UNIPD-NCKU Joint Summer School 2014 "NATURAL HAZARDS IN THE ITALIAN ALPS" June 29 - July 6 2014 This summer school represents the second appointment of the agreement signed two years ago between TESAFDept. (University of Padova) and the Earth Science Dept. (National Cheng Kung University). The purpose was to arrange a moment where 10 Italian and 10 Taiwanese students meet each other and discuss about the critical and social issues related to natural hazards, since both Italy and Taiwan are yearly subject of several natural disaster. In 2013 a first summer school/field trip was organized in Taiwan and 7 students from University of Padova attended the event. The purpose of this year is to organize the same in the Italian Alps (Dolomites). The principal aim is to make the students aware of natural hazards in the alpine region. This will be accomplished through both lectures and field surveys in a typical alpine catchment (Rio Cordon) and also a well-known site: the Vajont During this summer school, the students had the possibility to gain awareness of the principal issues related to natural hazards in the Alps, especially landslides and debris flow. Some lectures were gave at the campus of Agripolis (Scuola di Agraria – Medicina Veterinaria), whereas field surveys have been carried out in the Rio Cordon alpine catchment. This study area fits for the purposes because it has been fully covered by several surveys in the last decades. In addition, multi-temporal environmental data (landslide scars, channel heads, rainfall and discharge, sediment transport, channel network) are available and tested. Then the students visited the Vajont dam (BL) in order to understand how one of the most (and sadly) famous natural disasters in the world, has occurred. Dr. Paolo Tarolli, from University of Padova, was the teacher in charge of the Summer School. Prof. Ruey-Juin Rau, head of the Earth Science Dept. of the National Cheng Kung University, also attended as co-instructor.
European Dendroecological Fieldweek 2013 (26-30 August, San Vito di Cadore, Italy) Who? People interested in tree-rings from all over the world. Beginners, Master and PhD students are particularly encouraged to apply. What? Topics will cover the full spectrum of dendrochronological issues (climate, ecology, geomorphology, archeology ...) and foster cross-disciplinary links. Each topic will include keynote lectures, field work, sample preparation and tree-ring analyses in small groups. At the end of the week all participants are expected to present a poster of their results and there will be ample opportunity for discussion.
Understanding Earth-Surface Processes in the Alpine Environment from High Resolution Topography (European Geosciences Union Summer School, 28 July - 4 August) Training in field acquisition, processing and interpretation of high resolution topographic data with ground-based (GPS, Terrestrial Laser Scanner) and airborne instruments (LiDAR, Light Detection and Ranging), for the recognition of geomorphic signatures (erosion, landslides, channel heads, channel network) and for the understanding earth-surface processes in the Dolomites-Alpine context. The students will understand the main critical issues that usually occur during a TLS field survey in a natural and complex environment, and during the processing of high resolution topographic data in a workstation. Comparison to airborne LiDAR will serve as the basis to discuss about the suitability of remote sensing instruments for the recognition of features at different spatial scales and taking account of data uncertainty. Then, after evaluating and processing the topographic data, the methods for the objective extraction of geomorphic features related to channel heads, channel network, shallow landsliding processes, and bank erosion in a complex mountainous terrain will be tested.
International Summer School in Integrated Rural Road Network Re-engineering (IRRNR) (Jezersko, 14-27 July 2013) The overall aim of the course is dedicated to the training of the students who will acquire advanced knowledge both theoretical and practical in the field of rural road network re-engineering (i.e. the application of technology and management to the modification of existing rural road network in order to make it more effective, efficient, and responsive to the actual needs of the opening up of forests, the rural development tourism and in general of the society).
Russian Forest Governance in a european context (St Petesburg Summer School, 8-12 July 2013) The Summer School will present and discuss forest governance approaches in Russia, the EU and in a pan-European context, introducing and applying policy analysis and forest sector foresight methods. Moreover, actual issues such as trade and forest certification, criteria and indicator development will be presented and discussed. The Summer School supports the development of skills required to define and analyse European and Russian forest policy problems, including introductions to issues at stake as well as research methods and approaches.
