The central goal of the IAI/UM Summer Institute is to enhance communication and foster collaboration among natural and social scientists from the Americas. Specific objectives include:

• Foster a multi-disciplinary and multi-institutional approach to modern scientific research on global change in the Americas, with the ultimate goal of bridging the gap between science and policy.
• Update and level the expertise and research capabilities of regional scientists on topics related to the IAI Science Agenda.
• Promote awareness of the usefulness of science to the policy-making process, and foster an understanding of decision/policy makers' information needs.
• Remove potential impediments and barriers for effective communication and collaboration among social and natural scientists.
• Build trust and mutual respect among scientists of different disciplines.
• Develop personal relationships among scientists of different countries, regions and disciplines, effectively contributing to the development of the IAI human network throughout the Americas.
• Develop mentoring relationships between experienced and junior scientists from the IAI region.
• Set the basis for future faculty/student exchange programs.

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Overall Approach

To give the Summer Institute a distinctive purpose and identity, Institute activities will be organized around regionally important global change issues with societal relevance. A different topic or theme will be selected each year. The Institute's themes will be approached from a multi-disciplinary perspective, and used as "training vehicles" to enhance communication and collaboration among natural and social scientists. By addressing societally relevant issues, awareness will develop among participants of the need for scientific input to the global change policy or decision making process.

Each year, the chosen Institute theme will serve as the central focus for various instructional efforts (lectures, research projects). Most activities will involve background, examples, or applications related to the central theme. Participants will address the different dimensions of the selected theme. At the same time, as participants will come from different disciplines, they will be expected to educate the rest of the group (instructors and other students) in topics of their expertise. In summary, everybody will be expected to learn from everyone else, and to teach everyone else.

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Justification

The training and education (T&E) of future scientists is critical to the continued advance of global change research in the Americas. Training and education is a high priority for IAI, which the Institute is addressing through a number of approaches, including scholarships, fellowships, training workshops, short courses, and educational materials.

Training and education efforts are central to various aspects of the IAI's mission. T&E is an obvious mechanism to enhance and level scientific research capacity throughout the Americas. Also, T&E is crucial for the development of effective networks of scientists and scientific institutions working collaboratively on global change issues of regional importance. Finally, the IAI aims to promote the use of global change science results among policy makers and people living in the Americas. Social scientists from the Americas can make significant contributions to bridging the gap between science and policy. However, until now, social scientists have not been as involved as hoped in IAI's activities.

The IAI/UM Summer Institute is the result of collaboration between IAI and the University of Miami. The Summer Institute is a new component of the IAI's long-term education strategy, and is specifically intended to address the strong need to enhance communication and foster collaboration among natural and social scientists from the Americas.

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Intended Institute Participation

What is the intended audience of the IAI/UM Summer Institute? The main targets for Institute participation are investigators/managers in the early stages of their careers. This may include a mixture of recent graduates, post-docs, junior scientists, and early-career professionals. It may be possible also to select some advanced graduate students, and mid-career scientists interested in interdisciplinary approaches. The number of participants in each year's Institute will be around 18-20, including comparable numbers of natural and social scientists.

Specific eligibility criteria will be announced for each Institute. Nevertheless, some general criteria can be mentioned in this section. Prospective Institute participants should have formal training on disciplines associated with the chosen Institute theme. They should have an affiliation with academic or research institutions in IAI Ratified Member Countries. Participants also may be involved with other governmental institutions (e.g., a Ministry of Natural Resources) in IAI Ratified Member Countries, provided they are in a position to apply the experience and knowledge gained during the Institute. As the main language of instruction is expected to be English, participants should be able to demonstrate an ability to understand lectures in this language, and, most importantly, participate in discussions.

There are other, less tangible but just as important, criteria for Institute eligibility. Participants should show a strong motivation, natural curiosity, open minds, and a willingness to interact with colleagues from diverse disciplines. Participants should be willing to participate actively in discussions, and feel comfortable working in groups.

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The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research

The IAI is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to

• global change research;
• augmenting the scientific capacity of the region; and
• providing information in a useful and timely manner to policy makers.

IAI's primary objective is to encourage research beyond the scope of national programs by advancing comparative and focused studies based on scientific issues important to the region as a whole. With the recognition for the need to better understand the natural and social processes that drive large-scale environmental change, the IAI encourages interactive exchanges between scientists and policy makers. It serves as a helpful source of information of scientific research focused on the Americas' most pressing environmental issues

The IAI has four permanent components: the Conference of the Parties and the Executive Council, which include representatives from the member countries, the Directorate, as a primary administrative organ, and the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC). The SAC is the main scientific advisory body of the Institute, and consists of 10 members, who serve a three-year term. SAC members are scientists who are recognized internationally in scientific disciplines related to global change research. The SAC makes recommendations regarding the Science Agenda, long-term plans, and the Institute's annual program, and assesses the results of IAI-funded research. The SAC has endorsed the concept of a Summer Institute, and will provide general guidance, as well as specific input on a range of implementation issues.

Further information about the IAI and its activities can be found at the Institute's WWW site (http://www.iai.int).

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The Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, founded by F.G. Walton Smith, is the University of Miami's graduate school of marine and atmospheric science. Dr. Otis Brown is the dean of the School. Located on a 16-acre campus on Virginia Key in Miami, it is the only subtropical applied and basic marine and atmospheric research institute of its kind in the continental United States. The Rosenstiel School conducts a broad range of research on local, regional, national and global levels. More than 90 Ph.D. faculty members, 180 graduate students and a research support and administrative staff of 250 comprise the academic community. Close partnerships with NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory and the Southeast Fisheries Science Center, also located on Virginia Key, provide many mutually beneficial.

Further information about the Rosenstiel School and its academic and research programs can be found at the School's WWW site (http://www.rsmas.miami.edu).

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Page last Updated:	Friday, June 9, 2000 at 1:09 PM
Contact:	Guillermo Podestá (gpodesta@rsmas.miami.edu), Summer Institute Science Coordinator Telephone:+1.305.361.4142