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ABCD-Centre Transfer Workshop Series

ABCD-Centre Transfer Workshop Series

Collaborative Workshop by ABCD-Centre and CIPSEM on Water Security and Adaptation

Securing Our Water Future

On July 5th, 2023, the Centre For International Postgraduate Studies Of Environmental Management (CIPSEM) and ABCD-Centre collaborated to host a workshop series at TU Dresden, focusing on topics regarding the challenges and solutions proposals to achieve water security and climate adaptation in different countries. The event brought together various stakeholders, including scientists, decision-makers, and students, providing them with a platform for dialogue and information exchange to secure our water future.

The day began with a warm welcome from Prof. Stamm, the Head of TUD Dean Faculty of Civil Engineering, emphasizing the necessity of interdisciplinary collaboration to address the issues surrounding water security and climate adaptation. The workshop series effectively achieved this objective, featuring presenters from different countries and professional backgrounds. Participants had the opportunity to engage with NGO founders, academics, government officials, and students, who shared their insights on cutting-edge technologies and solutions regarding the topic. Dr. Anna Görner, representing the CIPSEM team, extended her welcoming remarks, highlighting the significance of the partnership between ABCD Centre and CIPSEM in creating a space for students and alumni to shape a better future. Additionally, she shared information regarding the International Postgraduate Training Program in environmental management for developing countries.

The conference included presentations from 12 professionals, with 8 of them being members of the CIPSEM team and four presenters affiliated with the ABCD-Centre, Prof. Mukand Babel and Mr Danish D. R, including two future environmental leaders, Fahad and Kumar. In addition to these insightful sessions, Dr Frances Guerin from the University of Kent, Canterbury, UK, shared a presentation titled "Seeing the Challenges of Water Through Art," offering a unique perspective on water-related issues through artistic expressions. Dr Anna Görner, representing the CIPSEM team, extended her welcoming remarks, highlighting the significance of the partnership between ABCD Centre and CIPSEM in creating a space for students and alumni to shape a better future.

The day concluded with an engaging exchange of ideas between decision-makers and scientists, during which the participants emphasized the importance of improving the availability of open data and refining the methodologies employed for data collection.

Overall, the workshop seires successfully provided a platform for knowledge sharing, collaboration, and exploring innovative solutions for water security and adaptation challenges .

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6th ICOE 2023

6th ICOE 2023 hosted at RWTH Aachen, Germany.​

Between the 4th and 8th of June 2023.

A brief tour of the hydraulic testing facilities at the Institute of Hydraulic Engineering and Water Resources Management (IWW) and a detailed technical tour of the Ahr Valley with a specific focus on the 2021 floods was provided to the participants. The conference had a series of presentations on topics including offshore structures, coastal structures, geomorphology, autonomous navigation, AI, deep learning, forecasting, climate change, marine vehicles, ports and harbours. The delegates and students were also opportune to the eminent keynote lectures from the faculties of world-renowned universities, members of the federal departments and UN Committees for coastal zone and flood management and the Ocean Ambassador.

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Learn about research stays

Collaborative Research Journey​

Dr. Saroj Chapagain - AIT, Bangkok​

Dr. Saroj Kumar Chapagain, an Associate Programme Officer at United Nations University- Institute for Integrated Management of Material Fluxes and of Resources (UNU-FLORES), Dresden, has successfully concluded his month-long research stay at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Thailand, from May 1st to May 31st, 2023. The research stay, funded by the Global Water and Climate Adaptation Centre (ABCD-Centre), aimed to foster collaboration among partners of the Centre.

Main outcomes

One of the key outcomes of Dr. Chapagain’s research stay was the collaborative development of a joint review paper. He worked closely with Prof. Mukund Babel, Dr. Dibesh Khadka, and Prof. Daniel Karthe to draft a systematic review paper on using machine learning (ML) in drought prediction. The team developed an outline and initially screened relevant papers, categorizing them based on specific areas of ML application. The research stays also provided an invaluable opportunity for knowledge sharing and discussions on the nexus approach in integrated resource management. Dr. Chapagain emphasized the importance of the nexus approach and the need for decision support tools, such as sustainability assessment, to promote its implementation in resource planning processes.

Furthermore, Dr. Chapagain participated in a Water Security Assessment Tool (WATSAT) training workshop organized by AIT and Asia Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN).  This workshop equipped professionals in the water sector with practical skills to assess water security using WATSAT. In addition, the research stay facilitated fruitful collaborations and engagements with leading universities in Thailand, including Chulalongkorn University, Mahidol University, and Ramkhamhaeng University. Dr. Chapagain introduced the ABCD-Centre and highlighted scholarship opportunities for graduates and the potential for future collaborations.

Overall, the research stay hosted by AIT proved to be highly productive, providing an excellent platform for sharing research experiences and exploring climate change adaptation initiatives. It paved the way for developing new research topics, strengthened the partnership beyond ABCD Centre, and opened doors for collaborations with other research centers and universities in Thailand.

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Julia Menschick

Get to know Julia Menschik.

Master student in sustainable management. Three-month research stay at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras. The research stay was funded by the Global Water and Climate Adaptation Centre.

"I have been interested in India’s cultural wealth and variety of landscapes for a long time, but the IIT Madras campus was particularly amazing. It is in the beautiful nature of the former Guindy National Park and is home to tropical flora and fauna like monkeys, deer, antelopes, and rodents. I stayed in the Sabarmati Girls Hostel, where I felt very safe and got to know great friends mattis."

“When I applied at IIT Madras, I received very friendly responses from my host supervisors. I felt truly fortunate. Preparation for travelling to India included some vaccinations and applying for a student visa in Frankfurt. Moreover, I had to plan my accommodation, flight and transport from airport to the campus.” 

To put it all in a nutshell, I truly appreciate these memorable moments with awesome people I am still in contact with. Chennai has surprised me many times. There is always something unexpected happening: a goat on a motorbike, a mattress on a motorbike, monkeys stealing food, a monkey riding a deer, cows on the street and chaotic traffic. I would love to visit India again.

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Kaushal Chapagain experience

Learn more about Kaushal Chapagain

First Scholarship holder. Future Environmental Leadership (FEL) scholar’s scientific cohort.

Imagen de WhatsApp 2023-05-26 a las 11.49.46

I am very grateful to have been selected as one of the first recipients of the Global Water and Climate Adaptation Centre (ABCD-Centre)—Future Environmental Leadership (FEL) scholar’s scientific cohort. During my one year of scientific training under the joint supervision of Prof. Babel (AIT), Prof. Daniel (UNU-FLORES), and Prof. Stamm (TU-Dresden) on my PhD thesis on the topic “Framework For Assessment Of Water Energy Food Nexus Under Climate Change: An Application To The Ping River Basin, Thailand”, I received a lot of feedback and suggestions which provided significant help to enhance the quality of my doctoral research.

During my entire research period under the FELS program, I could draft a manuscript from my PhD research and published two papers in high-quality journals. I also had ample opportunity to participate and present my research in workshops, dialogues, and conferences, to name a few, like the ABCD Resource Nexus dialogue, Dresden Nexus Conference 2022 (DNC 2022), Global Centres PhD Colloquium, and DAAD event.

I feel privileged and lucky to have joined UNU-FLORES as a visiting researcher under the program because it has helped me a great deal to broaden my understanding of the “Resource Nexus” concept.

I got exposure to one of the top-tier think-tank institutes that advocates for the resource nexus and had a chance to learn about the high quality of ongoing research and projects. I also got a nice networking opportunity with highly experienced professors, doctoral students, and individuals from diverse backgrounds along with being a member of the UNU- Water Network and Early Career Scientist (ECS) Water Network.

The past 10 months I have been involved at UNU-FLORES have proven to be very beneficial in terms of my development as a researcher and I see this collaboration go beyond the Future Environmental Leadership training period..

 Everybody here is cordial, engaged in discussions, and open to collaboration. I  encourage and recommend the doctoral studentsnfrom the Global South to apply for the ABCD Future Environmental Leaders Scholarship call to gain the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 

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