Placements give students a valuable opportunity to get an insight into the international development sector, consider what key skills they need to develop to contribute to such work, and better understand the role of geoscience in fighting poverty. Following successful placements with the NGO CAFOD, GfGD are delighted to announce two new placement opportunities for UK-based geoscience students …[Read More]
Disaster Risk Reduction
Some Comments on Recent Earthquakes in Iran
In this article, Joel Gill and Faith Taylor write about the importance of reducing individual and community vulnerability in Iran. This post is written in response to the recent earthquakes in April 2013, and an article posted in the Guardian in 2010. In addition to their GfGD responsibilities, Joel and Faith are undertaking PhD research at King’s College …[Read More]
Friday Photo (75): GfGD-CAFOD Placement
Sam Marshall (University of Southampton) and Dr Kate Crowley (Disaster Risk Reduction Adviser, CAFOD), at the CAFOD headquarters in central London. Sam has been undertaking a GfGD placement with CAFOD this week, learning more about how geoscience can be applied in the development sector. (c) Geology for Global Development 2013
GfGD-CAFOD Placements – Successful Candidates
A while ago we advertised the opportunity to undertake a placement, organised by GfGD, with the international NGO CAFOD. These one week placements are designed to give geoscience students a preliminary, but important, insight into the development sector. They allow students to consider the role that geology already plays, and ways in which it could …[Read More]
Women and Natural Hazards
“Women and children first” went the call from the deck of the titanic. And then of course Jack sacrificed his own life to save Rose, who was afloat on what admittedly looked like a raft with more than enough space for two. Chivalrous though this picture is, the reality is very different – in most …[Read More]
King’s College London Summer School: Natural Hazards and Society
The study of natural hazards, such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, are an important part of geoscience courses. However a thorough understanding of how and why they impact society requires the study of a much broader range of topics. Similarly, the study of social sciences gives us an understanding of the origins and development of vulnerability, but …[Read More]
Reducing the Risk of Future Disasters
GfGD welcomes the release of the UK Government Office for Science Foresight Report into “Reducing the Risks of Future Disasters: Priorities for decision makers”. The report has been specially commissioned to recognise the growing need for good disaster and risk reduction (DRR) science. The report describes how the growing threat of natural hazards to increasingly …[Read More]
Launch of Foresight Report: Reducing the Risk of Future Disasters.
Today the UK government released their highly anticipated foresight report into “Reducing the Risk of Future Disasters”. This report, led by the UK government’s chief scientific advisor, Sir John Beddington, looks at disasters in developing countries that have resulted from natural hazards. The aim has been ‘to provide advice to decision makers on how science …[Read More]
Friday Photo (54) – Debris Flow Channel, Gansu Province, China
Southern Gansu Province, China: Poorly Maintained Debris Flow Channel This channel is designed to transport debris flow material away from the road, thus preventing a major road blockage. The poor design and maintenance of the channel, however, is resulting in material coming down the channel and then being pushed back on to the road. (c) …[Read More]
Workshop Advertisement: Dynamics and Impact of Interacting Natural Hazards
The workshop below may be of interest to some of our readers undertaking research into natural hazards, or working within the disaster risk reduction community. Please note that this workshop is not organised by Geology for Global Development: THE DYNAMICS AND IMPACT OF INTERACTING NATURAL HAZARDS An interdisciplinary workshop on current research and future directions 14th‒15th …[Read More]