Description
The proposed project aims to organising common fieldwork in various fields of Polar geosciences. This proposal of the Masaryk University (MU) and the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) is focused on geology, geomorphology, glaciology, meteorology, climatology, hydrology and limnology. Separate proposal connecting geosciences and life sciences is simultaneously presented by the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice. Both these parts are common components of polar ecology and geosciences education and students share the theoretical part of the course. The project is intended to start intensive university education collaboration using field logistics capacities of MU and laboratory equipment of UNIS together with joining scientific teams of both institutions. The most important benefit is the offering possibility for common work of Czech and Norwegian students and enhancing their chances of further continuous collaboration in their scientific carriers.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to organize joint courses and fieldwork in various fields of the Polar Geosciences. This project of the Masaryk University (MU) and the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) was focused on geology, geomorphology, glaciology, meteorology, climatology, hydrology and limnology. Separate project connecting geosciences and life sciences was simultaneously solved by the University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (JU). Both of these parts are common components of polar ecology and geosciences education and students share the theoretical part of the course. The project was intended to start intensive university education and collaboration using field logistics capacities of JU, MU and laboratory equipment and facilities of UNIS together with joining scientific teams of these institutions. Fieldwork activities of students and tutors from the Masaryk University, other Czech universities and UNIS took place on Svalbard (Petuniabukta, Longyearbyen) during summer 2015 and winter 2016 courses. Furthermore, two new official courses (ZX700 Polar ecology course 1 - geosciences and ZX701 Polar ecology course 2 - geosciences) dealing with Polar Geosciences were launched at the Faculty of Science, Masaryk University as outputs of this project. In a frame of the project, 20 Czech and 6 Norwegian students were supported. The most important benefit was the offering the possibility for common work of Czech and Norwegian students and enhancing chances of further collaboration in their scientific carriers. Three of the Czech students participating in the course successfully applied for short-term stays for their research on Svalbard within the student mobility of the Norwegian Grants, they surely benefitted from previous experiences from the Polar Geosciences courses within this project.
Summary of bilateral results
The Czech and Norwegian educational activities in the Arctic were only partly overlapping in the main topics. The Masaryk University team had the experience in participation on a Polar ecology and geoscience courses in the central part of Svalbard since 2011. The Norwegian partner had tradition in a range of biological and geoscience courses held at various parts of Svalbard. Therefore, the creation of a joint summer field course was beneficial to both Czech and Norwegian students as well as the teaching experts and institutions in terms of complementarities of the topics and the comparison of general geo- and atmospheric processes. Further challenge was the enforcement of Czech-Norwegian collaboration in Arctic education and building basement for a future joint research. Both partners were already well knowledgeable in this field, they had experience in similar activities and thus ready for significant improvement towards the multinational and multilingual course organization. The Czech and Norwegian educational activities in the Arctic were only partly overlapping in the main topics. The Masaryk University team had the experience in participation on a Polar ecology and geoscience courses in the central part of Svalbard since 2011. The Norwegian partner had tradition in a range of biological and geoscience courses held at various parts of Svalbard. Therefore, the creation of a joint summer field course was beneficial to both Czech and Norwegian students as well as the teaching experts and institutions in terms of complementarities of the topics and the comparison of general geo- and atmospheric processes. Further challenge was the enforcement of Czech-Norwegian collaboration in Arctic education and building basement for a future joint research. Both partners were already well knowledgeable in this field, they had experience in similar activities and thus ready for significant improvement towards the multinational and multilingual course organization.