - January 2019 (a selection)
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- Basic Statistics
10-12, 17&18 December 2018, Wageningen
- CSPS Winter School Natural resources and Conflict: Theorizing governance, resistance and violence (NEW)
10-19 December 2018, Wageningen
- Uncertainty propagation in spatial and environmental modelling
10-14 December 2018, Wageningen
- Design of Experiments
19-21 December 2018, Wageningen
- Global perspectives on adaptive wildlife management
5-20 January 2019, Sweden & South Africa
- Practical Modelling for Marine Biologists
7-25 January 2019, Groningen
- Integrating disciplinary approaches in health sustainable development, resource- and conflict management
8, 15, 22 and 29 January 2019, Wageningen
- Ecotoxicology
14-25 January 2019, Amsterdam & Wageningen
- BCF Grant Application Course
17-18 January 2019, Amsterdam
- Soil Ecology, the Multifunctional Potential of Soils
27-31 January 2019, Lunteren
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Overview of recently announced PhD / postdoc courses (a selection)
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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. |
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| Upcoming Events |
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| Annual Conference of Pathways to Sustainability, 29 January 2019, Utrecht, the Netherlands |
| At the annual conference of 'Pathways to Sustainability' researchers and partners in the working field of sustainability come together. Harvard Professor Sheila Jasanoff challenges in the morning session two main visions to achieve a more sustainable world by introducing a new imaginary of the 'un-modern'. Diederik Samsom uses storytelling to takes the audience on a journey to sustainable futures. And Jeroen Willemsen, founder of the plant-based ‘chicken’ producing company Ojah, argues that we need to restore the worldwide protein balance to ensure food security. |
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| ESP regional conference Africa 2019: "Management of Ecosystem Services for Nature Conservation and Human Wellbeing in Africa", 4-8 February 2019, Togo, Africa |
| This conference is organized to draw attention to the key role ecosystems are playing in the development of the economy, human wellbeing and culture in (Sub-Saharan) Africa. Yet, in spite of all the benefits of ecosystem services, the ecosystems providing them are facing many threats affecting the livelihoods and resilience of local communities. |
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| European Climate Change Adaptation conference (ECCA) 2019, 28-31 May 2019, Lisbon, Portugal |
| The 4th ECCA conference: 'Working together to prepare for change' will focus on six themes, from co-production of knowledge to tackling the global challenges of climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. |
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| Overview of upcoming events |
| Recently announced: |
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| Full list of interesting upcoming events: |
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| The new version of the Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity |
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On 14 September a new version of the Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity was published. Recently many national scientific organisations worked together intensively to thoroughly amend and expand the Code of Conduct that has been in use since 2004. This amendment process, which included a public consultation, was led by a committee chaired by Prof. Keimpe Algra.
The new version of the Netherlands Code of Conduct for Research Integrity enters into force on 1 October 2018. Committee chair Prof. Keimpe Algra says, “Research integrity is essential if research is to be conducted properly. This new Code of Conduct ensures that the Netherlands keeps up with international developments regarding research integrity. I am proud that we have drawn up a Code of Conduct that applies to fundamental, applied, and practice-oriented research. This new Code of Conduct describes clear standards that researchers in many research organizations can apply to their daily practices”.
Compared with the previous version, a number of striking elements of the new Code of Conduct are as follows:
- The new Code of Conduct is written in such a way that it can apply to both public and public-private scientific and scholarly research in the Netherlands.
- The Code of Conduct specifically allows for collaboration and multidisciplinary approaches, as it takes into account the differences between different institutions. The Code of Conduct defines five principles of research integrity and 61 standards for good research practices and duties of care for the institutions.
- The institutions’ duties of care are new additions to this Code of Conduct. With these, the research organizations show that they are responsible for providing a working environment that promotes and safeguards good research practices.
- Moreover, the new Code of Conduct for Research Integrity distinguishes between research misconduct, questionable research practices, and minor shortcomings.
- The final chapter describes how an institution must address potential research misconduct.
- On the one hand, the Code of Conduct grants institutions adequate scope to deliver a balanced verdict regarding potential research misconduct, while on the other hand it explicitly states the criteria that play a role in such a scenario.
The final point clearly shows how the Code of Conduct should be viewed: as a helping hand that researchers and institutions can and will apply themselves. Committee member Prof. Lex Bouter says, “This Code of Conduct is a way for participating organizations to demonstrate that integrity is an essential part of their research practice. We want researchers to be able to work in an open environment in which they feel responsible and accountable. Science and scholarship can only develop further if people can share concerns about dilemmas and discuss errors made. This Code of Conduct is our contribution to that thought.” |
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