Programs and Events

The Politics and Practice of Landslide Risk Management in Nepal

Today, May 14: 5:00PM-7:00PM

CK Choi Building 120

"Is it safe to rebuild the gumba?" The Politics of Practice of Landslide Risk Management in Post-earthquake Nepal

This event is co-sponsored by the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, the Institute of Asian Research, and the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs.

More info: https://bit.ly/2DzBQqV

Abstract

Landslides are a pervasive hazard in rural Nepal, where the impacts are manifest in very tangible ways: as a chronic threat to both lives and livelihoods; and via damage to and destruction of houses, farmland, roads and trails. While rural householders are very much aware of the causes and triggering mechanisms of landslides, and have developed their own ways of reducing the risks they face, gaps in local knowledge exist. This is particularly the case when the hazard context itself evolves, for example, following a high magnitude earthquake, which brings new behaviours to otherwise familiar landscapes. The 2015 Gorkha earthquake, which triggered over 22,000 landslides, the equivalent of more than 200 years of ‘normal’ landsliding, is a case in point. Many households are rebuilding and are seeking definitive answers to their questions and concerns about the landslide risk faced. But while landslide risk maps can be produced, and sites can be individually assessed by technical experts, the formulation, communication, use and even contestation of technical information and recommendations is poorly understood. Drawing on findings from a UK Department for International Development-funded project on landslide risk mapping, I provide a critical overview of landslide risk management in Nepal, including the role of science and technical expertise, and how this intersects with local knowledge, politics, power and agency within local government and communities themselves.

About the Speaker

Katie Oven is an Assistant Professor (Research) in the Department of Geography, Durham University, UK. Her research focuses on environmental hazards (including landslides and earthquakes) and human vulnerability, with a particular focus on South and Central Asia. Her recent research has explored issues of development, policy and governance in the context of disaster risk drawing on field research in Nepal. Related publications have sought to highlight the everyday lived experience of householders, and have taken a critical view of the institutionalised concepts of vulnerability and resilience.

Employment Opportunities

Postdoctoral Fellow in Ocean Modelling, Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University

Assistant Professor Eric Oliver (http://ecjoliver.weebly.com) is looking to fill a postdoctoral position on downscaling future oceanography projections in the Canadian arctic and subarctic, as part of a project funded by ArcticNet. The postdoc position is expected to start as soon as possible.

The Arctic and Subarctic regions of Canada are experiencing rapid climate change. In particular, temperatures are rising and sea ice cover is declining at unprecedented rates. These changes are having impacts on the ocean environment with changes in marine ecosystems as well as human interactions with the environment. This project will perform simulations of the future ocean using a large-scale numerical ocean model covering the Arctic Ocean and the north Atlantic Ocean. This model has been developed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and Environment and Climate Change Canada and has been used previously to simulate historical conditions and will be used in this project, along with climate model future projections, to simulate the ocean to the mid-21st century. This model includes physical ocean and sea-ice components, and may also include marine biogeochemistry.

The postdoc will be based in the Department of Oceanography at Dalhousie University under Dr. Oliver’s supervision, and will also be expected to work closely with Dr. Youyu Lu (DFO, Bedford Institute of Oceanography).

If interested please send a statement of interest and CV to eric.oliver@dal.ca

Outreach Administrator, Earth and Planetary Sciences, McGill

The Outreach Administrator will be responsible for organizing and managing the Department of Earth & Planetary Science’s outreach activities to generate awareness of and interest in Earth Sciences, increase undergraduate recruitment, and enhance visibility of academic activities. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to, undergraduate student recruitment, developing an outreach strategy for the unit, managing the department’s communications and online presence, overseeing promotional activities, coordinating events, and undertaking special projects pertaining to the activities of the unit.

Please submit your cover letter and curriculum vitae, clearly indicating the reference number, to the Faculty of Science:

Mail

McGill University, Faculty of Science, HR Services

853 Sherbrooke Street West (Dawson Hall), room 314

Montreal, Quebec

H3A 0G5

Email

apo.science@mcgill.ca

The deadline to apply for this position is May 24, 2019  at 5:00 PM.

For more information, please see here.

3 Positions in Environmental Water Group in CSIRO Land & Water

CSIRO is seeking new people to join their Environmental Water Group.  Links to position descriptions and how to apply below:

https://jobs.csiro.au/job/Canberra%2C-ACT-Water-Quality-Modeller/556810600/

https://jobs.csiro.au/job/Negotiable-Fish-Ecologist/554710200/

https://jobs.csiro.au/job/Wodonga%2C-VIC-Freshwater-Ecologist/554707400/