Second UNU-EHS PhD Block Course in Serbia Completed
The UNU-EHS PhD block course
"From Vulnerability to Resilience in Disaster Risk Management" took
place for the second time in Eastern Europe at the University of Novi Sad, Serbia.
Eight students from Serbia, Slovakia, Nigeria and South Africa participated in
the course that took place
from 27 September until 8 October 2010
.
The course programme was based on the concept of the main UNU-EHS PhD Block
course. The teaching modules were adjusted to relevant research and
hazards for the area: Dr Barovic, docent at the University of
Novi Sad, taught media in disaster risk management, and Prof. Etsuko Tsunozaki, expert from Japan, contributed to the disaster
management module. Overall, the
course provided a broad platform of conceptual and practical knowledge on the complexity
of vulnerability and resilience and their role for disaster risk management (DRM).
The conceptual parts of the programme were
followed by practical exercises such as interactive group work on implementation theories, methods and tools. The third structural
part of the block course programme were brainstorming and visual learning
sessions, such as a strategic capacity-building activity on vulnerability assessment. The latter provided a broad understanding of the cultural
and scientific complexity of the vulnerability assessment process, remarkably
the complexity of terminology and the difficulty to make a visual group decision.
One outdoor activity was also part of the programme. The students visited
the laboratory of the Faculty of Technical Sciences, Department of
Environmental Engineering and Occupational Health. This laboratory monitors the
quality of wastewater, landfill gaseous, solid waste and ambient air, and
represents an important link between the theoretical and practical sections of
environmental engineering. The current main field of investigation in the laboratory is
sampling of leachates from landfills and physic-chemical analysis of that
samples and landfill gaseous.
In the
end, the participants, divided in three groups, presented the outcomes of the block course in form of
presentations, which dealt with vulnerability to droughts, air pollution and
diseases.
