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Newsletter

IAG/AIG Newsletter No. 26 (2/2010)

Lettre d’information n° 26 (2/2010)
Association Internationale des Géomorphologues
p. 111-113

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From the Editor’s  Desk

Dear Geomorphologists
I am very much thankful to all of you for your kind help and co-operation for enabling me to publish the newsletter in time. I would request you to continue this co-operation to publish the future issues of the newsletter in time.

Sunil Kumar De, desunil@yahoo.com

1 – Obituary

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Dr. Heinz Charles Kohler, a renowned Brazilian Geomorphologist has passed away (at the age of 65) from a severe heart attack on April 24, 2010.  Prof. Kohler was born in Schwaderloch  (Switzerland) on 27th January, 2010. He had obtained is Bachelor (1970), M.Sc. (1979) and Ph.D. (1989) degrees  from the University of São Paulo. Considered to be responsible for consolidating modern Karstology in Brazil, he was renowned because of his immense contributions to the field of Karst geomorphology and Quaternary studies. As researcher and Professor at Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) (1975-1996) and PUC Minas University, he cooperated with many scientists such as Ford, Nicod, Journaux, Kranjc, Auler, and Piló, among others. He also helped many graduate students to obtain their current degrees. He had also worked to State Govt. of Minas Gerais environmental risks and impacts. For his friendship and enormous contribution to science we remember him at this moment. 

2 – Visit to Poland. A Report

In May 2010 I had the opportunity to visit Poland and take part in a wide range of geomorphological activities. My principal hosts were Professor Piotr Migon (Wroclaw), and Professor Zbigniew Zwolinski  (Poznan). On a short visit to Krakow i was welcomed by Professor Zofia Raczkowska, Head of the Department of Geomorphology and Hydrology, Institute of Geography, Polish Academy of Sciences and a number of her colleagues including  Pofessor Kotarba, and  Professsor Starkel . In Poznan, I was welcomed by Professor Kostrzewski, Head of the Institute of Geoecology and Geoinformation, Adam Mickiewicz University.

At the Department of Geography and Regional development, University of Wroclaw, housed in a beautiful old building in a fascinating city, I was looked after by Piotr Mignon . Here I provided a guest seminar before leaving for the field. Guided by Piotr, we visited sandstone Plateaus, examining scarp evolution, rock structure and rock failure amongst some outstanding scenery. Subsequently we visited the Sudety Mountains where I was impressed by scale of deep-seated landslides and their role in shaping the topography.

The next engagement was at Podlesice, near Krakow, where I joined and lectured to an enthusiastic group of young Polish geomorphologists at a workshop organised by the Association of Polish geomorphologists. From here I visited the Department of Geomorphology and Hydrology, Institute of Geography, Polish Academy of Sciences, provided a lecture and was guided on a field trip led by Dr Teresa Mrozek to the Carpathian Mountains. In the field we visited the university field station and examined a range of landslides and landslide damage from previous storms. Ironically Poland was to be hit a week or so later by severe flooding and landslides. Returning to Podlesice, I joined and lectured to a workshop on structural geomorphology organised by the Association of Polish Geomorphologists.

The last part of my visit was hosted by Professor Zbigniew Zwolinski of the Institute of Geoecology and Geoinformation, Adam Mickiewicz University, where I provided a lecture to the Faculty of Geosciences. This was followed by an extremely interesting trip north to visit the well-equipped university field stations of Storkowa and Wolin Island. I was impressed by the standard of facilities and the excellent work that is being done in these areas.

Altogether this was an intensive and comprehensive visit. I was heartened by the strength of the Polish geomorphology that I encountered, the standard of research, and enthusiasm of our Polish Colleagues. I am grateful for the kindness, consideration, and hospitality that I received.

Michael Crozier, President, IAG/AIG

3 – Publications

Studia Geomorphologica Carpatho-Balcanica, a yearly periodical focused on geomorphology of mountain areas, with particular emphasis on central and south-eastern Europe, is now available on-line at http://www.igipz.pan.pl/wydaw/studia_geomorphologica. Studia are published since 1967, being an official outlet of the Carpatho-Balcanic Geomorphological Commission, currently edited by Professor Adam Kotarba from the Department of Geomorphology and Hydrology of Mountains and Upland, Polish Academy of Sciences in Krakow, and supported by an international advisory board. Full texts are available on-line free of charge since volume 40 (2006), as are tables of contents since the volume 1 (1967).

Piotr Migon, Vice-President, IAG/AIG

4 – Young Geomorphologists Section

Scientific and human experiences in Windsor

Report on the BSG Postgraduate Training Workshop, Windsor, UK, 14-17 December 2009

The participation in the BSG Windsor course in geomorphology was really fruitful for me. I have learnt much new information about possibility of PhD study in United Kingdom and about running of this study in a foreign country.

All presentation about PhD (from professors) can really help to students in first year of study, how to redistribute the time of study, how to make a Gannt table with partial goals. In our country we do not need by our beginning such table, so it was really new and nice skill for me (theory and praxis of creating).

Really worth addition for students is presentation of professor’s work, from many parts in geomorphology, where I could see, what is new in research or how to present my own work.

The best part of the whole course for me was practice in groups, where we had to work out Gannt table to new project in small groups (3-4 people) and after present it to all students. In every group there was at least one non-English student, so there was practicing of the communication in English (geomorphological English), too. On the other hand, I missed more terrain work in Windsor area.

The background of the whole course was great, there were many interesting people and now I have contacts with students in England and in other countries. I hope I can make maybe a project with a few of them in a future. Mixed accommodation (UK and non-UK student) was really good; we learnt more about our countries and projects. Maybe there should be one information meeting at the beginning of the course (first evening).

Thank you for the possibility to see and experience this course in Windsor. It was great!

Alena Labunová Petrvalská, Slovak Republik

Future Training Activities and IAG Grants

BSG Post-graduate Training Course, Windsor, UK, 13-16 December 2010

Three IAG grants of 350 euros are offered to PhD students from Europe (except UK).

For details see:
http://www.geomorph.org
and
http://www.geomorphology.org.uk/pages/postgraduates/windsor/

IAG Regional Conference and Intensive Course, Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA, 18-22 February 2011

Up to 7 IAG grants are offered to Young Geomorphologists from African countries. The grants are mainly intended to cover travel costs and the fee of the pre-Conference Intensive Course for Young Geomorphologists (15-17 February) on ‘Landslide Geomorphology and Mapping’. The IAG grant holders will be also exempted from paying the Conference registrations fees (for details see: http://www.geomorph.org).

5 – Go8 European Fellowships – call for applications

The Group of Eight (Go8) today opened applications for its 2011 European Fellowships. The Fellowships are open to early career researchers from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia,Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Croatia.

Each fellow will receive benefits worth $20,000 to travel to Australia in 2011 and work at a Go8 university for up to six months.

‘The Go8 European Fellowships recognise the importance of international contacts for early career researchers and aim to help establish those contacts in Australia for talented young researchers from emerging European economies’, said Go8 Chair, Professor Alan Robson.

The scheme has been running for four years and has resulted in the exchange of skills and knowledge of benefit to the individual researchers and to the citizens of Australia and the European countries involved.

Applications close on 22 October 2010.

Detailed information for applicants is available at http://www.go8.edu.au/university-staff/programs-a-fellowships/63-go8-european-fellowships

6 – IAG/AIG EC Member

Dr. Mohammed UMER from the Department of Earth Sciences at Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia is co-opted  as EC-member of IAG/AIG. Dr. UMER holds a PhD in Quaternary Geology from the University of Aix-Marseille III in France and is involved in several international projects. Most of his publications put emphasis on Environment & Climate Change in Ethiopia.

He is belonging to the Organizing Committee of the IAG/IAG Regional Conference to be held in Ethiopia in February 2011.

7 – National Conference Reports

Greece

The newly elected composition of the Hellenic Committee of Geomorphology and Environment is given below. The election was held on 22 March 2010 elections.

Chairman: Kosmas Pavlopoulos – kpavlop@hua.gr
Secretary: Aliki Alxeouli-Livaditi –  alexouli@metal.ntua.gr
Cashier: Kostantinos Vouvalides – vouval@geo.auth.gr 
The Hellenic Committee of Geomorphology and Environment has arranged also her economic obligations for IAG for the year 2010.

Kosmas Pavlopoulos

8 – Upcoming Seminars/Conferences/Workshops/Trainings Programmes

Australia

34th International Geological Congress, to be held in Brisbane, Australia, 5-10 August 2010. The web site is http://www.34igc.org/index.php

South Africa

SAAG 2010 Biennial Conference on ‘Landscape Denudation or Land Degradation: Interrogating the Geomorphic Processes of Landscape Change in Southern Africa’ Grahamstown, South Africa,  September 3-5, 2010.Contact: Kate Rowntree. k.rowntree@ru.ac.za; Ian Foster, i.foster@westminster.ac.uk;

Austria

13th International Conference on Hydrological responses of small basins to a changing environment (ERB 2010). Leibnitz, Austria, 5-8 September, 2010. http://erb2010.boku.ac.at>http://erb2010.boku.ac.at

Italy

85° Congresso della Società Geologica Italiana. Pisa 6-8 September, 2010. www.dst.unipi.it/sgi2010

Romania

‘INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE GEOGRAPHY AND EDUCATION’ organized by Faculty of Geography, University of Bucharest, 29 September – 3 October 2010. Bucharest, Romania (For details please visit http://geo.unibuc.ro)

Hungary

The Workshop Organizing Committee, on behalf of the IAG/AIG Carpatho-Balkan-Dinaric Regional Working Group (http://www.geomorph.org/wg/wgcbd.html), the Loess Focus Group of INQUA and the Carpatho-Balkan Geomorphological Commission (CBGC), has the pleasure in inviting all loess scientists and geomorphologists, and others in related fields to participate in the scientific and social program of the International Workshop on Loess Research and Geomorphology. The Workshop will take place in Pécs on October 17-21, 2010. Workshop website: http://foldrajz.ttk.pte.hu/foldtan/Workshop/workshop.htm

Janos Kovacs (e-mail: jones@gamma.ttk.pte.hu)

Turkey

International Symposium on Global Change in the Mediterranean Region. Edremit-Turkey October 22-24, 2010, http://kazdaglari2010.com

Israel

The 4th International Seminar on Small Catchments will be held in Israel in 2010 (Monday 22 November - Thursday 25 November 2010). The Seminar will be organized by the Soil Erosion Research Station together with the IAG/AIG small CATCHMENTS Working Group. For more details please contact: Roey Egozi, E-mail: regozi@moag.gov.il; Tel:+972-9-8900432; Fax:+972-9-8985563; Mobile:+972-50-624-1805

Italy

*International Conference 'Mountain Risks: Bringing Science to Society'*, to be held in Firenze, Italy on 24-26 November 2010. Jean-Philippe Malet, Nicola Casagli and Thomas Glade, Chairpersons of the Scientific Committee. All information can be found at: http://eost.u-strasbg.fr/omiv/Conference_Mountain_Risks.html

Ethiopia

IAG/AIG Regional Conference 2011 on GEOMORPHOLOGY FOR HUMAN ADAPTATION TO CHANGING TROPICAL ENVIRONMENTS - ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA February 18 - 22, 2011 Organized by the Ethiopian Association of Geomorphologists (EAG). For further information and the second circular please log on to the website of IAG/AIG (www.geomorph.org) or contact the Conference Secretariat:
Asfawossen Asrat (Phone: 251-911-407553. E-mail: asrata@geol.aau.edu.et)
Mohammed Umer (Phone: 251-911-405950. E-mail: moha_umero@yahoo.com)
Department of Earth Sciences Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Editor’s Note

The success of the IAG/AIG Newsletter depends upon the contributions that we receive. On behalf of IAG/AIG, I would request you to assist us by supplying information related to the forthcoming activities and innovations in geomorphology in your respective countries (commentaries, reviews of regional or national meetings and field trips, summaries of issues pertinent to geomorphology and announcements of future meetings and workshops. Your contributions should be forwarded to the IAG/AIG Publications Officer.

Published by Sunil Kumar De, IAG/AIG Publications Officer, Department of Geography and Disaster Management, Tripura University (A Central University), Suryamaninagar – 799130, Tripura(West), India. Ph. (mobile): +91-98620 09202, Fax: +91-381-2374802, E-mail: desunil@yahoo.com

International Association of Geomorphologists (IAG/AIG)

President

Michael CROZIER

Victoria University of Wellington,  Institute of Geography, Wellington, New Zealand.  Ph: +64 (0)4 463 5279, Michael.Crozier@vuw.ac.nz

Vice-Presidents

Eric FOUACHE
Géographie Physique, Géoarchéologie, Département de Géographie , Université de Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense (Paris 10), 200 avenue de la République 92001 Nanterre Cedex.
mobile: 00 33 6 70 34 19 38. eric.g.fouache@wanadoo.fr

David DUNKERLEY
School of Geography and Environmental Science, Building 11, Clayton Campus, Monash University,

Victoria 3800 Australia. Office: 61 3 9905 2914, Fax: 61 3 9905 2948, mobile: 042 300 391

david.dunkerley@arts.monash.edu.au

Piotr MIGON
Department of Geography and Regional Development, University of Wroclaw, Pl. Uniwersytecki 1,

50-137 Wroclaw, Poland. Tel.: +48-71 3752295, Fax: +48-71 3435184. migon@geogr.uni.wroc.pl

Secretary General

Morgan DE DAPPER
Ghent University, Department of Geography, Research Unit ‘Regional Geomorphology and Geo-archaeology, Krijgslaan, 281 (S8),  B-9000 - GENT, Belgium. Ph. : +32 9 264 4690, FAX: +32 9 264 4982 morgan.dedapper@UGent.be

IAG/AIG Account Number: IBAN ES79 0128 0409 7101 0000 1961
SWIFT code: BKBKESMM

Visit the IAG/AIG Website at: http://www.geomorph.org

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