A three-day workshop on the topic of „Flood Pollution Assessment and Impact Knowledge Transfer“ took place at IIT Madras in Chennai from 22nd to 24th of February. The event was co-organized by the Global Water and Climate Adaptation Centre (ABCD-Centre) and the Indo-German Centre for Sustainability (IGCS) and brought together international experts, local actors, and students, from various disciplines to synergise interdisciplinary expertise, practical fieldwork, and laboratory analyses to address the pressing issue of flood-induced pollution.
The workshop fascilitated knowledge transfer and collaboration between science, industry, government, and civil society to study the processes of transport, distribution, deposition, dilution, and enrichment of pollution during riverine and marine flood events, along with their ecotoxicological hazards. Participants gained hands-on experience in sampling strategies, methods, and analysis techniques, allowing them to better understand the complex processes involved in flood pollution and its impacts on ecosystems. The program also included a field trip to collect sediment and water samples from three sites in Chennai for laboratory analyses that covered grain size, trace elements, microplastics, and microbial assessment, including resistant bacteria.
The event benefited participants by providing access to advanced knowledge and practical training from international experts. Furthermore, scientists gained valuable feedback from local actors to align their research with real-world challenges. Additionally, the workshops helped political and administrative decision-makers understand viable, economically feasible, and socially acceptable solutions for water and climate change adaptation. Ultimately, this workshop aimed to develop transfer strategies that are socially acceptable, technically viable, and economically feasible, contributing to more effective water and climate change adaptation efforts.
The Integration of Renewable Energies into a Power Grid – A Key Contribution towards a Carbon Neutral Society
Date: 24 July to 04 August 2023
Venue: Technical University in Berlin, Germany
IGCS Summer School 2023 Information Flyer
Objective
Achieving net-zero emissions, mitigating climate change, preventing the excessive depletion of natural resources, and reducing waste are major challenges the world is facing today. The energy sector is of particular importance in meeting these challenges.
Nowadays, the primary targets and concerns worldwide are energy transition, clean energy, sustainable energy, and energy security. Based on the three main trends shaping the current and future global energy landscape – decarbonization, decentralization, and digitalization – the integration of renewable energy systems into the existing power grid represents a key challenge for an innovative and viable solution towards a carbon-neutral future.
The energy system of the future must be achieved through sustainable management of natural resources, ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns, developing energy infrastructure and technologies, and raising political and social awareness to contribute to this overall system development.
This year IGCS Summer School focuses mainly on the technical aspects of integrating different renewable energy sources into the existing power grid as an innovative and potential solution towards a sustainable and clean energy future. The economic, environmental, and social aspects of this system will also be discussed during the school. It brings together students from Indian and German institutions, who will jointly and interactively develop their skills with the following learning outcomes:
developing a fundamental and holistic understanding of the technical aspects of integrating different renewable energy sources into the existing power grid
identifying the technical challenges that must be overcome to integrate a high proportion of renewable energy into the existing grid, such as developing infrastructure and technology, coordinating power generation from multiple sources, balancing power supply and demand, advancing grid storage options, and increasing energy flexibility.
identifying the main challenges and outstanding issues related to the implementation of renewable energy resources from economic, environmental, and social perspectives.
proposing innovative solutions and strategies to implement renewable resources on a large scale.
Schedule
This Summer School will run for twelve days from July 24th until August 4th 2023 and will consist of lectures, group works, panel discussions, excursions and intercultural exchanges.
The Summer School will be held as a physical event at the Technical University in Berlin, Germany.
Participants
The course is open to German* and Indian Master’s and PhD. Students. Knowledge of sustainability topics in the field of energy is of advantage. The number of participants is limited to 30 (15 German /15 Indian).
Selected participants from German universities will receive a mobility scholarship.
Selected participants from Indian universities will receive a mobility scholarship as well as a scholarship to cover living expenses during School.
IGCS is covering the costs of stay for all participants and will provide lunch on the weekdays.
*Non-German students and university graduates can apply if they are enrolled in the course of study at a German university to obtain a degree at a German university. For more information check DAAD-Website: Bewerbungen um ein Stipendium (German only).
Application
Interested students may apply through the 2023 Application Form. The application deadline is 01st of May 2023. Applications received after this date will not be considered.
The link is open from 31st of March – 1st of May 2023(7 PM CET/10:30 PM IST). You will need to register first before you enter the actual form. You can switch between German and English. Please read the instructions carefully, including the help notes attached to many entry boxes.
Please prepare the following documents to be uploaded through the form:
CV
Transcript of records of last completed semester/graduation certificate.
Letter of recommendation from an academic supervisor. It should state your academic and personal qualifications for participation in the IGCS Summer School.
Enrolment certificate of your University
Passport Copy
Motivation Letter
Positive results will be announced in the beginning of May. We kindly ask you to refrain from inquiries about the application status in the meantime. You will be informed if you are not accepted and your data will be deleted.
Students may be eligible to receive credit points for their participation in the IGCS Summer School. Please check with your home institution.
IGCS Area Coordinators for Energy, Prof. Dr. Frank Behrendt (Technical University Berlin), Prof. Dr. Krishna Vasudevan (Indian Institute of Technology Madras), and Dr. Khulud Alsouleman (Technical University Berlin).
The Institute of Sanitary Engineering and Solid Waste Management (ISAH), Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover, invites applications for the position of a
Research Associate (PostDoc, m/f/d) in the field of sustainability and circular economy
(Salary Scale 13 TV-L, 100 %)
to be filled as soon as possible. The position is limited until December 31st, 2024. The scope of the position corresponds to 100 % of the collectively agreed working hours.
Background
In 2010, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM) and several German universities jointly established the Indo-German Centre for Sustainability (IGCS), located on the IITM campus in Chennai, as a platform for international academic exchange and interdisciplinary research collaboration on major sustainable development issues. In Germany, the IGCS activities are supported by the ‘TU9’ group of Technical Universities (led by RWTH Aachen University) and Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel. Focus areas of sustainability education and research related to water (Kiel Univ.), waste (TU Hannover), land use and rural/ urban development (RWTH Aachen Univ.), as well as energy (TU Berlin).
The IGCS is part of the initiative “A New Passage to India” by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). It receives funding from the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) via DAAD and the Dept. of Science and Technology, Government of India. Since its inception, the IGCS has offered short-term Winter/ Summer Schools on various sustainability topics, workshop participation, and short- and long-term research stays to students and researchers from India and Germany at IGCS Chennai or the German partner universities. German and IITM academic staff closely collaborate both in teaching and research.
In the research field of Waste Management and Circular Economy at ISAH, research and networking activities between India and Germany on the topic of recycling management and resource conservation are to be further developed. This includes a stay of several months each year at IIT Madras. Thereby, under consideration of already existing research fields, the following priorities should be set:
Greenhouse gas reduction through pyrolytic processing of organic municipal waste
Development and implementation of cross-sectoral circular economy measures in the water-food-energy-waste nexus
Sustainable recovery and recycling processes of post-consumer plastics
Furthermore, a key task is networking with partner institutions, which includes state agencies, industries and civil society organisations in India and Germany, as well as consolidating existing networks within the IGCS and promoting research and teaching cooperation. This includes my own teaching activities at the IIT Madras and LUH. Additionally, the objective is to form a close interaction with the other IGCS core areas.
Working field
You should conduct research projects and teaching together with IGCS colleagues in different formats as well as individually (e.g. lectures at IITM and your home university in Germany, create content for workshops, teach and supervise Summer and Winter School students). With the support of the Indian and German project coordinators, you will actively contribute to organizing events. Furthermore, you will be a point of contact for exchange students and scientists, who are planning their stay in Chennai or in Germany. The majority of your work time you are required to spend at the IGCS office at IITM in Chennai, at least six of twelve months. You will be able to solicit research grants in Germany (e.g. DFG, industry) and collaborate with IGCS’ area coordinators in Indian research projects, engage in IGCS activities and support in teaching.
Requirements
Completed university degree (M.Sc.; M.Tech.) in civil and environmental engineering, process engineering, or cf.
Experience in teaching
Knowledge of German and English (both fluent)
The ability to obtain a work visa in India or Germany
Desired:
Completed doctoral degree and successful publications in one of the above-mentioned sustainable research fields (pyrolysis of organic waste, plastics recycling, circular economy measures)
Work-abroad experience and knowledge of the region
You are expected to engage in interdisciplinary research and design your own project ideas and focus areas in India.
The university aims to promote equality between women and men. For this purpose, the university strives to reduce under-representation in areas where a certain gender is under-represented. Women are under-represented in the salary scale of the advertised position. Therefore, qualified women are encouraged to apply. Moreover, we welcome applications from qualified men. Preference will be given to equally-qualified applicants with disabilities.
Please send your application with the usual documents in German by January 2nd, 2023, in the electronic form to
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universität Hannover Institute for Urban Water Management and Waste Engineering PD Dr.-Ing. habil. Dirk Weichgrebe Welfengarten 1, 30167 Hannover http://www.uni-hannover.de/jobs
