Call for Applications to attend Institute for Integration of Research on Climate Change and Hazards in the Americas

www.aag.org/Grantsawards/pasi.html

Anticipated impacts of climate change increase the likelihood and extremity of hazards, and when coupled with the largely unpredictable ways in which local communities may experience new or different kinds of events, the importance of supporting integration at the hemispheric scale rises to a critical level.  The Institute for Integration of Research on Climate Change and Hazards in the Americas will address these topics and foster a region-wide community of scholars and practitioners.  Up to 50 graduate students and post-doctoral scholars from the US and Latin America will be supported to participate in a two-week long institute in Panama City, Panama to be held in June 2010.  The institute will offer lectures, demonstrations, technical training, group discussions, and work sessions at the advanced graduate and post-doctoral level.  Participants will collectively produce a research agenda and a set of white papers, and will support development of an online knowledge and collaboration environment before, during, and after the event.

The event, co-organized by the Association of American Geographers (AAG), the PanAmerican Institute for Geography and History (PAIGH) of the Organization of American States, the US Geological Survey (USGS), the National Communication Association (NCA), and the United Nations Environment Programme Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNEP), will take place in collaboration with the Universidad Tecnológica de Panamá and will be led by an expert interdisciplinary team of 12 lecturers from the US, Panama, Chile, Brazil, and Mexico. The desired result of the program is a clear roadmap and collaborative mechanism for developing and sharing the knowledge necessary for responding to climate change and hazards in the Americas in an integrative way, using geographic tools and methods as a research and communication framework. Funding for the institute comes from the US Department of Energy and US National Science Foundation sponsored Pan American Advanced Studies Institute Program (NSF PASI).

Graduate students, post doctoral students, or early career scientists within 6 years of receiving the PhD, and who are US citizens or permanent residents or are currently enrolled in a US university or academic institution in any field may apply to attend as US Participants. Underrepresented groups and students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, and tribal colleges are encouraged to apply. Graduate students, post doctoral students, or early career scientists within 10 years of receiving the PhD who are citizens of and residents in any country in Latin America may apply as Regional Participants. Selected participants must attend the full two week institute in Panama and will receive airfare, lodging, local transportation to institute events, training materials, and some meals paid for by the program.  Application forms, instructions and selection criteria are available on the website at  www.aag.org/Grantsawards/pasi.html.  Deadline for submissions is January 16, 2010.  For questions or additional information, please contact Patricia Solís at psolis@aag.org.