Balkar.Earth’s Post

Introducing you to our upcoming specialization course in Social Biomimicry! Are societies natural? What can we learn by looking at and creating bonds with nature?🌱 Biomimicry proposes a conscious look at ecosystems and natural phenomena in order to learn from them, and apply and generate new relationships and social collective processes. A training to remember who we are as natural beings, with special emphasis on community and teams, to learn how to apply evolutionary intelligence to our projects. Content and teachers:  Module I: The Teeming Transformation, with Dr. Tamsin Woolley-Barker Module II: Planta Sapiens: The New Science of Plant Intelligence, with Paco Calvo.  Module III: Reconnection with Nature, a journey to the inside, with Melina Angel. Module IV: Nature for Social Innovation, with Toby Herzlich and Gina LaMotte (from Biomimicry for Social Innovation) Module V: Natural Intelligence, with Leen Gorissen. Final closing session with all participants 🔸Start course: February 2025 🔸60 hours 🔸English with possible translation to Spanish 🔸Virtual REGISTRATION OPEN Inscriptions: https://lnkd.in/evwBp7Fm #biomimicry #socialinnovation #naturalintelligence

Yesterday I spoke at the #MissionSoilWeek about how to build transdisciplinary soil research for social impact (see it here https://lnkd.in/diahuCau). I received many compliments and great feedback for my talk. I met very interesting researchers and project coordinators, and I was buzzing with good energy. But the come down was also very rapid. Because what worries me is that I was not saying anything particularly ground breaking or novel. I was communicating the basics of one sub-strand of social science methods. (although I do know that I am a very good communicator of social science/humanities - I speak to natural scientists so often that I have gotten quite good at doing that). What worries me is that the social science and humanities literacy in the room was so low. I am just one person offering one presentation - but there is SO MUCH MORE. We need to go SO MUCH FURTHER. Where are the other social scientists and humanists?? If societal impact (read societal change) IS the desired outcome of multi-actor Horizon funded projects, we should not be at the level of one social scientist communicating the basics - we should be at the level of having sophisticated debates about transdisciplinary methods and findings. Where is the expertise? I am happy to keep playing this role - but I also really need to start seeing actual social science, humanities, and artistic research EXPERTISE in these meetings. We need to push out of tinkering with human-soils relations and into TRANSFORMATION - and that needs social sciences, humanities, and the arts.

📢 Announcement: Invited Speaker at the XVI Portuguese Conference of Polar Sciences & Polar Educators International Workshop ❄️ I am excited to share that I will be speaking at two key events next week as part of the XVI Portuguese Conference of Polar Sciences and the Polar Educators International Workshop. Both events bring together experts from around the globe to discuss critical issues related to polar research and education. I will present at the Polar Educators Workshop on the topic: 🎓 "Sparkling Science about Frozen Worlds", focusing on how polar science can be effectively transferred into the classroom. This session aims to offer insights into engaging students with polar topics and making complex scientific concepts more accessible. At the XVI Portuguese Polar Sciences Conference, my second talk will cover: 🌍 "Anthropogenic Pollutants in Polar Regions". I will explore the significant impact of human activities on polar environments and discuss the urgent need for solutions to mitigate these effects. Both talks are aligned with ongoing efforts to enhance science communication and raise awareness of the environmental challenges facing polar regions today. I am looking forward to sharing my research and contributing to the dialogue at these important gatherings. #PolarScience #EnvironmentalResearch #ScienceEducation #Sustainability #ClimateChange #KnowledgeTransfer Austrian Polar Research Institute APRI #WhiteFramePhoto

Today, I had the pleasure of taking part in a panel discussion organized by the Brazilian Reproducibility Network on reproducibility in the fields of Social Sciences and Humanities. During the panel, I shared my views on the challenges and the measures that need to be taken in order to promote openness and transparency in Political Science. It was a wonderful opportunity to exchange knowledge with colleagues from other areas and discuss issues that are of interest to us all. #OpenScience

Introducing UTU-GreDiT doctoral researcher Somnath Chindhe! 📝 Read our first blog "Exploring Population Genomics and Sustainability: My Journey started with UTU-GreDiT" https://lnkd.in/dNy5ijDR

“The pressing problems of our time – climate change and biodiversity crises; managing the challenges posed by Artificial Intelligence; the worsening crisis of misinformation and disinformation; managing geo-political tensions – require a skilled and adaptive workforce, and a robust multi-disciplinary sovereign research capability.” 🎯

“ACOLA and Australian Learned Academies have issued a statement on cuts to Humanities and Social Science funding through Aotearoa/New Zealand's Marsden Fund. While it is not customary for us to comment on the policy decisions of other nations, we recognise the importance of multidisciplinary research in addressing national and global challenges.”

ATSE, alongside the Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA) and all 5 of Australia's Learned Academies, has released a joint statement in response to the funding cuts to Humanities and Social Sciences through the Aotearoa/New Zealand's Marsden Fund.

...and another call for immediate action to lift research funding for long-term, fundamental research into understanding the natural world, curiosity-driven and with long-term benefits on the 20 to 30 year time scale. Australia lacks so significantly behind by international best standards in research funding that there is absolutely no time to waste. I welcome the announced review into Australia's research funding ecosystem, but it will likely take too long to produce tangible action in addressing the lack of funding for long-term deep enquiry, replacing the 'shovel-ready-impacts-now' mentality that besets the system. https://lnkd.in/gzAyFbHd

The natural sciences are the bedrock of our understanding of the world around us. From biology to physics, they help us decipher the complexities of nature and empower us to critically evaluate and engage with environmental and technological issues. Educating about these phenomena is crucial, and publishing findings in reputable journals like the International Journal of Natural Sciences hosted by IPRJB JOURNALS ensures that knowledge is disseminated globally, fostering collaboration and driving innovation across borders. Let's continue to explore and learn from the natural world around us and share our discoveries with the world. #naturalsciences #IPRJBJournals #globalcollaboration #innovation https://lnkd.in/dt_3b5aA