HR: 16:20h
AN: ED24A-01    [Abstracts]
TI: Capacity Building in the IAI Collaborative Research Network Program- Experience from CRN03
AU: * Luckman, B H
EM: luckman@uwo.ca
AF: Department of Geography, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A5C2, Canada
AB: In addition to their scientific agendas, IAI CRNs have the explicit goal of capacity building in Global Change science. CRN03 examined climate variability in the Americas with particular emphasis on tree-rings, involving collaboration between 3 US, 2 Canadian plus Argentinean and Chilean laboratories. New pioneer laboratories were also established in Mexico, Bolivia and Peru. With limited funding we believed that capacity building is best achieved by involving students and junior researchers in project work directly (about 100 in total) but we also undertook educational activities that augment this role. The most visible was the initiation of dendroecological fieldweeks in Latin America. These brought together 20-30 international students and junior researchers from many disciplines to work in small research teams led by experienced scientists. Over a 7-10 day period projects go from conception via field sampling and measurement to final presentations (and sometimes publication). Major fieldweeks (the first in Latin America) were organized in Argentina (2000), Mexico (2001) Chile (2003) and Brazil (2005) with smaller groups in Chile (2000), Bolivia (2001) and Canada (2002). Over 100 students attended (mainly funded by the CRN) from11 Latin American and Caribbean countries and instructors from 6 countries. These field weeks develop important national and international contacts for participants and also provided promotional material (including a 20 minute bilingual video) for further recruiting. Several students were also supported for travel to short courses in the USA or elsewhere. Given the distances involved, most research collaborations were bilateral between individuals or institutions, the strongest ones generally involving a senior laboratory or scientists with junior partners elsewhere. This has particularly enhanced international collaboration for the established Latin American laboratories by attracting researchers from regions not previously involved in tree-ring research. In all cases there has also been an increase in "within-country" collaboration for individual laboratories as their expertise has been recognized and they have provided training, dating and consultations for other projects.
DE: 0473 Paleoclimatology and paleoceanography (3344, 4900)
DE: 0800 EDUCATION
DE: 1600 GLOBAL CHANGE
DE: 4920 Dendrochronology
SC: Education and Human Resources [ED]
MN: 2007 Joint Assembly