As we are reaching the limits of human use of our lands, there is an increasing need to design climate-smart, sustainable land use and land management solutions. To provide this it is crucial to have a mechanistic understanding of processes and interactions between soils and landscapes. This is the topic of the very active research field of soil-landscape modelling. Following a recent review and the development of novel models, the community now organises a soil-landscape modelling course for all interested PhD candidates, postdocs and other academics. Learning objectives include gaining an understanding of concepts and modelling approaches, and working on the participant’s own case studies with some of the available models. The course will be held on the beautiful campus of Wageningen University in the Netherlands, in the fall of 2016.
The course will start on Monday morning, and will end on Friday afternoon. Before the start of the course, participants will be asked to submit a short summary of the soil-landscape aspect of their studies, and of the datasets they have available.
Mornings will be focussed on lectures, afternoons will be focussed on supervised work by the participants, applying what they learned in the morning on their own case studies. This is a time-tested set-up that ensures students come away from the course with hands-on experience and first results towards answering their research questions.
Monday: In the morning there will be introductory lectures. In the afternoon there will be participant's presentations of case studies and questions, and in the evening there will be a course dinner.
Tuesday: In the morning there will be presentations of various models of soil-landscape evolution. In the afternoon participants can select their model of choice and do trial runs. Example data are available.
Wednesday: In the morning there will be lectures on how to optimally leverage field data and model options to answer research questions. In the afternoon the participants can set up of runs with their model of choice on their case studies. Models can run overnight.
Thursday will be a field-day to explore soil-landscape interactions in the Meerdaal forest in Belgium. Transport will be arranged and we are considering to organise a dinner en-route.
Friday: In the morning the participants can collect their model outputs and do the first analysis. There will also be a guest lecture. Then in the afternoon, their will be presentations by the participants, followed by feedback. The course will be wrapped up with some closing remarks and then ended with farewell drinks.
Lecturers contributing to the course:
Target Group | The course is aimed at PhD candidates and other academics |
Group Size | Min. 10, max. 25 participants |
Course duration | 5 days |
Language of instruction | English |
Number of credits | 2.5 ECTS |
Lecturers | See above |
Prior knowledge | Basic knowledge of soil and landscape processes, and their quantification, is assumed |
Location | The beautiful campus of Wageningen University, the Netherlands |
Options for accommodation | Accommodation is not included in the fee of the course, but there are several possibilities in Wageningen. For information on B&B's and hotels in Wageningen please visit proefwageningen.nl. Another option is Short Stay Wageningen. Furthermore Airbnb offers several rooms in the area. Note that besides the restaurants in Wageningen, there are also options to have dinner at Wageningen Campus. |
EARLY-BIRD FEE 2 | REGULAR FEE 2 | |
PE&RC 3 / SENSE PhD candidates with an approved TSP, or PhD candidates of the Zentrum für Agrarlandschafts Forschung, or of Ghent University | € 225,- 4 | € 250,- |
All other PhD candidates, postdocs and other academic staff | € 450,- 4 | € 475,- |
Participants from the private sector | € 900,- | € 925,- |
1 The course fee includes all lunches, coffee/tea, one course dinner, and a reader
2 The Early-Bird Fee applies to anyone who REGISTERS ON OR BEFORE 5 SEPTEMBER 2016
3 Those defending their thesis at Wageningen University
4 A limited travel subsidy is available for a select number of participants in this category. If you would like to compete for this travel subsidy, make sure to be registered for this course, and to send a letter of recommendation written by your professor to lennart.suselbeek@wur.nl, no later than WEDNESDAY 20 JULY 2016, 11 AM.
Note:
Note: If you would like to cancel your registration, ALWAYS inform us (and do note that you will be kept to the cancellation conditions)
PE&RC
Email: office.pe@wur.nl
CANCELLED