Miami, Florida, USA
July 11-30, 1999
The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) and the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (UM-RSMAS) announce the first Summer Institute on Interdisciplinary Global Change Science in the Americas, to be held in Miami, Florida, USA, from July 11 to July 30, 1999. The Summer Institute is a 3-year joint venture between UM-RSMAS and IAI, with support from the United States' National Science Foundation.
The central goal of the IAI-UM Summer Institute is to foster effective communication and collaboration between early-career natural and social scientists from the Americas. Each year, the Summer Institute will be organized around a regionally important global change issue with societal relevance. The Institute's themes (changing each year) will be approached from a multi-disciplinary perspective, including both the natural and social dimensions. The chosen Institute theme will serve as the central focus for various instructional efforts (lectures, discussions, research mini-projects).
The theme selected for the first IAI-UM Summer Institute is "Interactions between Seasonal to Inter-annual Climate Variability and Human Systems." The Institute will explore links between climate variability associated mainly with the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phenomenon and important socio-economic sectors (e.g., agriculture, management of water resources). In particular, the Institute will explore the implications of the emerging capability to forecast the occurrence on ENSO events with lead time of several months, and the feasibility of incorporating this information into decision-making or policy-making processes. A more detailed Institute program and a list of guest instructors and lecturers will be announced in the next few weeks.
Scientists from relevant disciplines are encouraged to consider applying for the first Summer Institute. Applicants may include climatologists, climate modelers, agronomists, hydrologists, resource economists, sociologists, environmental attorneys, or experts from related disciplines. An approximately equal number of natural and social scientists will be selected. Preference will be given to scientists beginning their careers (post-doctoral scientists, recent graduates, "becarios"), but advanced graduate students or senior scientists also will be considered. To be eligible, participants must be affiliated with a research, educational, or resource management institution in an IAI Member Country. Participants need to have sufficient command of English (the official language of the Institute) to actively participate in discussions and group activities.
The Institute organizers will support participants' travel, housing, and meals.
You can fill an on-line form to request further information on the First IAI/UM Summer Institute. Sign up to receive further information
For further information, please check frequently the Summer Institute WWW site at http://www.rsmas.miami.edu/IAI/index.html, or contact Dr. Guillermo Podestá, Science Coordinator of the Institute (e-mail: gpodesta@rsmas.miami.edu).
Information will also be available from the IAI National Representative in your country.