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Research School for Socio-Economic and
Natural Sciences of the Environment |
| SENSE e-News |
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Newsletter December 2024
05 December 2024 |
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SENSE highlights
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A1 SENSE Introductory Course. Registrations are now open:
You can now register to the upcoming edition of the 'A1 SENSE Introductory Course: building a personal vision for your PhD' that will take place on 26 - 28 March 2025, at De Bosrand, Ede. This course brings together PhD candidates from different institutes that are part of SENSE, and that have the ambition to work on environmental issues. During the course, you will discuss your own personal wishes and ambitions, what impact you would like to have with your research, and set personal learning goals for your PhD. For more information please visit here.
Decolonising Science: PhD Course (IHE Delft Institute for Water Education):
The Decolonising Science PhD course succesfully took place last month. Read below about this year's highlights by the course coordinator Amitangshu Acharya.
Running4ClimateEducation. WIMEK, Wageningen. On 13-14 December 2024, Filipe Cunha and Gabriel Moinet will run the 24h Zevenheuvelen winter trail in Nijmegen, Netherlands, to raise funding and sponsor two talented students to attend a one-week immersive course on climate mitigation and adaptation on farms. This race, consisting of a 5km-lap to run as many times as possible, is a powerful metaphor for the relentless and continued efforts that addressing the climate and biodiversity crisis will require. The climate and biodiversity are no issues to be fixed, no problems to be solved… they are to be cared for, unconditionally, continuously, patiently. So we will run this lap, again and again and again, embodying the resilience needed to care for our planet. Read the article here. You can read more about the fundraising campaing here. |
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| Editorial |
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Dear Colleague,
Welcome to the December edition of the SENSE newsletter. We are happy to share information and updates from and for our Network. Do allow me to also add a brief reflection. In a moment in which Research and Higher Education in the Netherlands is being threatened by budget cuts and a regressive reform that wants to demolish years of successful internationalization, we as SENSE are committed to continue pursuing excellent research and education leveraging, cherishing and valuing our international nature. SENSE is, currently composed by only Dutch organizations but we have ambitious plans to expand our action through new international partners. Moreover, goes without saying, that we are proud to have PhD students, researchers and faculty members from every continent, which make our network a vibrant, multi-cultural, inter-disciplinary hub for exchange of knowledge, ideas and fervent generation of scientific production. Sustainability problems are global, they don’t stop at the border of countries. An insular approach is not only inadequate, it’s also ultimately, just boring. And that’s not what we plan for SENSE to be.
Dr. Jampel Dell’Angelo, SENSE General Director
Last month, IHE Delft hosted the 'Decolonising Science: PhD Course'. The Course Coordinator Amitangshu Acharya, Lecturer at the Department of Water Governance of IHE Delft, told us more about this second edition.
The Decolonising Science PhD course took place between the 11th - 15th of November at IHE Delft Institute for Water Education, in which 16 students participated from five Dutch Universities (University of Amsterdam, Leiden University, Radboud University, TU Delft, Utrecht University) along with Comillas Pontifical University, Madrid, and IHE Delft. The course offered a critical unpacking of “science”, in the way it is perceived and performed, guided by the decolonial question of what kind of “science” is possible that supports an ethical life, which is not implicated in the suffering of other people and the planet. The course was segmented into 3 parts – theory, fieldwork and practice –and students engaged with this question in each of these aspects of their research. Lecturers represented the humanities, water engineering, and the social and the natural sciences from the Netherlands and the USA and also environmental activist Ashish Kothari from India. It included a day-long field trip involving a boat tour in collaboration with the Black Heritage Tours from Amsterdam and a visit to an exhibition on Soils at the van Abbe Museum in Eindhoven. The course ended with each student presenting how they were engaging with their research topics before and after the course. It received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the students and will be offered again next year in 2025. Read more about the course here.
If you have any questions, please contact c.marinetti@un-ihe.org
We invite you to read below to find out more about the upcoming activities!
Caterina Marinetti, SENSE Executive Secretary
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| Upcoming courses and discussion groups |
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Foundations of Inter- and Transdisciplinary Research | 9 - 13 December 2024, Campus Wageningen University
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Urgent and complex environmental and sustainability research often needs a combination of scientific insights, as well as the support and knowledge of those who can implement the findings or are affected by the changes required. This interactive course is designed to provide participants with foundational concepts, tools, and experiences to translate inter- and transdisciplinary approaches to their own research. Five themes help participants to consider the various aspects of interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approaches: the individual, collaboration, outcomes, the research process and reflection.
For more information see here.
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Interviews and Questionnaires in the Natural and Environmental Sciences | 6 - 31 January 2025, Campus Wageningen University
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Interviews and Questionnaires in the Natural and Environmental Sciences enable PhDs who do not have a background in the social sciences to design, conduct, analyze and report interviews and questionnaires. Foundational learning objectives are met through participating in a MSc course (YRM31306). In addition to responding to questions during the course that are specific to PhDs’ own projects, enhanced learning objectives for PhDs are met through a) individual consultations with PhDs during and after the course and b) replacement of the written final exam with a delayed critical discussion in which the PhD explains why and how they will integrate what they learned into their own PhD project. The approach to interviews and questionnaires taken in the course is tailored to the themes and purposes typical of research at Wageningen.
For more information see here.
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Principles of Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics | 21 - 24 January 2025, De Bosrand, Ede
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This course is intended for those just embarking on genomics within an ecological setting and teaches the fundamentals of the discipline, while concentrating on ecological questions. The course focuses on four topics, each of which is treated by lectures, case studies and participant presentations. Also, participants are encouraged to apply the principles of the course to their own research. To introduce their own work participants are asked to bring and present a research poster. We have speakers on microbes, fungi, plant and animals, but the concepts taught are universal and many will be applicable to your own species of interest.
For more information see here.
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Python Programming for PhDs | 27 January - 04 February 2025, Wageningen
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Programming can serve multiple purposes. Purposes like developing applications and working with data are also very useful for research. For dealing with these issues, Python offers many libraries. Getting the skills of working with some of these libraries will enable future learning.
This can be for more advanced programming applications, but also for self-learning to apply different libraries.
For more information see here.
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Bioinformatics with Linux and Python | 17 - 28 February 2025, online
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This workshop is aimed at complete beginners and assumes no prior programming experience. It gives an overview of the language with an emphasis on practical problem-solving, using examples and exercises drawn from various aspects of bioinformatics work. The workshop is structured so that the parts of the language most useful for bioinformatics are introduced as early as possible, and that students can start writing plausibly-useful programs after the first few sessions.
For more information see here.
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The Bigger Picture (in environmental and climate sciences): Connecting your research to the wider context | 3 - 7 March 2025, Wageningen
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This 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 . 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 development? How can you apply sustainability in your own research? And in doing so, how can you deal with facts, uncertainty, values and opinions? 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.
Early bird registration deadline: 27 January 2025
Regular registration deadline: 3 February 2025
For more information see here. Registration: here.
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Big data exploration and object-oriented programming with Python | 10 - 14 March 2025, Hybrid
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The workshop will use examples and exercises drawn from various aspects of environmental and climate sciences, along with a variety of different datasets. We will focus on the use of the pandas and seaborn packages for data manipulation and visualization, as well as using parts of the standard library to write custom classes and integrate them with the rest of the language.
For more information see here.
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A1 SENSE Introductory Course: building a personal vision for your PhDThere | 26 - 28 March 2025, De Bosrand, Ede
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This course brings together PhD candidates from different institutes that are part of SENSE, and that have the ambition to work on environmental issues. During the course, you will discuss your own personal wishes and ambitions, what impact you would like to have with your research, and set personal learning goals for your PhD. We will have open discussions on finding your own way within science, and how inter- and transdisciplinary science can play a role for you. The course will also be an introduction to personal leadership, exploring what is important to you, and talking about how to tackle challenges you may face along the way.
Registrations open on 2 December 2024 here.
For more information see here.
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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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IHE Delft Alumni Online Seminar – Hydroinformatics: AI and digital innovation approaches to water problems by Ioana Popescu | 5 December 2024, online
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The webinar “Hydroinformatics: AI and digital innovation approaches to water problems” will explore techniques in hydrodynamic modelling. It will highlight advanced computational methods and innovative approaches for predicting and visualizing flood events in river systems, lake water levels are determined based on modelling and remote sensing input data. Learn how modern technology is transforming our ability to manage water resources, from advanced computational fluid dynamics to remote sensing data integration. The presentation will highlight practical applications, making it particularly relevant for professionals working in climate change adaptation.
For more information, see here.
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Citizen Science 4 Water (CS4Water) Conference | 3 - 5 June 2025, Delft
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The conference will focus on the crucial role citizen science plays within water resource monitoring, management and governance as well as community-led actions. Together, we will explore how citizen science can help us achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) around the world and future-proof healthy water bodies for generations to come.
The call for contributions ends on 15 December 2024.
For more information, see here.
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7th International Symposium on Knowledge and Capacity for the Water Sector: Empowering a New Generation | 2 - 4 July 2025, IHE Delft & online
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The 7th International Symposium on Knowledge and Capacity for the Water Sector will bring together sector organizations, knowledge institutes and policy makers to explore the significant shifts that have taken place in the water sector over the past decades. Participants will analyze how these changes impact knowledge and capacity strengthening, especially in relation to the new generation water and sanitation professionals, and investigate how knowledge and capacity strengthening can further contribute to water-related improvements. The Symposium will also assess how these developments alter the landscape of knowledge and capacity strengthening in the water sector – and what that means to the way capacity strengthening is organized and implemented.
The call for abstracts is now open until 3 February 2025. Read more here.
For more information, see here.
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| Upcoming PhD graduations |
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| Overview of upcoming PhD graduations |
- Borjana Bogatinoska
Co-creating nature-based solutions supported by integrated environmental modelling
6 December 2024, Open University
- Raed Hamed
Crop impacts from compound weather extremes in major breadbaskets under climate change
10 January 2025, VU Amsterdam
- Teun Schrieks
Living with drought: Understanding adaptation decisions in African pastoral communities
17 January 2025, VU Amsterdam
- Dona Geagea
Recommoning water: Emerging water governance practices as a response to the austerity crisis
17 January 2025, VU Amsterdam
- Henrique Moreno Dumont Goulart
Narratives of an uncertain future: Storylines to connect extreme weather events to impacts and decision making
27 January 2025, VU Amsterdam
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