DeVlieg Education enhancement award

 

study in finland, england, and italy

On January 31, 2007 I was one of two proud recipients of the newly established Education Enhancement Award from the DeVlieg Foundation.  The award was created to provide graduate students an opportunity to engage in an international education experience of their choosing.  Originally, I had planned to attend a summer school at Cambridge University.  The course was Geophysical and Environmental Fluid Dynamics.  Unfortunately, weeks after receiving the award I was informed the course would not be offered this year.  The course had run continuously since 1991 but due to funding policy modifications of UK National Environmental Resource Council (NERC) the course would not run in 2007.  I was in the rare position of having funds but no course to attend.  With input from several colleagues, I was able to put together an educational experience that allowed me the same technical level of expertise I would have received from the Cambridge course but with a more varied itinerary. 


My trip consisted of participation in two separate summer courses (one in Helsinki, Finland and the other in Venice, Italy) and giving an invited lecture at the University of Reading, England.  The first course was held in Helsinki, Finland and was entitled Geophysical Turbulence and boundary layers:  nature, theory, and role in Earth’s systems.  The course was offered jointly through the University of Helsinki and the Finnish Meteorological Institute.  The course was taught by an international group of lecturers from universities and institutes across Europe, the US, and the Middle East.  The majority of the lecturers came from the very strong tradition of Russian boundary layer meteorology.  The course participants were primarily European with the majority from Scandinavian and Eastern European countries.  The course focused on the cutting edge of the current science in boundary layer meteorology. 


From Helsinki I traveled to the University of Reading in Reading, England where I was hosted by the director of the Environmental Systems Science Center (ESSC), Dr. Robert Gurney.  ESSC specializes in research on remotely sensed environmental data.  While at ESSC, I met with several researchers doing similar work to mine to exchange ideas.  I also gave a seminar to the ESSC staff and students on my research to date.  The seminar was well received with questions primarily related to how my work could be used to assist in quantifying remotely sensed data at larger spatial scales. 

The last leg of my trip was a summer school held in Venice, Italy.  The course was held at the Istituto Veneto di Scienze Lettere ed Arti.  The institute (http://www.istitutoveneto.it/ivinglese) is located in the heart of Venice on the Grand Canal at the foot of the Academic Bridge.  Founded in the early 19th century by Napoleon, the institute has a long, prestigious, and colorful history.  The summer school has run since 1989 with topics that integrate ecology, engineering, and environmental science.  The title of the course I attended was, Pathways to Environmental Sustainability.   

The lecturers were a mix of hydrologist, economist, and environmental scientists.  The majority of the lecturers were Italian with some visiting professors from the US.  One of the most energetic lecturers, Professor Ignacio Rodriguez-Iturbe, was a recent recipient of the prestigious Stockholm Water Prize.  Another lecturer, Professor Simon Levin, was a recent recipient of the prestigious Kyoto Prize in Basic Science.  The lecturers were available through out the week and during most evening meals for discussion and interaction.  The course was well done with a group exercise at the end.  For the group exercise, I worked with four students who are also working on boundary layer meteorology projects.  The students in the course were primarily Italian with a nice mix of international students from Sweden, France, China, Spain, and Switzerland. 


My trip was excellent from several stand points.  Technically, it was at the highest level of education due to the level of expertise of the lecturers.  I was able to make contacts and establish the beginning of some fruitful working relationships.  Personally, I was able to see a part of the world in a way I would have never been able to experience without this opportunity.