Category: News

Winter School 2022

Posted on 19/10/202115/11/2021 by Rahul Rajkarnikar in Announcements, News

Winter School 2022

Sustainable Waste Management for a Circular Economy

Date: 21 February to 04 March 2022

Venue: Virtual Event

Objective

Growing economies with the current linear production and consumption systems are creating an imbalance in the environment and in the flow of materials and resources. Huge amounts of waste are generated as a result of anthropogenic activities, and the management capacities of these waste streams are already over the limit. With the climate challenges and the current increase in demand and shortage of resources, the handling of wastes requires circular approaches that permit the recovery of resources for a more sustainable economy. The conventional thinking about wastes “out of sight – out of mind” should be replaced by “waste-to-wealth” for a sustainable society. Efficient waste management systems are necessary to reduce pollution of water, air and soil, and for the protection of the natural resources and our ecosystems. Sustainable waste management is an important element towards a circular economy and the reduction of emissions. Moreover, it can enable a more just and healthy society.

Addressing sustainable waste and resource management requires an interdisciplinary and integrated approach that considers advances in research, technological implementations, reuse and recycling approaches, management and regulatory aspects, as well as the socio-economic and environmental considerations.

This edition of the IGCS winter school is focused on municipal solid waste management, plastic waste management, industrial waste management and responsible reuse of wastewater, wherein experts from India and Germany would share their experiences and best practices for a sustainable society.

It brings together Indian and German students who will jointly and interactively develop their skills with the following learning outcomes:

Develop a fundamental and holistic understanding of the different waste-to-value processes.
Evaluate different technologies for resource, materials and energy recovery from wastes from a sustainability and environment viewpoint.
Propose innovative and circular solutions to practical waste management problems.

Schedule

This Winter School will run for twelve days from February 21^st until March 4^th 2022 and will have two major work streams. The mornings and afternoons will be reserved for lectures and talks given by German and Indian academics and practitioners. The second workstream is dedicated to project work (see below).

Format

The school will consist of lectures, group works, panel discussions, excursions and intercultural exchanges.

In view of the ongoing pandemic situation, the Winter School 2022 will be held in a virtual format.

Participants

The course is open to German* and Indian Master and PhD. Students. Knowledge of sustainability topics is of advantage. The number of participants is limited to a maximum of 30 (15 German /15 Indian). Selected participants will receive a scholarship of €240.00 for their participation in the virtual event.

*Non-German students and university graduates can apply if they are enrolled in a course of study at a German university with the aim of obtaining 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 2022 Application Form. The application deadline is extended to 03. December 2021. Applications received after this date will not be considered.

The link is open from 19. October 2021 – 03. December 2021 7 PM CET/11:30 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 that are 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 the participation of the school.
Enrolment certificate

Positive results will be announced by December 2021. We kindly ask you to refrain from inquiries about the application status in the meantime. Your data will be deleted if you were not accepted.

Contact

Please contact project coordinator Lisa van Aalst or Dr Anna Uffmann if you have any questions.

Organizers

IGCS Area Coordinators for Waste, Prof. Dr Vinu (IITM), Prof. Dr Martin Kranert (University of Stuttgart), and Dr Gabriela Garcés (University of Stuttgart).

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IGCS-motan Workshop

Posted on 18/10/202105/03/2024 by Rahul Rajkarnikar in Announcements, News, Workshops

#SustainabilityChallenge – From Waste to Wonder

Your ideas are too good to be forgotten.

IGCS and motan are carrying out a two-day virtual workshop and are looking for your entrepreneurial ideas.

Have you always had ideas on how to revolutionize the way we work and live with plastics in a sustainable way?

Then take part in our #SustainabilityChallenge: ‘Reduce | Re-Use | Recycle | Recover: From Waste to Wonder: Navigating Challenges and Unlocking Innovation in the Plastics Industry of Tomorrow’ and make a difference – shape the future with your innovative and sustainable ideas.

The workshop is a platform to present your entrepreneurial ideas and have an opportunity to fund those ideas into innovative solutions for a greener future under IGCS and motan.

The IGCS-motan collaborative efforts are dedicated to helping students from Indian and German academic institutions to develop and foster sustainable ideas. This workshop is a continuation of our joint vision: incorporate innovative and sustainable ideas generation in interdisciplinary research, teaching, training, and exchange in the area of sustainable development. Together motan and IGCS would like to motivate and support students to conduct research in the area of plastics and the circular economy.

Thus, IGCS and motan jointly extend an invitation to be a part of our event. We are always looking for motivated students to carry out a research project or an industry internship supported by motan and the IGCS.

Applications are now open!

Extended Deadline: 31. October 2023

Submit Your Application Here

Workshop Details:

● Date:

2 day- virtual workshop: 21. – 22. November 2023

Presentation: 05. December 2023

● Program:

Impulse lectures by domain experts, work in small groups on related topics and presentations

● Target group:

Students from all disciplines who are currently enrolled in an undergraduate (Bachelors), post-graduate (Masters), or doctoral program in Indian or German academic institutions

● Award:

The winner will receive a prize money and a chance to implement their innovative ideas with support from IGCS and motan.

Requirements:

● Letter of Motivation

● CV

● Certification of enrolment (in current university)

About motan

Sustainability is a core value within the motan culture. This means not only the products, solutions, and behavior but also the training of young people and the development of global networks. In addition to social aid and cultural projects, the foundation’s focus is on introducing social responsibility into business activities. For more information on motan and their activities, please visit the link.

IGCS Summer School 2021 Participant Testimonial: Ayenew

Posted on 14/10/202114/10/2021 by Rahul Rajkarnikar in Alumni & Community, News

Each year we ask our participants to share their stories and learnings from various IGCS’ exchange programs. Ayenew, our Summer School 2021 participant shares their experience from our past events and what you can expect from them.

Stay tuned for exciting new updates for our next events!

IGCS Article: Chennai needs an adaptive governance model to tackle climate change risks

Posted on 16/09/202113/11/2022 by Lisa van Aalst in Lan Use / Rural and Urban Development, News

IGCS’s principal scientist Dr Avilash Roul who is researching under the Pericene Project presents an essay outlining the need for an adaptive governance model to tackle climate change risks in Chennai.

Find the article here.

The Marina Beach in Chennai. Photo Credits: Wikimedia Commons

IGCS Podcast Launches

Posted on 28/07/202128/07/2021 by Lisa van Aalst in News

IGCS is proud to present its new installment to our media center- The IGCS Podcast.

The first season of the podcast provides insights into interdisciplinary training, teaching, exchange, and research in the area of sustainable development. We provide expert views and insights from our experts and professionals on their views concerning different barriers to sustainability and how IGCS is working to overcome challenges and the success stories so far.

Our first episode of the podcast is now out and we asked Prof. Nicola Fohrer and Prof. S.A. Sannasiraj about the challenges of managing coastal and inland water systems.

Please follow the link below for more information:https://www.igcs-chennai.org/igcs-media-center/igcs-podcast/

IITM Research Initiatives Spotlight (IRIS) Launches New Webinar Series

Posted on 13/07/2021 by Lisa van Aalst in News

IITM Research Initiatives Spotlight (IRIS), the new series launched by IIT Madras, will be hosting the third webinar on Circular Economy Technology Cluster.

The webinar will start at 05:30 PM (IST) on 13th July 2021.

Link to Register: https://linktr.ee/IITM_IoE

Prof. Ligy Philip, Dean Planning, and Prof. B.S. Murty, Institute Chair Professor, Dept. of Civil Engineering from #IITMadras, will be addressing Water and Sustainability from 05:30 P.M. (IST) onwards with Prof. Nicola Fohrer, Director, Insititute of Natural Resource Conservation, Dept. of Hydrology & Water Resources Mgmt, University of Kiel, Germany as the moderator. The overreaching aim of this research initiative is to solve challenging problems in water management using the framework of a circular economy in order to achieve sustainability and water security in the backdrop of rapidly developing economies and impending climate change.

Prof. Manu Santhanam, HOD, Prof. Ravindra Gettu, Dean IC&SR, Prof. Benny Raphael, Prof. Ashwin Mahalingam, Dept. of Civil Engineering, will be addressing Low Carbon Lean Construction Technologies from 06:15 P.M. (IST) onwards with Prof. Mark Alexander, Emeritus Profesor, Civil Engineering, Senior Research Scholar, the University of Cape Town as the moderator. The aim of this initiative is to develop innovative low-carbon, lean construction technologies for minimizing waste throughout the construction value-chain, and lead solution implementation across organizational, and policy levels.

For more information, follow IIT Madras on their Facebook page:

German-Indian Higher Education Dialogue

Posted on 05/07/202105/07/2021 by Lisa van Aalst in Announcements, News

6th July 2021. Tuesday. 11.00 AM – 12.30 PM CET (2.30 PM -4.00 PM IST)

German Varsity in partnership with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Indo Euro Synchronization is organizing a unique virtual event: ” Germany- India Dialogue on Higher Education” in order to address the need of the hour topics of Higher Education between India and Germany.

The event aims to bring policymakers, decision-makers from academia & industry from both countries to share best practices under the current circumstances and to encourage bilateral relations in the Higher education, Science, and technology sectors in the near future.

This is an opportune moment to celebrate our 70th year of Indo-German diplomatic relations, and adopting the new normal in order to achieve quality higher education practices between India and Germany.
This event will be very fruitful for Higher Education institutions, policymakers, education enthusiasts, and students across both countries.
Please register by clicking the following link to block your seat:

Link: https://ciionline.webex.com/ciionline/onstage/g.php?MTID=eba7f24d784bca30fd92378ea828297dd

Event Number: 156 672 0506
Event Password: tvV8JmcY3v4
Video Address: 1566720506@ciionline.webex.com

In the case of questions, please feel free to write us at consult@indoeurosync.com or info@germanvarsity.de or look into www.germanvarsity.de

IGCS Postdoc Dr. Christoph Woiwode organizes Covid-19 Emergency Relief in Chennai

Posted on 26/05/202113/11/2022 by Lisa van Aalst in Alumni & Community, Lan Use / Rural and Urban Development, News

We are currently facing unprecedented suffering, pain, and loss in many parts of India across innumerable hospitals and in people’s homes. What goes rather unnoticed at the moment is the impact on food and nutrition, especially for the deprived communities such as the shelterless, slum dwellers, migrant workers, and, of course, children. This is even aggravated when families have lost their main breadwinner.

IGCS Postdoc Dr. Christoph Woiwode has initiated an emergency relief for such communities in Chennai and other parts of India. This is an initiative leveraging personal contacts through well-established connections to several organizations on the ground to ensure money is used sensibly and for its intended purpose.

Dr. Woiwode has been in touch with the Information and Research Centre for Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC), a local organization in Chennai, for the past two years which works for the rights of the slum, squatter, and shelterless people. This is an NGO that is rooted in the slums and highly committed. Last year he also initiated an in-kind collection of toys, books, stationery, and clothes for children of a huge slum resettlement housing complex near his home.

Commenting on his initiative, Dr. Woiwode says: ” The second wave in India is even more devastating for the poor who have not been able to recover from last year’s impacts. Only recently I again received a call for donations from them.” (images below)

Dr. Woiwode is now organizing an international call for support to these and other deprived people such as migrants, shelterless, and slum dwellers in Chennai.

“At this stage, we intend to provide immediate emergency relief (food and other daily needs). I will be personally involved in the execution and implementation of the emergency activities with IRCDUC to ensure funds reach the intended beneficiaries,” he says.

Beyond this, his team is planning two additional, more mid-term activities. First, to use the donations to set up a Livelihoods Relief Fund to provide seed funding for small self-employed enterprises to get back into business whenever possible, or to establish a new income-generating activity. Second, develop a mid-term food strategy. He says, “Food insecurity, shortages, and malnutrition have dramatically increased as people lost their already precarious, informal, employment. This is directed to move from immediate relief to mid-/long-term food security.”

If you wish to support the cause through financial donations please refer to the bank details below. This is a personal call and not made via a large organization. Hence donations are based on trust and can be done to Dr. Christoph Woiwode’s personal accounts. To be updated and informed about the ongoing work after making donations, you can kindly drop an email to woiwode@igcs-chennai.org.

Bank Details:

Please state purpose: CHENNAI COVID-19 RELIEF

(Note: German and EU tax law does generally not allow for tax reclamation of donations to organizations in countries like the USA, Canada, and African, Latin American and Asian countries)

For international, secure transactions especially from outside the EU or from EU countries directly into the Indian account, it is recommend using www.wise.com

Read more on Dr. Woiwode’s work published by Indien Aktuell

Call for Abstracts – NatRiskChange conference – Co-PREPARE participation

Posted on 06/05/202106/05/2021 by Lisa van Aalst in Announcements, News, Research

Research Training Group NatRiskChange at the University of Potsdam is organizing a second International Conference on Natural Hazards and Risks in a Changing World 5-6 October 2021.

https://www.uni-potsdam.de/en/natriskchange/activities/second-international-natriskchange-conference-2021

Sharing the same goal COPREAPRE as one of the partners encourages the contribution and participation of the IIT Roorkee and the COPRPEPARE team. We would be happy to financially support the participation of research students, PhDs, postdocs, and faculty in a limited capacity.

Abstract submission deadline is 15 May 2021.