Aurora

Events
 

Presentation on Hemispheric Water Security Observatory, Tuesday September 5th, 9am ESB 5104

You are invited to a presentation by Maximiliano Campos from the Organization of American States Washington, DC

Title: Presentation of the Hemispheric Water Security Observatory
Date: September 5 from 9 - 10:30 am
Location: Earth Sciences Building, room 5104
Who: Maximiliano Campos, Senior Water Specialist - Chief Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) - Department of Sustainable Development from the Organization of American States, 

Abstract: The Observatory is a collaborative effort among several partners (Instituto Mexicano de Tecnología del Agua, Colegio de Mexico, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Peru, Programa Interamericano de Geografía e Historia, IDB, IICA, UNESCO-HIP, OEA-SEDI-DSD, CAF) which we are expecting to grow more (IUCN, UNEP, GEF, CIDH, PAHO, US-Water Partnership, among others).

The Hemispheric Water Security Observatory is a task force created to analyze and prevent social risks derived from water crisis, directed at public and private actors in the American countries to make decisions on Water Security. In this sense, it can facilitate the decision-making of various actors (governmental, private, social).

It is important to point out that the Observatory would carry out constant research and analysis on priority and strategic water issues based on key aspects of foresight related to:

- Conflicts of water.
- Analysis of regional and national water policies and their implications.
- Legislation and planning.
- Specific threats to availability.
- Analysis of the impact on governance.
- Economic and public health analysis of climate change migration and water conflicts.
- Water infrastructure.

IRES Seminar Series - Every Thursday from 12:30pm to 1:30pm in the UBC AERL Theatre

September 7, 2017: IRES Faculty Seminar
Speaker: Simon Goring
University of Wisconsin

IRES Seminar Series
Time: 12:30pm to 1:30pm (every Thursday)
Location: AERL Theatre (room 120), 2202 Main Mall

Pizza will be served at 12pm on the 4th floor of AERL. There will be a limit of one slice per person to ensure all attendees have pizza.

Turning technical challenges into interdisciplinary success: Understanding interactions between climate, vegetation and land use change.

Abstract: Recent advances in the data sciences have provided us with a number of new tools for dealing with the scientific “data deluge”, however, scientific data are often noisy, poorly collated, and often wrong. This results in solutions that require both technical knowledge and deep disciplinary knowledge. The PalEON project brought together paleoecologists, climate and ecosystem modelers, statisticians and historical ecologists to begin to help improve climate forecasts by constraining slow ecosystem processes using historical data. This talk will review some of the challenges, solutions, and results of this data intensive project, in particular, highlighting the significant impact of EuroAmerican settlement on species distributions and climate relationships in the American Midwest.

Engagement with the Neotoma Paleoecological Database (https://neotomadb.org), and the technical problems inherent in the PalEON project has also fostered deep involvement with the EarthCube program (http://earthcube.org), a joint program of the National Science Foundation’s Advanced Cyberinfrastructure and Geosciences divisions, focused on developing scientific cyberinfrastructure for the 21st century. I will discuss developments wihin EarthCube, their impacts on the Earth Sciences and successful outcomes from early projects including Flyover Country, GeoDeepDive and the EarthLife Consortium.

Bio:  Simon Goring has had a varied academic career:  A city kid growing up in Toronto, a forest tech, with a diploma from Sir Sandford Fleming and a stint in the woods of northern Manitoba, a canoe guide on the Bow and North Saskatchewan Rivers, and a plant biologist with a B.Sc from UNBC.  He finished his Ph.D with Rolf Mathewes in Biology at SFU, using fossil pollen to understand climate and vegetation change in British Columbia over the last 10000 years.  His approach to paleoecology and data analysis brought him to a postdoc at the University of Wisconsin in the department of Geography, where he is now an Assistant Scientist, working as the Technical Lead of the Neotoma Paleoecological Database, and a member of the Leadership Council for the EarthCube program.

For more infromation, please see here.  See you on Thursday September 7!

Employment Opportunities
 

Tenure-Track Assistant Professor, Marine Invertebrate Zoology, San Jose State University USA

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML) and San Jose State University (SJSU) are seeking a marine scientist with broad interests in marine invertebrate zoology, ideally with a strong field component to their research, and possible expertise in molecular techniques, bioinformatics, and quantitative analyses.  The successful applicant must have a strong commitment to quality instruction and pursue a vigorous research program involving MS students.  A Ph.D is required.  Applicant materials should demonstrate an awareness of and sensitivity to the educational goals of multicultural population as might have been gained through cross-cultural study, teaching, training and other comparable experiences.

Applications are due by September 8, 2017. For more information and how to apply, please see here.

Tenure-Track Assistant Professor, Chemical Oceanography, San Jose State University USA

Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML) and San Jose State University (SJSU) are seeking well-qualified applicants for a full-time, tenure-track position qulaity undergraduate and graduate instruction, and to pursue a vigorous research program in the general area of Chemical Oceanography, possibly including environmental chemistry, analytical chemistry, and biological/chemical/physical interactions.  The successful applicant must have a strong commitment to qulaity instruction and a record of a vigorous research program that can involve graduate students.  A Ph.D is required.  Applicant materials should demonstrate an awareness of and sensitivity to the educational goals of a multicultural population as might have been gained through cross-cultural study, teaching, training and other comparable experiences.

Applications are due by September 8, 2017. For more information and how to apply, please see here.