Monday, 8 September 2014
Tuesday, 19 August 2014
Thursday, 14 August 2014
Call for Applications: WASCAL Master Research Program Climate Change and Education 2014/2015
http://start.org/announcements/call-for-applications-wascal-master-climate-change-education
The West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (www.wascal.org) appreciates the fact that the capacity to translate scientific evidence on climate change to viable policies comes with the understanding of science by experts, as well as with skills to effectively disseminate climate change science for the understanding of the general public and political decision-makers. Consequently, education is an essential element of the global response to climate change. It helps people understand and address the impact of global warming, encourages changes in their attitudes and behaviour and helps them adapt to climate change-related trends. It is imperative, therefore, that the students of the MRP get prepared to understand current scientific evidence, policy and ethical discourses on climate change.
WASCAL, therefore, aims to make climate change education a more central and visible part of the West African response to climate change in order to contribute to the understanding of the impact of global warming and to increase climate literacy. It plans to do this through the two-year “Climate Change and Education” program at The University of The Gambia.
The Master’s Research Program will enable the graduates to work as public educational experts and communication officers with a specialization in climate change. It further prepares the students for a career in Climate change, Education or Communications Sciences.
1. Learning outcomes
After the 2 year program, the graduates of the MRP “Climate Change and Education” are expected to:
After the 2 year program, the graduates of the MRP “Climate Change and Education” are expected to:
• Demonstrate state-of-the-art expertise in climate change education and risk communication
• Have experience in how to plan and conduct an empirical study in the field of climate change education and communication
• Be able to develop and apply research techniques independently
• Demonstrate skills to translate knowledge of complex physical, biological and political processes for diverse audiences
• Understand and apply new academic and political concepts as they emerge
• Translate climate change knowledge into communication campaigns, educational material and policy recommendations
• Show evidence of scholarship by having presented and successfully defended a M.Sc. thesis.
• Have experience in how to plan and conduct an empirical study in the field of climate change education and communication
• Be able to develop and apply research techniques independently
• Demonstrate skills to translate knowledge of complex physical, biological and political processes for diverse audiences
• Understand and apply new academic and political concepts as they emerge
• Translate climate change knowledge into communication campaigns, educational material and policy recommendations
• Show evidence of scholarship by having presented and successfully defended a M.Sc. thesis.
2. Student Eligibility
The entry requirements to the MRP “Climate Change and Education” are as follows:
The entry requirements to the MRP “Climate Change and Education” are as follows:
1. Applicants must be citizens of one of the following member WASCAL countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo;
2. Five O’ Level/WASSCE/NECO credit passes in Mathematics, English, and any four relevant subjects or its equivalent in Francophone countries;
3. First Degree ( B.Sc., BA, B.Ed or others) with a minimum of 2nd Class Upper Degree (Mention Assez Bien) from the University of The Gambia (UTG) or any other Institution recognized by UTG; in any discipline related to the subject.
4. Candidates must provide 3 referees, one of whom must be a Bachelor’s Degree Project Supervisor or Lecturer.
5. Students will also have to meet any additional requirements of The University of The Gambia.
2. Five O’ Level/WASSCE/NECO credit passes in Mathematics, English, and any four relevant subjects or its equivalent in Francophone countries;
3. First Degree ( B.Sc., BA, B.Ed or others) with a minimum of 2nd Class Upper Degree (Mention Assez Bien) from the University of The Gambia (UTG) or any other Institution recognized by UTG; in any discipline related to the subject.
4. Candidates must provide 3 referees, one of whom must be a Bachelor’s Degree Project Supervisor or Lecturer.
5. Students will also have to meet any additional requirements of The University of The Gambia.
3. Maximum Intake
The WASCAL Master’s program will select ten (10) applicants with the best results, one each from the WASCAL member countries. The WASCAL masters students will be provided with full scholarship by WASCAL.
The WASCAL Master’s program will select ten (10) applicants with the best results, one each from the WASCAL member countries. The WASCAL masters students will be provided with full scholarship by WASCAL.
An additional ten (10) applicants with excellent results may also be selected provided they have evidence of sponsorship and have the ability to complete the program within a period of 2 years.
4. Language Requirements
The language of instruction for the program is English. The following are the language requirements for admission:
1. West African School Certificate (WASCE) credit in English or its equivalent.
2. Candidates from French-speaking countries must have an intermediate level of proficiency in English. In general, a computer-based TOEFL score of 213 (or the equivalent) will satisfy requirement for their entry into the MRP.
1. West African School Certificate (WASCE) credit in English or its equivalent.
2. Candidates from French-speaking countries must have an intermediate level of proficiency in English. In general, a computer-based TOEFL score of 213 (or the equivalent) will satisfy requirement for their entry into the MRP.
Applicants with limited English skills are encouraged to use the time between application submission and in-person interview, to attend English training classes at their own expense.
Please note that a 3 month English Language proficiency course will be provided to the selected French-speaking students prior to enrolment in the MRP, to help meet entry requirements. Students will be required to complete this course satisfactorily in order to be enrolled in the program.
5. Scholarship and Research Support
All scholarship-holding MRP students will receive a scholarship of € 350 (three hundred and fifty euros) per month from WASCAL to cover accommodation and other expenses during their studyperiod of two years. Research support will be made available to students after the approval of their research proposal and budget by the program director, their research supervisor and WASCAL.
All scholarship-holding MRP students will receive a scholarship of € 350 (three hundred and fifty euros) per month from WASCAL to cover accommodation and other expenses during their studyperiod of two years. Research support will be made available to students after the approval of their research proposal and budget by the program director, their research supervisor and WASCAL.
6. Curriculum
The duration of the Masters Research Program “Climate Change and Education” is two years, and successful candidates are awarded a MSc. Degree in Climate Change and Education from The University of the Gambia.
The duration of the Masters Research Program “Climate Change and Education” is two years, and successful candidates are awarded a MSc. Degree in Climate Change and Education from The University of the Gambia.
Practical and theoretical courses will be offered during the first three semesters of the program. These will be a combination of core courses that emphasize the focus of the program i.e. climate change and education, as well as specialized options that will further help in the achievement of the program’s objectives. The lecturers are selected from experts in specific areas of the curriculum and they come from our partner institutions, from The University of the Gambia, as well as from international partner institutes.
The courses that will be offered by the Masters program will be within the following themes.
Communication Skills; Natural Environment and Climate Ecosystems; The Basics and Applied Science of Climate Change (the physics, biosphere, atmosphere and global warming); Conservation; Climatology and Hydrology; Communication and Climate Change; Curriculum design; Earth-to-Space-based Observing Systems for Climate Change; Environmental Risk Assessment and Disaster Management; Chemistry of Climate Change; Information Systems and Climate Change; Climate Change Impact Assessment, Mitigation & Adaptation; Teaching & Advocacy of Climate Change; Computational Methods & Analysis of Climate Change; Emerging Topics & Issues of Climate Change & Education-Seminars; Curriculum Design & Development of Climate Change; Climate Change Education for Sustainable Development; Regional Climate Systems Dynamics & Modelling in Climate Change Education; Climate Change Education & Human Security; Fundamentals of Economics of Climate Change; Traditional knowledge and literature on climate change
7. Timeline
Deadline for the submission of applications: August 15th, 2014
Deadline for the submission of applications: August 15th, 2014
Sending out letters of acceptance to selected students: from September 1, 2014
Only successful candidates will be contacted.
8. Application Procedure and Contact
To apply to the MRP Climate Change and Education please forward scanned copy of a fully completed application form, accompanied by scanned copes of original documents and all other information required, to both of the two following email addresses:
Note: It is important to send all required materials to both email addresses at the same time.
There may be a need for a selection interview via telephone, Skype or Messenger. The date of the interview will be communicated to eligible candidates where applicable.
Application Deadline: August 15th, 2014
Wednesday, 13 August 2014
CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE DRYLAND ECOSYSTEMS AND SOCIETIES: Develop plans to exploit potential in arid areas, ...
CENTER FOR SUSTAINABLE DRYLAND ECOSYSTEMS AND SOCIETIES: Develop plans to exploit potential in arid areas, ...: Institutions of higher learning in Kenya have been challenged to develop innovative technologies to help exploit the massive potential of d...
Develop plans to exploit potential in arid areas, study centres urged
Institutions of higher learning in Kenya have been challenged to develop innovative technologies to help exploit the massive potential of drylands in Kenya.
Speaking at a forum on sustainable development in drylands organised by the University of Nairobi’s Centre for Sustainable Dryland Ecosystems and Societies (CSDES), Principal Secretary for State Department of Science and Technology, Prof Colette Suda, said that Kenya’s drylands suffer from a lot of myths, low human capacity and knowledge gaps despite their untapped potential.
Drylands constitute over 80 per cent of Kenya’s land mass and is occupied by about 35 per cent of the over 40 million population yet they are largely ignored or overlooked in the development agenda.
Human capital
“This calls for transformative education that is accessible to dryland communities and research that generates knowledge to inform development in these areas. By building human capital, dryland communities will adopt technologies and innovations that enhance resilience, improve livelihoods and environmental sustainability,” Prof Suda said.
She was represented by the director of research management and development in the ministry of Education Science and Technology, Mr George Ombakho.
She said institutions of higher education should nurture and motivate scholars to come up with innovations that will lead to sustainable use, management and development of drylands in line with Kenya’s Vision 2030 for secure and prosperous communities in the arid areas.
“Some of the unique challenges of education in expansive drylands relates to access, quality and relevance of training. High levels of poverty and climate disasters hamper equitable access to education for dryland communities,” she said.
This call comes in the wake of persistent cases of drought and famine in Northern Kenya over the years. Low human capacity and knowledge gaps can be reversed by training the communities.
Hit by drought
Already, the weatherman has predicted a gloomy picture for most of the arid and semi-arid areas this year owing to failure of the long rains. The situation is worsened by poor short rainfall season last year.
Samburu and Turkana have been cited to be among areas that will be worst hit by the drought this year.
The University of Nairobi vice-chancellor, Prof George Magoha, said the institution had earmarked CSDES as a specialised centre contributing to sustainable dryland ecosystems and improved livelihoods through education, research, partnerships, policy dialogue and community outreach.
“CSDES is currently collaborating with the Inter-governmental Authority on Development’s applied research in development programme as one of the centres of excellence for drylands in the Horn of Africa,” Prof Magoha said.
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