News

SCAR Fellowship Scheme

The SCAR Fellowship Scheme is now open for 2010-11 and applications are invited.  The scheme is designed to encourage the active involvement of early career scientists in Antarctic scientific research, allowing researchers from one SCAR Member country to undertake research in an institute in another SCAR Member country.

Applicants should be either currently studying for or within five years of completing a PhD and their research should make a contribution to the objectives of one of the Scientific Research Programmes endorsed by SCAR (see http://www.scar.org/researchgroups/).
Proposals must be made on the application form, which should be submitted electronically to the SCAR Secretariat (info@scar.org) by Saturday 15th May 2010.

Call for Nomination: Science Planning Group on Human Health and Wellbeing in the Urban Environment

ICSU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific is in the process of establishing a Science Planning Group on Human Health and Wellbeing in the Urban Environment. The goal of the science planning group is to provide a science plan that the ICSU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific can use to enhance fundamental science, promote research on the science of urban health and well-being, and promote the use of that science for the benefit of the people of the region.
We seek members who can play an active role in the development of the Science Plan on Human Health and Wellbeing in the Urban Environment of the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific with a strong background in scientific research and development. The work of the Group will be based on the draft Terms of Reference (ToR) and basic criteria of the ICSU Science Plan on Human Health and Wellbeing in the Urban Environment.
Interested scientists or researchers may fill in the Nomination Form and submit to their National Members, ICSU International Unions and members of the Regional Committee for Asia and the Pacific. The nominations will lead to a new perspective and  a way forward for urban health and well-being specifically in Asia and the Pacific.
The closing date for the nominations is on 31 March 2010.

• Terms of Reference (ToR)
• Nomination Form

Call for Application: International Workshop on “Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and Urban Development Planning for Asian Coastal Cities”
 
The International Workshop on “Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and Urban Development Planning for Asian Coastal Cities” is co-organized by SEA-START and The East-West Center and sponsored by Asia Pacific Network.
Workshop objectives include:

1. The development of capacity on the part of urban planners, managers, and researchers in climate change risk and vulnerability assessment and its application to urban development planning and governance.
2. The promotion of locally led risk and vulnerability research in Asian coastal cities that is linked to user needs.
3. The development of partnerships between researchers, planners, and policy makers that encourage “communities of knowledge” for vulnerability assessment in each participating city.

Topics to be addressed in the workshop include:

1. Analysis of risks of coastal floods
2. Analysis of socio-economic vulnerability to flooding and vulnerability mapping
3. Risk and vulnerability communication and visualization
4. Integration of risk vulnerability analysis with urban planning, development and governance

Workshop participation is open to researchers, urban planners and managers, practitioners, professionals and policymakers interested in and working on topics related to the workshop topics. While applications from individuals will be accepted, preference will be given to applications from city-specific teams that consist of at least one researcher and one practitioner/professional from planning, development and/or environmental agencies. Early to mid-career applicants are particularly encouraged to apply.
Interested applicants should submit the following materials to the Southeast Asia START Regional Center (SEA-START) no later than 1 March 2010.

• A curriculum vitae for each applicant
• A written letter of interest describing the relevance of the workshop to the applicant/team’s

For more information about the workshop and/or this call for applications, please contact car2@start.or.th
Please click on the link for the workshop announcement brochure.

Engage in the Green Energy Simulations free web seminar

This webinar will demonstrate some of the many applications where Green Energy Simulations are crucial to engineering success. Examples will cover solar, wind and hydropower. You will see how to handle the coupled effects that are constantly present in Green Energy Simulations.

Please join us for this webinar and learn about topics including:

• Producing biofuels
• Manufacturing solar panels
• Wind-loading on a solar array
• Optimizing batteries and fuel cells

For further details please visit https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration
/EventLobbyServlet?target=registration.jsp&eventid=189197&sessionid
=1&key=7D3C26B9E7B6C4466F3D86ADA7246896&sourcepage=register

Announcement of 2010 SCOR General Meeting and Call for Working Group Proposals

The XXXth SCOR General Meeting will take place in Toulouse, France on 14-16 September 2010. The French SCOR Committee will convene a one-day symposium on 13 September to highlight French ocean science and their contributions to SCOR.

The SCOR Secretariat will accept proposals for new working groups from now until 14 April 2010. Model proposals and other information about working groups can be found at
http://www.scor-int.org/wkgrpinfo.htm. SCOR examines the disciplinary balance of its working groups annually. The 2009 evaluation found that the set of SCOR working groups is relatively balanced. For 2010, SCOR particularly welcomes proposals based in marine geology, chemistry and paleoecology and related disciplines. Additionally, SCOR would welcome proposals specifically in

• Climate-related studies in preparation for the next IPCC assessment
• Identifying limitations to prediction and confidence in the future state of the ocean
• Interactions and mechanisms in abrupt climate change
• Human health and disaster impact
• Sea level changes and ice movement

For more details of the meeting, please visit http://www.scor-int.org/2010GM/2010GM.htm

Earth System Visioning Process: “Grand Challenges in Global Sustainability Research: A Systems Approach to Research Priorities for the Decade”

Year 2009, ICSU launched the Earth system visioning process to engage the scientific community to explore options and to propose implementation steps for a holistic strategy on Earth system research. The first step in this process is examining the research needs. “Grand Challenges in Global Sustainability Research: A Systems Approach to Research Priorities for the Decade” is one of the programme under the Earth System Visioning Process.

The draft “Grand Challenges in Global Sustainability Research: A Systems Approach to Research Priorities for the Decade” document seeks to mobilize social and natural scientists and the humanities around an unprecedented 10-year scientific effort to address the challenges in global sustainability research. The selection of the Grand Challenges and research priorities is being carried out through a process that began with an Internet consultation in July and August 2009.  The Internet consultation yielded more than 300 proposed Earth System research priorities contributed by registered users from 85 countries.

The current draft is a synthesis of the meeting discussions, informed by comments from the meeting participants, a brief consultation with the global environmental change programmes and subsequent discussions among the core writing group. It aims to be a representative summary of areas where there is consensus. The process of producing this document has been a consultative one where common ground has been favoured over individual priorities. It is forward-looking document that focuses on research directions rather than institutional arrangements, which will be examined in the next step of the visioning process. 

Involvement of wider community will help further strengthen the foundation on which the subsequent steps in the visioning process will build upon.  Your review of this document is the first step of the fairly extensive review and revision process. 

Please visit http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/22BLPKJ to obtain the draft document and submit your comment before 21 February 2010. Further information on visioning process can be found at http://www.icsu-visioning.org .

First announcement: IMBER IMBIZO II “Integrating biogeochemistry and ecosystems in a changing ocean: Regional comparisons”
IMBER is an IGBP-SCOR project focusing on ocean biogeochemical cycles and ecosystems research. The goal of IMBER is “to investigate the sensitivity of marine biogeochemical cycles and ecosystems to global change, on time scales ranging from years to decades”.

IMBER IMBIZO II will be held in Crete, Greece, 10-14 October 2010. It will review current knowledge and identify key questions for future research on: elemental ratios and food quality, large-scale regional comparisons and food web sensitivity to enhanced stratification.

The IMBIZO's innovative format of three concurrent and interacting workshops with joint plenary and poster sessions will provide a forum for stimulating discussion between interdisciplinary experts and encourage the linkage between biogeochemistry and ecosystem research. The size of the workshops will be restricted and the total IMBIZO participants limited to 120.

The three concurrent workshops are:

1. The effect of varying element ratios on community structure at low trophic levels and food quality at mid and high trophic levels (co-chaired by Dan Repeta and Rory Wilson)
   
   
2. Large-scale regional comparisons of marine biogeochemistry and ecosystem processes - research approaches and results (co-chaired by Ken Drinkwater and Raleigh Hood)
   
   
3. Sensitivity of marine food webs and biogeochemical cycles to enhanced stratification (co-chaired by Michio Kishi and Michael Landry)
   

Each workshop will prepare a special journal issue containing synthesis and primary research papers resulting from the workshop contributions and discussions.

IMBER IMBIZO II will also provide an opportunity for junior and senior scientists to participate in an interactive 'Dry Cruise' workshop (chaired by Alberto Piola) on 10 October 2010. The conference poster can be downloaded for printing at: (https://www.confmanager.com/communities/c1683/files/hidden/IMBIZO2-def.jpg).

For further information, please visit the following link.

2nd World Conference on Research Integrity (WCRI) Planning Committee Meets in January in Singapore

The Planning Committee Meeting of the 2nd World Conference on Research Integrity (2WCRI) will be held on 5th January 2010, Tuesday at Nanyang Executive Centre, Nanyang Technological University Singapore. The committee will discuss the conference structure, logistics, substance and action items. The 2nd WCRI will be held on 21 to 24 July 2010 at the Pan Pacifc Hotel Singapore. It will:

• Explore research integrity issues in depth
• Demonstrate the global research community’s commitment to the highest standards of behaviour in research
• Develop the global networks and understandings needed to maintain public confidence in research in whatever field and wherever it is undertaken

Vacancy in Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) : Executive Director

IRDR is an exciting decade-long, internationally integrated, all-hazards research
programme bringing together the talents of the natural, social, medical and engineering
sciences in a way not attempted before. Its objectives are the scientific characterization of natural and human-induced environmental hazards, vulnerability and risk; the
understanding of decision-making in complex and changing risk contexts; and the reduction of risk and curbing losses through knowledge-based actions. The programme is founded on the recognition that disaster prevention and mitigation are critical dimensions of the global poverty reduction agenda and efforts to adapt to climate change, and should be an integral part of all international and national development efforts.

The Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) seeks an Executive Director to assist in the running of the SCAR Secretariat. Applications explaining the skills and experience and including a full CV and the details of three referees should be sent by January 14th, 2010, to:

Dr Howard Moore
International Council for Science (ICSU)
5, rue Auguste Vacquerie
75116 Paris
France
e-mail: howard.moore@icsu.org

Newsletter: WRCP on Climate Research

 World Climate Research Programme (WRCP) released its WRCP News 16 and emphasized four main section. The first section is Science Highlights consist of Special Collection J. Climate: US CLIVAR Drought Initiative; GRL article: Evidence of long-term warming in the USA; SPARC and the Montreal Protocol; GRL article: Indian Ocean Dipole preconditioning Australia bush fires; Nature Article : El Nino in a Changing Climate; and Tracking Changes in Earth's Global Energy: an Imperative for Adaptation.

Awards in the WCRP Community is the second section and embrace the Milutin Milankovic Medal awarded to WGCM former Co-chair Pascale Braconnot; AMS Special Award to the CMIP3 team at PCMDI; and 2010 Carl-Gustaf Rossby Research Medal to Dr Tim Palmer. The third section is News included UNEP Climate Change Science Compendium 2009; CINDY2011 and DYNAMO: The two process studies received the CLIVAR endorsement; Major new initiative on climate change and agriculture; ELSEVIER journal "Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability"; A successful GEWEX-iLEAPS joint conference on Water in a Changing Climate; and New report: Global Climate Change Impacts in the United States.

The final section highlighted the upcoming events of  the 22nd session of the GEWEX Scientific Steering Group; 6th session of the CLiC Scientific Steering Group; 31st session of the Joint Scientific Committee for WCRP; Capacity Building: The 2010 Southwestern Hemisphere Workshop Series on Climate Change: CO2, the Biosphere and Climate; 4th session of the WCRP Observation and Assimilation Panel; Mathematical and Statistical Approaches to Climate Modelling and Prediction: 11 August-22 December 2010; and CCMAP: Integrating Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation into Development Planning project. 

To subscribe/unsubscribe the WRCP News, please send an email to wcrp@wmo.int. Contributions to e-zine N° 17 to be published in March 2010 should also be addressed to wcrp@wmo.int by 15 February 2010.

Vacancy in Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) : Executive Officer

SCAR is a body of the International Council for Science (ICSU) and is also registered as a UK Company and Charity. It facilitates and coordinates Antarctic and Southern Ocean research and identifies issues emerging from greater scientific understanding of the region that should be brought to the attention of policy makers. Its objectives and activities are described on the SCAR website at http://www.scar.org.

The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) seeks an Executive Officer to assist in the running of the SCAR Secretariat. This is a permanent position with a 6-month probationary period. Applications explaining relevant experience and including a full CV and the names of two referees should be sent by January 10th, 2010, to the SCAR Secretariat, Scott Polar Research Institute, Lensfield Road, Cambridge, CB2 1ER, UK (by mail or fax (+44 1223 336549), but preferably by e-mail to info@scar.org).

DFID New Funding for Ecosystem Services and Poverty Alleviation Research

The Department for International Development (DFID), the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) announced a new funding with the total amount of £40.5 million for the Ecosystem Services and Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) research programme. This partnership combines £27m of DFID's development research funding together with £13·5m of UK research council funding. This unique partnership will deliver research that is both developmentally relevant and scientifically excellent.

This programme is seeking to fund high quality and cutting-edge research that will improve our understanding of ecosystems in terms of the services they provide for poverty reduction and inclusive growth processes. It also intends to develop and provide the evidence and tools to enable decision makers and end use to manage ecosystems sustainably and in a way that contributes to poverty reduction.

The two-year process to design the programme and strengthen research capacity is completed and full details of the ESPA scope and implementation plan have been ratified by all the partners in the ESPA Programme Memorandum. ESPA Programme Memorandum can be found here. (http://www.nerc.ac.uk/research/programmes/espa/documents/espa-programme-plan.pdf )

8th Meeting of ICSU Regional Committee for Asia and the Pacific

The Science Council of Japan (SCJ) will host the 8th Meeting of ICSU Regional Committee for Asia and the Pacific. It will take place in Hayama, Japan on 25 – 26 November 2009. The meeting will discuss the progress and future activities of ICSU ROAP and budget for year 2010. All thirteen regional committee members are expected to participate in the meeting. This will include two new members Professor Hong Kum Lee of Korea and Professor Dewi Fortuna Anwar of Indonesia. Members of the ICSU Regional Committees are leading scientists appointed to serve in their individual capacity.

• Draft Agenda 8th Meeting ICSU Regional Committee for Asia and The Pacific (RCAP)

Report: 3rd ICSU Regional Consultation for Asia & the Pacific

The 3rd ICSU Regional Consultation for Asia and the Pacific was hosted by the Centre for Global Sustainability Studies of Universiti Sains Malaysia at g-hotel, Penang, Malaysia on 13th and 14th October, 2009. The consultation was launched by the Deputy Minister of Science, Technology & Innovation Malaysia, YB Tuan Haji Fadillah Hj Yusof. A total of 36 participants from National Members and Unions attended the consultation.

Please click on the following link for the report of the Chair’s Summary Report of the consultation.

• Report: 3rd ICSU Regional Consultation for Asia & the Pacific

3rd ICSU Regional Consultation in Asia and the Pacific

The International Council for Science (ICSU), Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) will hold its 3rd Regional Consultation in Asia and the Pacific for the first time in Penang, Malaysia, next week (13 and 14 October 2009). This biennial event is being hosted by the Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS) of University of Sciences Malaysia (USM). Leading scientists from around the world will gather at this two-day event to discuss and address how science can contribute to address some of the most pressing challenges facing society today, including: hazards and disasters; ecosystem change; sustainable energy and climate change. The aim of the Consultation is to bring together members of ICSU and other scientists, especially those in Asia and the Pacific, to plan activities that ICSU ROAP will promote. The event will be launched by the Honorable Deputy Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation of Malaysia YB Tuan Haji Fadillah Hj Yusof. His Ministry hosts ICSU ROAP in Kuala Lumpur at the offices of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia. It is centrally placed to play a key role in the participation of developing country scientists in international research and training programmes throughout Asia and the Pacific. In this way Malaysia has
also become better known at the global level as a key player for the development of science for the benefit of society. The ICSU Regional Consultation will also examine the experiences of Africa, and of Latin America and the Caribbean in establishing ICSU offices at the regional level. Participation in this Consultation provides the members of ICSU (National Members, Scientific Unions, Interdisciplinary Bodies and Joint Initiatives, and ICSU Associate Members) with an excellent opportunity to interact, gain knowledge, and develop insights into priority areas of research in Asia and the Pacific with peers from all over the world. For more details please see the final programme for the consultation.

• 3rd ICSU Regional Consultation for Asia & the Pacific

Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) consultation

The IUCN is conducting a survey in collaboration with other partners, through which it seeks the perspectives of the scientific community and broader civil society on the need for IPBES - the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. IPBES is a mechanism proposed to further strengthen the science-policy interface on biodiversity and ecosystem services. It aims to add to existing processes that aim at ensuring that decisions are made on the basis of the best available scientific information on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystem services. It is proposed as a broadly similar mechanism to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It builds on the outcomes of the IMoSEB consultations (www.IMoSEB.net), undertaken during 2006-2007, and the follow-up activities to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (www.millenniumassessment.org), and aims to identify the perspectives of the community on the ongoing discussions relating to establishing an Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES – see www.IPBES.net). The IPBES Consultation Survey is carried out through collaborative work among IUCN, ICSU and DIVERSITAS.

Click here to access the survey (deadline for completion 13 September 2009). 

WFI International Fellowship Program - Term: 6-12 months - Applications accepted year-round.  

The WFI Fellowship brings professionals in natural resources to conduct a practical research project at the World Forestry Center.  In addition to projects, Fellows participate in weekly field trips, interviews and site visits to Northwest forestry organizations, research labs, universities, public and private timberlands, trade associations, mills, and corporations.  The Fellowship is a unique opportunity to learn about sustainable forestry from the Pacific Northwest forestry sector, and to work with colleagues from around the world.  Fellowships are open to any country, and there is a matching grant from the Harry A. Merlo Foundation.  Over 75 Fellows from 24 countries have participated to date.  Applications are accepted year-round.  For details, visit: 

• http://wfi.worldforestry.org/index/international-fellowship.html

3rd ICSU Regional Consultation in Asia and the Pacific

ICSU Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) will organize the 3rd ICSU Regional Consultation in Asia and the Pacific on 13 and 14 October 2009, in Penang, Malaysia. The Consultation will be hosted by the Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS), Universiti Sains Malaysia. The aim of the Consultation is to bring together members of ICSU to assess progress of ROAP and plan its forthcoming activities. Participation is open only to members of ICSU (National Scientific Members, Scientific Unions, Interdisciplinary Bodies and Joint Initiatives and ICSU Associate Members)  Selected speakers will be invited to speak on particular topics relevant to the programmes being developed by ICSU ROAP. A preliminary programme is available for reference. As in previous years participants provide their own support to attend the Consultation.

• 3rd ICSU Regional Consultation for Asia & the Pacific

Science Plan on Sustainable Energy

Substantial effort is needed to explore sustainable sources of energy if we are
to maintain present standards of living in the developed countries and improve those
of the developing countries. If new and emerging energy technologies are to make a serious contribution to sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region investment patterns, intellectual effort and capacity building need to be planned for the short and long term.

This Plan outlines proposed areas of endeavour identified by ICSU Science Planning Group on Sustainable Energy to achieve this aim and should be interpreted broadly and positively by researchers, funding agencies and governments.

• Science Plan on Sustainable Energy

Humans, Ecosystems and Well-being

• Ecosystem Change and Human Well-being report

ICSU-funded Spring School: Fluid Mechanics and Geophysics of Environmental Hazards.

This is to announce the ICSU-funded Spring School on the subject "Fluid Mechanics and Geophysics of Environmental Hazards” that will be held from 19th April to 2nd May 2009 at the Institute for Mathematical Sciences, National University of Singapore. This is an activity under ICSU priority area on "Natural and Human-Induced Environmental Hazards and Disasters"

The School is aimed at Graduate Students and young Researchers in Mathematics, Physics, and Engineering Sciences, and the organizers hope to attract students particularly from Asia and the Pacific Region. *Grants are available for the support of suitably qualified applicants.*

International Conference on Indian Ocean Tropical Cyclones and Climate Change
Date: 8 - 11 March 2009

Organisation: World Meteorological Organization (WMO)/ Government of Oman

The Conference will bring together leading experts, from both research and operational meteorological environments. The event aims to be a first step towards an ongoing international focus on the potential impacts of climate change on the Indian Ocean, and its proceedings will be published as a WMO technical document. Members of the World Weather Research Programme Expert Team will present papers on various aspects of climate change impacts on tropical cyclones.

The broad thematic areas of the conference are:

• Operational Tropical Cyclone Forecasting and warning Systems;
• Progress on tropical Cyclogenesis;
• Climate Change and Tropical Cyclone Activity;
• Assessment of Risk and Vulnerability from tropical Cyclones, including construction, archival and retrieval of best-track and historic data sets;
• Disaster Preparedness, Management and Reduction;
• Recent high impact tropical cyclone events in the Indian Ocean: Nargis, SIDR, Gonu and other events.