Short Course for PhD, Master (MPhil, MSc) Students and Professionals, 15-19 April 2024
Time
15-19 April 2024
Place
Centre for Coastal Management, Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience, University of Cape Coast Ghana
Application
Application deadline: 15 March 2024
Find application form at ccm.ucc.edu.gh
Overview
Coastal marine ecosystems are threatened by multiple human-induced stressors, ranging from global stressors such as climate change, to local pollution, habitat loss and over-exploitation of resources. In general, cumulative effects of stressors on the marine ecosystem are understudied and with respect to tropical ecosystems, knowledge is limited.
In this course, we will discuss the sources, effects and potential solutions to climate change, pollution and unsustainable fisheries in tropical marine ecosystems, and introduce methods to experimentally study the effects of multiple stressors (including emerging pollutants) on organisms.
The course will offer the students up-to-date knowledge of marine stressors and their interactions through lectures, group work and laboratory experiments illustrating the synergistic effects of the different stressors. Emphases will be placed on experimental design and data analysis.
The course is equivalent to 5 ECTS credits. The students will receive a Certificate after completion of the course.
Target group
The course is designed for PhD and master students as well as young professionals who are working on aquatic environments in general. Suitable academic background and areas of expertise of applicants must include oceanography, marine/aquatic ecology, pollution and climate change, environmental science, chemistry, fisheries science & management, coastal management, or management of freshwater or marine environments and their resources. The course is open for West Africans.
Applications of 20 students and professionals will be selected on a competitive basis.
Course structure
The course consists of lectures and group work focusing on different aspects of multiple stressors, hands-on laboratory experiments, presentations and a final seminar, where the results of the laboratory experiments undertaken during the course will be presented.
Each day will start with a lecture on the day’s theme, presenting the stressor, its source(s), and its main known consequences in marine systems. The lecture will be followed by group work where the students will discuss possible solutions to the problem and present their ideas for the rest of the class.
In the afternoons the participants will work on simple eco-toxicological experiments, investigating lethal or sub-lethal effects of pollutants on diverse plankton organisms at different stressor levels. In groups, the participants will plan, design and conduct a laboratory experiment, paying attention in formulation of hypothesis and data analysis, and present their results in a seminar during the last day of the course.
Travel and accomodation
The HOTSPOT 2 project will cover costs related to the training, training materials and meals for the West African students.
Participants are encouraged to arrange for their own travel and accommodation. For help with accommodation, please contact ccm@ucc.edu.gh or vera.kudjoe@ucc.edu.gh
Organizers and sponsorship
The course is organized jointly by the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) and The University of Cape Coast (UCC).
The course is supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark through the DANIDA Project (HOTSPOT2).