In a time of social distancing, the AIR Centre is bringing people back together by launching a series of online networking meetings that take place every Friday, from 1pm to 2 pm UTC. During these relaxing Networking Fridays, researchers, technology innovators, representatives of multilateral organizations, government officials, and social entrepreneurs will present to and discuss with the audience their current work and, most importantly, explore ways of future collaboration. Our goal is to keep our network active, connected and informed of interesting activities going on around the Atlantic region. Places are limited, so please register here. Let’s inspire each other and thrive through all this together.
The series started on April 24th with Gregory Jenkins, Director of AESEDA – Penn State’s Alliance for Education, Science, Engineering & Design with Africa and Professor of Meteorology and Atmospheric Science at Penn State University, who shared with the audience his work to improve observations and predictions on air pollution in West Africa by bringing together Earth observation, numerical modelling and innovative low cost sensors. The session was moderated by Jerry Miller, President of Science for Decisions, a consulting practice founded to ensure that solid science is available to inform decisions that impact people and places around the globe. Please find more information, including copy of the presentation and video of this session here.
Since the following Friday is a holiday in most of the countries, the second session in the series will be held on May 8th, when we will meet Samuel Mafwila, Director of SANUMARC – Sam Nujoma Marine and Coastal Resources Research Centre, which is a multidisciplinary research centre of the University of Namibia located at Henties Bay, in the stunningly beautiful coast of Namibia. The main themes to be discussed are the sustainable development of fisheries and aquaculture sectors in Southern Africa, desert and coastal agriculture in Namibia and the importance of and indigenous knowledge. Stewart Bernard, Principal Researcher from CSIR – South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and Chief Scientific Officer of the AIR Centre, will moderate the session. Please find more information about this session here.
In the third session, scheduled for May 15th, we will have Milton Kampel, Lab Leader of MOceanS – Monitoring Oceans from Space Lab, from INPE – Brazilian National Space Research Institute. From his laboratory, located in Sao Jose dos Campos, Sao Paulo, Milton will present his work on use of satellite images and metocean modelling for studying land-ocean interactions and monitoring corals and mangroves. This session will be moderated by Sofia Cordeiro, Head of the Ocean Office at FCT – Portuguese Foundation of Science and Technology. Please find more information about this session here.
On May 22th, we will travel to Oporto, Portugal to meet Isabel Sousa Pinto, member of the Board of Directors of CIIMAR – Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research and Co-Chair of GEO MBON – GEO Marine Biodiversity Observation Network. Isabel will present CIIMAR’s most interesting projects and also show how GEO MBON is helping us to understand how and why life in the ocean is changing and how local changes relate to changes taking place over larger regions. This session will be moderated by Sheila Heymans, Executive Director of the European Marine Board and Co-chair of the Steering Group and member of the Advisory Committee of EOOS – European Ocean Observation System.
In the last session of the month of May, on the 29th, we will go back to Brazil, this time to Salvador, Bahia, to listen to Olivia Oliveira, Director of IGEO – Geoscience Institute at UFBA – Federal University of Bahia. Olivia will present current research programmes and flagship projects developed at IGEO. Samuel Djavidnia, member of the Steering Committee of the GEO Blue Planet Initiative will be the moderator of this session. This session will be conducted in Portuguese Language.
We will continue with the Networking Fridays during the months of June and July. Full calendar for the months of June and July will be soon posted. Expect some very exciting afternoons, or mornings or evenings, depending on where you are…
If you need any additional information please send an email to Jose Luiz Moutinho.
Twitter Hashtag: #netfridays
Zoom Webinar Registration Here
