Newsletter 10/2014
Current Activities
CAWR welcomes vice minister of the Chinese Ministry for Water Resources at SMUL
Foto: SMUL
On 23rd of September 2014 the State Ministry of Environment and Agriculture (SMUL) together with the spokesmen of the Center for Advanced Water Research and the German Society for International Cooperation (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit - GIZ) welcomed a delegation of the vice minister Cai Qihua of the Chinese Ministry for Water Resources. The discussions focused on drinking water supply, water quality and transboundary flood risk management. More information here (only German press release available).
BMU-B State Secretary visits TU Dresden
On 12 September 2014 Gunther Adler (State Secretary of Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Building and Nuclear Safety (BMUB)) visited the TU Dresden, in order to gain an overview of the research as well as the study programs within the Faculty of Environmental Sciences. He was impressed by the diversity, interdisciplinarity and the worldwide network of the Faculty. The most important international activities within education and training are the “Centre for International Postgraduate Studies of Environmental Management“ (CIPSEM) funded by the BMUB, the three master courses taught in the English language as well as the PhD program “Integrated Management of Water, Soil and Waste” that has been newly established together with UNU-FLORES.
TUD’s rector Hans Müller-Steinhagen highlighted the relevance of CAWR as an important cooperation between TUD and UFZ within the water research. Gunda Röstel (Vice-chairwoman of German Water Partnership and chairwoman of the TUD council) underlined the enormous potential arising from this partnership.
CIPSEM-Short course „Water Management and Climate Change Adaption“ visits the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ
Foto: Greta Jäckel, UFZ
On 22nd of September 2014 participants of the CIPSEM-course „Water Management and Climate Change Adaption“ visited the UFZ, in order to get an impression of water research of the CAWR and at the UFZ. CIPSEM provides training courses for experts and manager from developing and emerging countries. The program is supported by UNEP, UNESCO, BMU-B und UBA. The cooperation with this program is an important element for the training & education as well as the transfer of knowledge within the CAWR.
Successful Workshop „Science meets International Cooperation“ in Leipzig
On May 19th 2014 representatives of the German Society for International Cooperation (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit – GIZ), CAWR as well as SMUL and BMU-B met in order to discuss the potential of cooperation between research and international cooperation in three regions (Jordan, Central Asia (Mongolia) and China). Concrete plans for collaboration in these regions were elaborated and will be implemented in 2015.
In order to ensure a long-term transfer of scientific research results into praxis, the communication with the experts of the GIZ is a valuable supplement for the implementation of research results of the CAWR.
Research
Approval of project proposals with in DFG Priority Program DYNATRAIT
A joint proposal of the speaker of CAWR thematic field 1 „Quality and dynamics of the water cycle“ (Prof. Dr. Thomas Berendonk & Prof. Dr. Markus Weitere) has been approved within the DFG Priority Program DYNATRAIT. Furthermore another subproject proposal of Dr. Christoph Jäger und Dr. Karsten Rinke (UFZ) has been successful. The scientists of the Priority Programme investigates how ecologic systems (like individuals, populations, communities and food webs) are able to buffer environmental changes caused by climate and land use change and how to understand feedback loops in these affected ecologic systems. More information here.
Upcoming events
Sino-German Workshop in November 2014 in China
A joint proposal from UFZ and China Academy of Sciences (CAS) about the Sino-German workshop „Sustainable water management and ecosystem restorations in the Poyang lake basin“ has been approved by Sino-German Centre for Research Promotion (SGC). The workshop will be held on 18. - 22. November 2014 in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, China. The workshop initiative is strongly supported by the consortium of the CAWR and the “Helmholtz – CAS Research Centre for Environmental Information Science (RCEIS)”. RCEIS is a network in which monitoring and modelling platforms are combined through information systems to provide information in a comprehensive way and to develop management scenarios for China. This is regarded as the first RCEIS workshop since its establishment from March 2014.
Dresden Nexus Conference (DNC) - March, 25 to 27, 2015
The first Dresden Nexus conference takes place from March, 25 to 27, 2015 in Dresden. The 2015 DNC will assemble UN organizations, UNU institutes, UN member states, German ministries, national and international organizations as well as individual researchers and NGOs from around the world under the theme “Global Change, Sustainable Development Goals and the Nexus Approach”. The conference is jointly organized by UNU-FLORES, TUD and the Leibniz Institute of Ecological Urban and Regional Development (IÖR). The CAWR, together with its members at TU Dresden and UFZ, is involved in the organization of several sessions. More information here.