Geology for Global Development

Disaster Risk Reduction

Guest Blog: Death By Corruption

Ekbal Hussain is a PhD student at the University of Leeds, and helps to coordinate our group up there. He is a passionate advocate for disaster risk reduction and today writes about the relationship between corruption and earthquake fatalities. It is no profound statement to say that earthquakes are extremely dangerous natural events and are responsible for tens of thousands of deaths annually. Wh ...[Read More]

Field Research in Guatemala (1) – Introduction

Over the next couple of months, Joel Gill (GfGD Founding Director) will be reporting live from Guatemala, whilst undertaking interdisciplinary field research relating to natural hazards and disaster risk reduction. This fieldwork forms part of a NERC/ESRC funded PhD, supervised at King’s College London. Today Joel gives an introduction to his research and why he is focusing on the Central Am ...[Read More]

From Our Archives: Guest Blogs (2)

We’ve gone back even further into our archives (back to our old blog site in fact!) to bring you some brilliant guest blogs written by students and professionals on topics ranging from water to ocean nutrients!  **Hydrogeology/Water and Sanitation Donald John MacAllister – Groundwater Use and Challenges in South Asia Christopher Barry – Water of Life Project – Safe Drinking ...[Read More]

Upcoming GfGD Events/Deadlines

Over the past few weeks GfGD Oxford have hosted a seminar (read more here) and we’ve spoken to students in Cambridge at a careers event. Below are some important dates, including more events and placement and conference funding deadlines!  Thursday 28th November 2013 GfGD Leeds – “Eating an elephant: disaster risk reduction and the role of science (and scientists)” GfGD Lee ...[Read More]

Dialogues for Disaster Anticipation and Resilience – Your Help Needed!!

Following a recent discussion with staff at the Humanitarian Futures Programme, an independent policy research initiative based at King’s College London, an important opportunity emerged for YOU to support one of their programmes. The ‘Dialogues for Disaster Anticipation and Resilience’ project is designed to bridge the gap between those who make science and those who use science ...[Read More]

Dealing with Disasters / 4th Conference of the International Society for Integrated Disaster Risk Management

This week (4-6th September 2013) a major conference is talking place at Northumbria University in Newcastle, with a focus on disaster risk reduction and disaster management. The conference, Dealing with Disasters Conference / 4th Conference of the International Society for Integrated Disaster Risk Management, will explore the theme ‘From Opportunity to Action: Bridging the Gap between Disaster Red ...[Read More]

New Opportunity – Hazard Factsheets

Jane Robb, GfGD Communication Officer, writes about a new and exciting opportunity for GfGD members… For many of our followers the opportunity to get involved in international development as a geologist, or at all, is difficult. One of GfGD’s core purposes is to help change this at a UK level, to make sure that good geoscience – and geoscientists – can contribute to good de ...[Read More]

Upcoming GfGD Placements

July will be a busy month for a few GfGD members – as they undertake geoscience-development based placements with a variety of hosts. Below we introduce you to the three students, and give them the chance to say a few words about the opportunity they’ve been given. Each student will be preparing a report on their placement, which will be made available on our website. All future placem ...[Read More]

Placement Report – Sam Marshall (CAFOD, April 2013)

At the end of each GfGD placement we ask the student completing that placement to think about his/her experiences and write a short report (available to download here). In April 2013, Sam Marshall spent a week working with disaster risk reduction advisor Dr Kate Crowley (pictured with Sam Marshall) at the international NGO CAFOD. Today we share Sam’s report – outlining what he got up t ...[Read More]

Guest Blog: Disaster Resilience in Dharamsala, India

John McCarthy and Sam Bradley are collaborating to develop an earthquake awareness and disaster resilience program for vulnerable communities in Dharamsala, India. The region is predicted to have an extremely large earthquake in the next 50 years and they are looking to raise awareness, develop community programs and improve the resilience capacity for the population. John and Sam both have Master ...[Read More]