21 September 2011
Fellows in the 2011 training programme present their individual project
On 19 September the fellows in
this year’s six-month training course presented their individual project work in an open seminar at the Agricultural University of Iceland. The
project work includes writing a comprehensive report and giving an oral presentation. The fellows choose a subject for the project that is of their
interest and is related to degradation and restoration challenges in their home countries.
5 September 2011
Annual Visiting Lecturer at the UNU-GTP 2011
This year, the annual UNU Visiting Lecturer was Dr. Ernst Huenges, who leads the International Geothermal Research Centre at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum
(GFZ). Dr. Huenges gave a series of lectures on Enhanced Geothermal Systems.
Dr. Huenges is chair of an interdisciplinary working group with engineers and geoscientists and head of the petrophysical laboratories at the GFZ. He has been involved in a number of
scientific deep drilling projects and geothermal projects. He is a contributing author of the IPCC special report on renewable energies and in 2010, he edited a book on Geothermal Energy
Systems.
5 September 2011
UNU-LRT presented at the SER 2011 World Conference
The Society of Ecological Restoration held its fourth world conference on ecological restoration in Merida, Mexico from 21 to 25 August last
month. UNU-LRT was presented at the conference in an oral presentation in a session on ecological restoration education, and in a poster in the poster
session. Four scientists, who teach and supervise in UNU-LRT annual six-month training course, also attended the conference and gave oral presentations on
their research and projects. These scientists come from the Agricultural University of Iceland and the Soil Conservation Service of Iceland.
25 August 2011
Mariyanuge Dileepa Samika Thanuksha de Croos, defended his Ph.D. thesis
On Wednesday August 24, Mariyanuge Dileepa Samika Thanuksha de Croos, defended his Ph.D. thesis: "Shrimp Populations in Western Sri Lanka: the Fishery, mtDNA Variations and Reproductive
Biology" from University of Iceland.
25 August 2011
Chamari Dissanayake, defends her Ph.D. thesis
On Friday July 8, Chamari Dissanayake, defended her Ph.D. thesis on "Assessment and Management of sea cucumber resources in the coastal waters of SriLanka" at the University of
Iceland.
15 August 2011
Individually based project work
Individual project work is an
important part of the six-month training at UNU-LRT and is the main focus in the latter half of the training. This year the fellows projects are very
diverse, some are strictly scientific and include field- and lab work, mapping and use of GIS, as well as data handling and statistical analysis. Others
are closer to the field of social sciences and include surveys and examination of participatory approaches in land management, and evaluation of legal frameworks and policies related with grazing
lands.