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Research School for Socio-Economic and
Natural Sciences of the Environment |
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Newsletter May 2019
15 May 2019 |
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Communication with society: what language should we use? ›› |
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Large-scale degradation of Caribbean coral reefs in the last 40 years ›› |
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‘Investment risk is holding back energy transition’ ›› |
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Overview of PhD graduations upcoming period ›› |
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WFA (Wilderness First Aid) Course, 1-2 June ›› |
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Summer School on the Governance of Socio-Ecological Systems, 7-12 July ›› |
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Electron Microscopy course – The Basics: from A to W, 23-27 September ›› |
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Speciation and Bioavailability of Metals, Organics and Nanoparticles, 30 September - 4 October ›› |
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Overview of PhD / postdoc courses May - July 2019 ›› |
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Overview of recently announced PhD / postdoc courses ›› |
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Opening Amsterdam Sustainability Institute, 16 May ›› |
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SENSE conferentie Ons Toekomstige Energielandschap: Hoe zorgen we gezamenlijk voor de zon- en windenergietransitie op land? ›› |
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SENSE symposium Innovative research techniques in Environmental Sciences: Making Sense from Sensors for SENSE, 11 October ›› |
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Overview of upcoming events ›› |
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NWO Talent Scheme Information Meeting (Veni, Vidi, Vici), 20 June ›› |
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Nieuwe vacatures PNN: voorzitter, intern voorzitter, algemeen bestuurslid ›› |
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National Postdoc Prize ›› |
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Professional PhD programme: Promovendi voor de tijdelijke functie van junior beleidsmedewerker NWO ›› |
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Vacancies at SENSE Partners ›› |
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Other vacancies in the SENSE field ›› |
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| Editorial |
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| Communication with society: what language should we use? |
How do you communicate with society? How do you speak the language of policy makers or the general public? That question can, and maybe should, be relevant to any PhD candidate.
It is also relevant for SENSE as an organisation, as the "support of society, environmental stakeholders, and policy makers with independent and scientifically based expert advice" is part of our mission.
 Sometimes it is difficult to find an answer to the question of how to speak the language of society. That is why we offer PhD courses addressing this issue. But sometimes the answer is surprisingly simple.
For the upcoming SENSE conference Ons Toekomstige Energielandschap (Our Future Energy Landscape) on 20 June the answer was unexpectedly simple: by speaking Dutch.
The decision to organise a SENSE conference in Dutch was not an easy one. It means that we exclude a substantial part of our PhD candidates from participation, which is something we rather don't. This time we made an exception. The question of the energy transition is an urgent one, and SENSE wants to make its contribution to the societal discussion that is taking place. And we got clear indications that Dutch was strongly preferred by the societal part of our target group.
We made an interesting programme, including aspects such as multifunctional land use, citizen participation, and the possibility of linking sustainable energy production to existing infrastructure.
Many people already registered, among them many policy makers working at energy companies, municipalities and more. So if you haven't yet registered and master the Dutch language enough to participate, register now!
Marjolijn Dannenburg
SENSE Communication Officer |
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| SENSE News |
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| Large-scale degradation of Caribbean coral reefs in the last 40 years |
 The coral reefs of Curaçao and Bonaire have undergone large-scale ecological degradation since the 1970s. This degradation is mainly caused by population growth on the Caribbean islands and the effects of climate change. These are some of the gloomy conclusions drawn by Didier de Bakker, SENSE PhD candidate at Wageningen Marine Research, in his thesis which he defended on 17 April. But it appears that there is still hope for the coral reefs. |
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| ‘Investment risk is holding back energy transition’ |
 The present market regulations make it extremely risky to invest in green energy, and this is impeding the fight against climate change. This is what Oscar Kraan (LU) writes in his dissertation. The PhD defence was on 25 April.
Kraan's research shows that there is a lack of certainty about how the green electricity market will develop, and that this may deter potential future investors. This mainly has to do with the nature of green energy: whereas you can switch a coal-fired power station on and off, solar and wind energy are dependent on the elements. Not only this, there is a complex dynamics between such fluctuating energy sources as sun and wind, and the need to store excess green energy for future use. |
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| Upcoming PhD Graduations |
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| Overview of PhD graduations upcoming period |
- Justine Ngoma
Climate-change effects on the Zambezi teak forests' productivity in Zambia
22 May 2019, Wageningen University, Water Systems and Global Change
- Alba Lorente Delgado
From photon paths to pollution plumes: better radiative transfer calculations to monitor NOx emissions with OMI and TROPOMI
23 May 2019, Wageningen University, Meteorology and Air Quality
- Behnaz Arabi
Optical remote sensing of water quality in the wadden sea
23 May 2019, University of Twente, Department of Water Resources
- Gabriela Alvarez Mieles
Ecological modelling of river-wetland systems: A case study for the Abras de Mantequilla wetland in Ecuador
28 May 2019, IHE Delft, Pollution Prevention and Control
- Sanne Raes
Bioelectrochemical Chain Elongation
29 May 2019, Wageningen University, Environmental Technology
- Meskerem Teka
Exploring the scaling-up of sustainable land management in the Central highlands of Ethiopia
12 June 2019, Wageningen University, Soil Physics and Land Management
- Willem Verhagen
Managing our land for multiple ecosystem services
14 June 2019, VU University Amsterdam, Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM)
- Leire Caizán Juanarena
Granular activated carbon in capacitive microbial fuel cells
14 June 2019, Wageningen University, Environmental Technology
- Lambert Schneider
Carbon markets under the Paris agreement: How can environmental integrity be ensured?
18 June 2019, Wageningen University, Environmental Systems Analysis
- Hatem Chouchane
Economic allocation of water to crops in international context: A national and global perspective
19 June 2019, University of Twente, Water Management Group
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| Upcoming courses and discussion groups |
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| WFA (Wilderness First Aid) Course, 1-2 June |
The Wilderness First Aid is a unique and comprehensive first aid course for the outdoor enthusiast. It is a two-day introduction to general medical skills in the field where there is no direct medical assistance available. The content of the course follows the most important issues of first aid in an outdoor environment and the general standards and medical requirements of the Wilderness Medical Society (WMS). The target group is everyone who loves to spend time in remote areas far from medical assistance. Medical knowledge prior to the course is not necessary. This course is organised by Outdoor Medicine, and is given in English.
Application deadline: 20 May |
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| Summer School on the Governance of Socio-Ecological Systems, 7-12 July |
| The GOSES Summer School is specifically designed not only for doctoral candidates, but also for pre-docs, post-docs, junior and senior scholars, who wish to further explore the governance of socio-ecological systems, discuss cutting-edge research with peers and established scholars alike and develop specific skills such as presenting and discussing their own research, exploring the science-policy interface and modeling socio-ecological systems. It will also be an opportunity to be exposed to both Chinese and Western scholarship in sustainability science. The language of instruction will be English. |
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| Electron Microscopy course – The Basics: from A to W, 23-27 September |
| After this course, you will have insight into the possibilities of electron microscopy as a research tool and are able to decide whether you should use SEM, TEM or CLEM for your analysis. You will be able to operate an EM at basic level, make images and perform basic techniques of sample preparation. To benefit optimally from this course you will need some understanding of microscopes in general, but it is not necessary to have experience with EM. |
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| Speciation and Bioavailability of Metals, Organics and Nanoparticles, 30 September - 4 October |
| The course program will focus on the analytical and physical chemistry of metal ions, organic compounds and nanoparticles in complexing aqueous environments and the bioavailabilities of different chemical species. |
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| Overview of PhD / postdoc courses May - July 2019 |
- Design and Analysis of Experiments
20-21 May 2019, UFZ, Germany
- Using Python for Bioinformatics Analyses
20-21 May 2019, UFZ, Germany
- World soils and their assessment
20-24 May 2019, Wageningen
- Embodiment, Food & Environment (NEW)
21-31 May 2019, Wageningen
- Design of Experiments
21-23 May 2019, Wageningen
- Free training on the use of the Climate Data Store (CDS) platform and its content
22 May, 16 & 28 June 2019, Portugal
- Ethics for Social Sciences Research
24 May 2019, Wageningen
- WFA (Wilderness First Aid) Course
1-2 June 2019, Soest
- Navigating Brussels with ELLS
3-5 June 2019, Belgium
- Machine learning for spatial data
3-7 June 2019, Wageningen
- Summer School Dynamics of Estuarine and Nearshore Systems: From Fundamentals to Cutting-Edge Knowledge
11-21 June 2019, Spain
- Linear Models
12-14 June 2019, Wageningen
- Innsbruck Summer School of Alpine Research 2019: Close range sensing techniques in Alpine terrain
16-22 June 2019, Austria
- Tenth ESSA Summer School in Social Simulation 2019: Agent-Based Modelling of Human-Environment Interactions (NEW)
17-21 June 2019, Scotland, UK
- NCK Summer School: Estuarine and Coastal Processes in relation to Coastal Zone Management
17-28 June 2019, Texel
- Generalized Linear Models
20-21 June 2019, Wageningen
- BioBusiness Summer School
24-28 June 2019, Amsterdam
- Summer school SMART Political Ecologies? On the Nature and Power of Environmental Technologies and their Implications for Just Futures
27 June - 3 July 2019, Wageningen
- Mixed Linear Models
27-28 June 2019, Wageningen
- Animal Movement Analysis
30 June - 5 July 2019, Amsterdam
- Summer School on the Governance of Socio-Ecological Systems
7-12 July 2019, China
- Future Deltas
8-12 July 2019, Utrecht
- Summer Course on Critical Zone and Ecosystem Dynamics
8-17 July 2019, Italy
- Healthy and sustainable diets: synergies and trade-offs
8-10 July 2019, Wageningen
- Summer School: Theory and Practice of Efficiency & Productivity Measurement: static & dynamic analysis
8-19 July 2019, Wageningen
- Geocomputation using free and open source software
8-12 July 2019, Wageningen
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| Overview of recently announced PhD / postdoc courses |
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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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| Discussion groups |
| Upcoming meetings: |
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| Upcoming Events |
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| Opening Amsterdam Sustainability Institute, 16 May |
You are invited to the kick-off event of the interfaculty Amsterdam Sustainability Institute (ASI) which will take place on Thursday 16 May in the afternoon.
ASI aims to provide an inclusive umbrella for all sustainability related research at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ASI seeks to build bridges among VU researchers and with the wider community to increase scientific and societal impact. Motto: “Integrating knowledge for sustainable societal choices”. |
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| SENSE conferentie Ons Toekomstige Energielandschap: Hoe zorgen we gezamenlijk voor de zon- en windenergietransitie op land? 20 June |
Because of the target group of the conference, the main language will be Dutch
Elke energietransitie leidt tot grote veranderingen in het stedelijke en landelijke gebied en dus ook de transitie naar niet-fossiele duurzame energiebronnen. Deze veranderingen roepen weerstand op bij burgers, boeren, natuurbeschermers, politici en anderen.
Deze conferentie wil inzicht geven in de verschillende ruimtelijke, sociale, financiële en politieke mogelijkheden om de energietransitie te realiseren, rekening houdend met de verschillende (soms conflicterende) claims op landgebruik, mogelijkheden voor multifunctioneel landgebruik en participatieve processen die het draagvlak voor de energietransitie kunnen vergroten. |
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| SENSE symposium Innovative research techniques in Environmental Sciences: Making Sense from Sensors for SENSE, 11 October |
The SENSE research School organises a SENSE symposium Innovative research techniques in Environmental Sciences Making Sense from Sensors for SENSE at ITC Enschede on Friday 11 October 2019. This SENSE symposium focuses on innovative research strategies and practices through cutting edge technology. Herewith, we would like to invite SENSE PhD candidates to present a pitch about your innovative research techniques and the application in environmental sciences for a broad SENSE audience. |
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| Overview of upcoming events |
| Recently announced: |
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| Full list of interesting upcoming events: |
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| Tips |
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| NWO Talent Scheme Information Meeting (Veni, Vidi, Vici), 20 June |
| NWO organises information meetings for researchers who want to apply for a Veni, Vidi of Vici grant. Practical information is given and selection committee members, NWO secretaries and researchers who have already acquired a Veni, Vidi or Vici share their experiences during a Q&A session. The information meetings are in English. |
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| Nieuwe vacatures PNN: voorzitter, intern voorzitter, algemeen bestuurslid |
Het PNN is de landelijke belangenorganisatie voor en door promovendi in Nederland. We vertegenwoordigen promovendi op nationaal niveau en zijn daarmee een gesprekspartner voor o.a. Tweede Kamerleden, het ministerie van OCW, de VSNU, de KNAW, Science in Transition en Academic Transfer. We organiseren jaarlijks verschillende bijeenkomsten, zijn actief in de VAWO (de vakbond voor de wetenschap) en Eurodoc (Europees PhD-overleg). Op onze ALV’s overleggen promovendi-vertegenwoordigers van alle Nederlandse universiteiten en UMC’s met elkaar.
Vanaf 21 juni 2019 is het PNN op zoek naar versterking in de vorm van een nieuwe voorzitter, een nieuw intern voorzitter en een nieuw algemeen bestuurslid.
Deadline: 3 juni 2019 |
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| National Postdoc Prize |
The National Postdoc Prize was established in 2017 by The Young Academy and the Royal Holland Society of Sciences and Humanities (KHMW) as an incentive for postdoc researchers and assistant professors who conduct excellent scientific research that could have a major impact on society.
The National Postdoc Prize consists of a monetary award of EUR 10,000 and a certificate.
Laureates may spend this amount at their discretion on their own research or on research conducted under their supervision.
The National Postdoc Prize is intended for postdoc researchers and assistant professors at a Dutch university or Dutch research institute who have received their PhD no more than five years previously. University assistant professors may also compete in some cases.
The deadline for submitting nominations is 15 July 2019. |
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| Job vacancies |
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| Professional PhD programme: Promovendi voor de tijdelijke functie van junior beleidsmedewerker NWO |
Het promovendi Netwerk Nederland (PNN) is in 2013 gestart met het Professional PhD Program (PPP). In het PPP werken promovendi een aantal maanden bij een organisatie aan een ander project dan de promotie. Met het programma wil het PNN de deelnemende organisaties kennis laten maken met de meerwaarde van promovendi en wil het promovendi de kans geven om in contact te komen met potentiële toekomstige werkgevers.
Het voormalig Gebied MaGW, en nu het domein Sociale en Geesteswetenschappen (SGW), heeft vanaf het najaar 2014 bijna dertig promovendi binnen het bureau ingeschakeld. Dat is wederzijds goed bevallen. SGW treft in hen gemotiveerde tijdelijke medewerkers die in staat zijn hun, voor SGW relevante ervaringen in te brengen, bijvoorbeeld in onderzoek om het beoordelingsinstrumentarium van SGW te optimaliseren. De promovendi op hun beurt beschouwen het werk als interessant, als een effectieve kennismaking met de tweede geldstroom, als een fijne mogelijkheid om een tijd intensief in een team samen te werken en als een prettige onderbreking van hun promotietraject. Het PPP leidde geen enkele maal tot een voortijdige beëindiging van het promotie-traject, een effect waarvoor menigeen bevreesd was. Integendeel menigeen kreeg nieuwe inspiratie en energie om de dissertatie af te ronden, hetgeen in veel gevallen succesvols is gebeurd.
Voor SGW is dit aanleiding geweest om dit jaar opnieuw te participeren in het PPP en een aantal functies aan te bieden voor 2019/2020. SGW laat dat evenals vorig jaar bekend maken via de website van het PNN. We beginnen vroeg met de werving, omdat het werk medio augustus van start gaat.
Application deadline: 30 May 2019. |
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| Vacancies at SENSE Partners |
- Appointment of Dean of the Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), University of Twente
Application deadline: 17 May 2019, 9.00 AM
- PhD Position on Tropical Blue Carbon Cascades, Wageningen University
Application deadline: 19 May 2019
- PhD Position on Detecting Tipping Points in the Earth System from Climate Reconstructions, Wageningen University
Application deadline: 19 May 2019
- PhD Position on Coupling of Tipping Elements in Networks of the Earth System, Wageningen University
Application deadline: 19 May 2019
- PhD position on the Effects of extreme winter and summer warming in (sub-)Arctic ecosystems, VU Amsterdam
Application deadline: 19 May 2019
- Full Professor in Sustainable Business, Utrecht University
Application deadline: 24 May 2019
- Assistant Professor Numerical methods and numerical models for RiverHydraulics, University of Twente
Application deadline: 25 May 2019
- Postdoctoral Researcher: Environmental Footprints of Upscaled Technologies, Radboud University Nijmegen
Application deadline: 26 May 2019
- Nature Economics Researcher, Wageningen University & Research
Application deadline: 27 May 2019, 9:00 AM
- Lecturer Meteorology and Air Quality, Wageningen University
Application deadline: 2 June 2019
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| Other vacancies in the SENSE field |
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| More vacancies |
| During the month new vacancies are regularly posted on the SENSE vacancy page. |
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