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AQUA-TNET NEWSLETTERNovember/December 2011
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Aqua-tnet 2: Highlights, challenges and achievements
The Aqua-tnet 2 project comes to an end and now is a good opportunity to share with all partners our achievements in the present phase and the prospects for a new phase.
Aqua-tnet 2, as other projects in which the relevance is the network, relies on the activity of its members and the degree of collaboration between the core group members and the rest of the partners. This is always a challenge, since such work is done in a voluntary basis, normally with people engaged in their own work on research, teaching or training. Nevertheless, Aqua-tnet 2 has demonstrated that the effort is worthwhile and that the students, academics and stakeholders of the aquatic sector, have a useful tool for increasing and improving the training opportunities and a future instrument to develop such objectives.
The Aqua-tnet 2 project has provided a platform to integrate Master programmes and Ph.D. programmes in a common European network and now it is possible to upload all kinds of information about M.Sc. and Ph.D. programme contents, master and doctoral records, and even presentations using downstream systems. The project has also managed to provide guidance and information for quite a number of tools that are available in the net. Those include, in particular collaborative tools, creating and sharing videos, using mobile phones for teaching, multimedia resources and others.
The Aqua-tnet 2 project has developed work on new generic skills and competences for people working or studying in the aquatic area, and also new methodologies for language learning through the use of aquaculture related materials. One of the achievements of Aqua-tnet 2 has been to address the Lifelong Learning prospects in the area of aquaculture, fisheries and aquatic sciences, since this will be a key area in the near future.
Approaching the culmination of the project, we have to be aware of and congratulate the participants for these achievements; but at the same time, however, we have an opportunity to have a final look at the overall work and try to finalise the project, completing as much as possible all the aspects or details that can improve such work and present a better end product.
Lluis Tort WP3 (Mobility) Leader
For details on the achievements of some of the Aqua-tnet 2 workpackages see articles below.
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Aqua-tnet 2, as other projects in which the relevance is the network, relies on the activity of its members and the degree of collaboration between the core group members and the rest of the partners. This is always a challenge, since such work is done in a voluntary basis, normally with people engaged in their own work on research, teaching or training. Nevertheless, Aqua-tnet 2 has demonstrated that the effort is worthwhile and that the students, academics and stakeholders of the aquatic sector, have a useful tool for increasing and improving the training opportunities and a future instrument to develop such objectives.
The Aqua-tnet 2 project has provided a platform to integrate Master programmes and Ph.D. programmes in a common European network and now it is possible to upload all kinds of information about M.Sc. and Ph.D. programme contents, master and doctoral records, and even presentations using downstream systems. The project has also managed to provide guidance and information for quite a number of tools that are available in the net. Those include, in particular collaborative tools, creating and sharing videos, using mobile phones for teaching, multimedia resources and others.
The Aqua-tnet 2 project has developed work on new generic skills and competences for people working or studying in the aquatic area, and also new methodologies for language learning through the use of aquaculture related materials. One of the achievements of Aqua-tnet 2 has been to address the Lifelong Learning prospects in the area of aquaculture, fisheries and aquatic sciences, since this will be a key area in the near future.
Approaching the culmination of the project, we have to be aware of and congratulate the participants for these achievements; but at the same time, however, we have an opportunity to have a final look at the overall work and try to finalise the project, completing as much as possible all the aspects or details that can improve such work and present a better end product.
Lluis Tort WP3 (Mobility) Leader
For details on the achievements of some of the Aqua-tnet 2 workpackages see articles below.
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WP4 - New Generic Skills and Competences Approaches in Europe - Annual ‘state of the art’ report
The current economic crisis, and consequent recession, increases the uncertainty about job prospects. These times of economic turmoil impact on the current and future labour markets and will influence employment patterns and levels of qualification required to get a job. Although most jobs require occupation-specific skills to do them, it is widely recognized that generic skills are ever more needed in a range of jobs; and that graduates will increasingly need a wide set of generic skills in order to increase their job opportunities and maintain employability. As such, the European Commission (EC) wants to improve the quality of the training on offer, and encourage more people to take up vocational education.At the European level, the Bologna Declaration and Lisbon Strategy have been instrumental in setting up and fostering extensive discussions concerning generic skills training. Higher education in Europe (and the world) is in a phase of change and generic skills initiatives in the developed world (or at least in Australia, North America and several European countries) have been driven by the impact of globalisation, new technologies and the requirements of a knowledge-based economy. Vocational education and training is a vital link between the worlds of education and work. At the European level there is increasing recognition that education and training are essential to the development of today's knowledge society and economy. To read the full report please click here (Word doc.).
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WP5&8 - Embracing new approaches offered by Internet and ICT tools
Workpackage 5 (Innovation in teaching methods) and 8 (ICT Advisory Group) of Aqua-tnet 2 were carried out by the same working group. During the first half of the project, the main focus was on assessing the use of ICT and particularly emerging Internet-based tools in aquaculture and aquatic resources teaching.Separate surveys were conducted amongst students and teachers using an online questionnaire. This showed modest uptake of new tools, but an increase in the use of virtual learning environments for course materials and management since a previous survey. Students were generally keen to retain face-to-face contact with teachers and opportunities for practical learning so were hesitant of embracing e-learning if these aspects were lost. Both teachers and students expressed a desire for greater contact with industry through visits (virtual or physical) or other activities.
Based on these findings, workpackage 5/8 members worked on several initiatives to help network members embracing new approaches offered by Internet and ICT tools. Firstly a facility was developed and subsequently promoted, to invite people from industry to express their interest in engaging with education by offering visits, talks, case studies or other inputs. These can currently be circulated to Aqua-tnet members or added to a database of contacts. Secondly the group worked on establishing a means of recording and disseminating examples of innovative teaching and use of new tools. A template is now available on the Aqua-tnet website for recording such activities and completed reports can be downloaded as a practical resource.
Thirdly the group developed a web-based guide to the use of new media and tools and ran a hands-on workshop for members at the 2011 Annual Event. This proved to be very popular with many members exploring the making of podcasts, the editing of videos or the use of wikis for instance for the first time.
The group have also spent some time assessing the more profound changes to education that may emerge with the increasing penetration of mobile Internet technologies, ever richer subject content, trends towards lifelong and personalised learning, and the impact of social and professional networking services. The skills needed to be effective in future work environments need to be fostered by today’s educational establishments. How this can be achieved for students of aquaculture, fisheries and aquatic resources management is a challenge we look forward to tackling in Aqua-tnet 3.
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WP7 - Developing new approaches to promote student exchanges and Lifelong learning through language skills
The main aim of Work Package 7 (Multilingual Issues in International Cooperation and Lifelong Learning) was to develop new approaches to promote student exchanges and Lifelong learning through language skills. This was to be done by producing a language learning game as an induction tool to aid student exchange, and by piloting the use of 'game technology' for teaching essential scientific terminology at a specific workshop. As the Aqua-tnet 2 budget does not foresee or fund the development of such resources, much of this work was based on the LEONARDO da VINCI multi-lingual language learning project PESCALEX (see below for information on the PESCALEX concept).
A small part of the PESCALEX project was devoted to the design and development of a new language game, organized via a novel cellphone application concerning the diagnosis of fish diseases, run in several European languages. The overall aim of the simulation game was to demonstrate how to obtain an accurate and reliable record of disease events, based on fish farmers’ observations, and using the most basic of keywords available in several languages. The fishfarmer team key in the observed symptoms, using keywords in their native language, and send these via the internet tool to the expert diagnosis team. The cellphone application translates the keywords into their preferred language, and sends back the diagnosis. There should be a maximum of four teams, working in Greek, Turkish, Hungarian, Galician/Spanish, with English used as the comfort zone language. The linguistic aim of the game is to ensure that keywords in the target language are learned very quickly.
The online cellphone application was demonstrated very successfully in October 2010 at the EAS international conference in Porto, with 104 participants. The simulation game was run as a competition at a specific workshop in Galicia, Spain, also in October 2010, with four teams from Turkey, Hungary, Greece and the hosting region, Galicia. The competition was won by the Hungarian team, and all participants agreed that it had been a worthwhile experience, with the Galician students commenting on the English language items they had been able to learn fast and easily.
The two language games produced by AMC Ltd as part of PESCALEX and Aqua-tnet 2 have been subject-specific, based on the need to acquire vocationally specific language items, and using, in general, a keyword approach. To read the full article please click here (Word doc.).
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The online cellphone application was demonstrated very successfully in October 2010 at the EAS international conference in Porto, with 104 participants. The simulation game was run as a competition at a specific workshop in Galicia, Spain, also in October 2010, with four teams from Turkey, Hungary, Greece and the hosting region, Galicia. The competition was won by the Hungarian team, and all participants agreed that it had been a worthwhile experience, with the Galician students commenting on the English language items they had been able to learn fast and easily.
The two language games produced by AMC Ltd as part of PESCALEX and Aqua-tnet 2 have been subject-specific, based on the need to acquire vocationally specific language items, and using, in general, a keyword approach. To read the full article please click here (Word doc.).
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2. Programmes, Courses & People
To search for PhD, MSc and mobility opportunities and courses and to access information on your colleagues in Aqua-tnet 2 please visit the Aqua-tnet 2 interactive web portal available at http://aquatnet.djangofoo.com/ If you have any further editions or would like to make changes to your institution's information please contact Marieke Reuver at marieke@aquatt.ie
Aquainnova – The Future of Mediterranean Aquaculture in Europe
The workshop on “The Future of Mediterranean Aquaculture in Europe” was held on 16 – 17th November in Madrid and was the third workshop in the Aquainnova series supporting the European Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Platform (EATIP). Through the input of its members the EATIP has developed documents on the Vision for European Aquaculture in 2030 and supporting Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA).The aim of this workshop and previous workshops (on Freshwater Aquaculture and Marine Cold Water Aquaculture) was to provide additional sector relevant input to assist in the finalisation and build consensus on the Vision document and to develop the SRIAs. Attendance at the 1.5 day workshop was a mix of fish farmers and aquaculture associations, government representatives, research institutions, and research funding agencies. The workshop served as the opportunity for the Mediterranean Aquaculture stakeholders to exchange views and opinions on how they foresee the development of this sector in the next 20 years and what future research and innovation are required to support its progress.
The Aquainnova strategy of utilising professional facilitators in workshops was employed once again to maximise participation and ensure representation of all participants. The facilitation of the workshop makes for a more interesting and productive meeting. Participants discussed research priorities by theme - Product quality, consumer safety and health, Technology and Systems, Managing the Biological Lifecycle Sustainable Feed Production, Integration with the environment, Knowledge Management, Aquatic, Animal Health & Welfare, and Socio-economics and Management. Research priorities were ranked and the best tools needed to achieve these goals discussed.
The final Aquainnova stakeholder workshop will be held in Bordeaux from 15-16 February 2012 and will address the needs of the Shellfish Aquaculture sector. Once all stakeholders have had their input in to the documents a concluding Aquainnova workshop will finalise the vision and set the priority actions needed to achieve the conclusions and recommendations.
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Vocational Aqualabs: Generic skills courses piloted in Aberdeen, U.K.
Two courses (“Scientific Writing” and “Introduction to Statistical Analysis of Aquaculture Data”) were recently piloted by the one of Vocational Aqualabs partners in Aberdeen, U.K. on 15th and 16th November 2011. These initial trials were carried out with a small group of postgraduate and final year undergraduate students. The trial was very successful and the “Scientific Writing” course will now be trialled on a larger group of undergraduate students, specifically those registered for a course in “Animal Population Ecology” who will write one of their coursework assessments in the form of a scientific paper.The interest and feedback obtained from students has validated that generic skills training is invaluable. For more information on the project read the factsheet (PDF - English) or (PDF - Turkish) or visit the website at www.aqualabs.eu.
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Vocational Aqualabs project close 30th November 2011
With a focus on generic skills for aquaculture researchers the Vocational Aqualabs project has been running over the past two years and has recently come to its end on the 30th November 2011.
The consortium held its final partner meeting on the 23rd October 2011 in Bodrum, Turkey where partners discussed the pilot courses and the sustainability of the project. The courses include Entrepreneurship, Project Management, Research Funding Procurement, Networking – key for a successful career, Experimental Design, Data and Statistical Management and Scientific Writing. The courses were piloted throughout 2011 and the interest received has validated the need for the courses. The Co-ordinator, Ankara University, and Management Co-ordinator, AquaTT, would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the partners for their hard work over the past two years and all of the participants, experts and trainers who were involved in the pilot courses.
The Vocational Aqualabs consortium consists of 6 partners; Ankara University, Turkey (Co-ordinator), AquaTT, Ireland, The University of Aberdeen, United Kingdom, AQUARK, Greece, Stirling University, United Kingdom and INNOVAMAR, Spain. For further information on the project’s activities and deliverables visit www.aqualabs.eu or contact Hijran Yavuzcan (Project Coordinator) at Hijran.Yavuzcan@ankara.edu.tr or Olivia Daly (Project Officer) at olivia@aquatt.ie
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FORCE kick-off meeting a success
The recently launched FORCE (Fisheries and aquaculture-Oriented Research Capacity in Egypt) FP7 project held its first meeting in Alexandria, Egypt, 23 – 24 November. The consortium consisting of 4 partners, 2 from Italy and 1 each from Egypt and Ireland, spent two days in Alexandria discussing and preparing activities for the next 30 months.The project is designed to enhance the capacity of the Egyptian National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, NIOF, to carry out research activities aimed at supporting the implementation of sound and science-based policies for the sustainable development of fishing and aquaculture in Egypt, as well as in the whole Mediterranean North African region. NIOF is the coordinating partner of FORCE, with Università Ca' Foscari Venezia (Italy), The Fishing Technology Unit, National Research Council, Institute of Marine Sciences (Italy) and AquaTT (Ireland) making up the consortium. For more information on the project please contact Prof. Suzan Kholeif (Coordinator) suzankholeif@gmail.com.
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David Taylor talks on health impacts of climate change at UN conference in Durban, South Africa
HEALTHY FUTURES coordinator, David Taylor, reports from the UN Climate Change conference (COP-17) held in Durban, South Africa where he gave two successful HEALTHY FUTURES related presentations at events organised by the European Commission’s Directorate General for Research. David Taylor commented that “What has surprised me is the extent to which climate change is now a geo-political rather than scientific issue”.For further reading of David Taylor’s comments and information on HEALTHY FUTURES please click http://www.healthyfutures.eu/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=131%3Adavid-taylor-talks-on-health-impacts-of-climate-change-at-un-conference-in-durban-south-africa&lang=en&Itemid=262.
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INTRANEMMA 2nd partner meeting, Madrid, Spain, 24th-25th January 2011
The INTRANEMMA project aims to identify priority vocational skill needs in the Mediterranean mariculture industry and in response to develop and pilot innovative sector led programmes specifically for the Mediterranean region, aimed towards improving vocational skills and ensuring sustainability in sea bass and sea bream aquaculture. The project partners have carried out surveys across Turkey, Greece and Spain and further in-depth interviews with key stakeholders to identify bottle-necks in Mediterranean aquaculture. The 2nd partner meeting will take place in Madrid, Spain on the 24th-25th January 2011. The project is funded through the EU Lifelong Learning Programme - Leonardo da Vinci (Transfer of innovation) and is coordinated by Federation of Greek Maricultures, Greece. For more information on the project visit http://www.intranemma.eu/
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SEAFARE partner meeting, 16th December 2011, El Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain
The SEAFARE project, a European Union Atlantic Area Transnational Programme focussing on sustainable and environmentally friendly aquaculture for the Atlantic region of Europe, will hold its 4th partner meeting during AE2011 in El Puerto de Santa Maria, Spain on the 16th December 2011. This meeting will focus on the achievements obtained by the different working groups.If you would like more information about the SEAFARE project, please contact project coordinator Mr Dan Lee, on +44 1248 388603 or email d.lee@bangor.ac.uk.
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European Association for the Education of Adults (EAEA) Newsletter December 2011
To download the December edition click here (PDF).BACK to top
Launch of SEAS-ERA Discussion Document – A draft Marine Research Plan for the European Atlantic Sea Basin
This Discussion Document, prepared by the SEAS-ERA Atlantic Partnership, is an input to the preparation of a Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for the European Atlantic Sea Basin and will form the basis of a stakeholder consultation process to be implemented between January and June 2012. For more information visit http://www.eurocean.org/np4/2367.html
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ASSEMBLE 6th call for on-site access is now open
ASSEMBLE is an EU FP7 research infrastructure project comprising a network of 9 marine research stations. This network offers on-site access (through periodic calls) and remote access (through applications that can be submitted all year round) for European research groups to conduct marine research projects. ASSEMBLE sixth call for on-site visits is now open. For more information visit http://www.eur-oceans.eu/?q=node/288571BACK to top
Cruise Participation Opportunity - EURO-BASIN
The EC funded large integrated research project EURO-BASIN (www.euro-basin.eu) is looking for potential collaborating research teams to study nutrient cycling and microzooplankton grazing during the North Atlantic Spring Bloom. For more information visit http://www.eur-oceans.eu/?q=node/28851BACK to top
Bjørn Myrseth receives the 2011 FEAP Award for Excellence in aquaculture
The Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP) presented its annual award for excellence in European 
aquaculture to Bjørn Myrseth in recognition of his past and continuing contributions to aquaculture in Europe.Supported by MSD Animal Health (known as Merck Animal Health in the USA and Canada) since its inception in 2005, the FEAP makes an annual award to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to excellence in European aquaculture. In 2011, Bjørn Myrseth was recognized for his drive and career-long influence on fish farming in Europe.
The award was presented during the FEAP Presidents’ Meeting, held in Rhodes on 17-18 October 2011, and was decided by a jury composed of the previous recipients of the Award, following nomination by a FEAP Member Association. To read the full article click here.
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EAS Honorary Life Membership
At the final wrap up and closing session of the Aquaculture Europe 2011 event organised by the European Aquaculture 
Society (EAS) in Rhodes, Greece, Dr. Pascal Divanach, Director of the Institute of Aquaculture and member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Center for Marine Research (HCMR), was presented with an Honorary Life Membership of EAS. Honorary Life Membership is the highest EAS award and is given to those persons that have had a marked impact on the development of European aquaculture.Since 1981, EAS has bestowed this award on only 9 persons, including G. Ravagnan (Italy, since 1981), Dr. E. Monten (Sweden, since 1987 †), Dr. Bernard Chevassus-au-Louis (France, since 1989), Dr. Eric Edwards (UK, since 1991), Peter Hjul (UK, since 1993 †), Prof. Trygve Gjedrem (Norway, since 1995), Mr. J. Bally (Martinique, since 1997), Dr. Colin Nash (USA, since 2000) and Mr. Courtney Hough (Belgium, since 2010).
The award was presented by the EAS 2010-2012 President Yves Harache, who expressed his own personal pleasure in the nomination, that had been approved by the EAS Board of Directors during AE2011, and fittingly presented to Dr. Divanach on his ‘home soil’. To read the full article click here (Word doc.).
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New FAO aquaculture publications
The Fisheries and Aquaculture Department of FAO is pleased to announce the publication of seven technical documents on aquaculture which are of global relevance, namely - the Global Synthesis of aquaculture development status and trends, and
- six Regional Reviews of aquaculture development, status and trends.
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FARNET Newsletter 2011
This view November's edition visit https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/fpfis/cms/farnet/sites/default/files/documents/Farnet_Newsletter_2011_11_EN.pdfBACK to top
European Maritime Strategy for the Atlantic Ocean Area
The strategy, which "identifies challenges and opportunities in the region and takes stock of existing initiatives that can support growth and job creation", will be implemented in 2013 through an Action Plan. The development of the Action Plan will be facilitated by the Commission through a series of consultation events - the "Atlantic Forum". For more information visit http://www.eurocean.org/np4/2387.htmlBACK to top
| 5. Aqua-tnet Calendar |
Please check the Aqua-tnet calendar for a complete overview of upcoming events, conferences and workshops
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BibMail is a biweekly updated overview of the content tables of the major aquaculture-relevant scientific journals.
To go to the BibMail archive on the Aqua-tnet site please CLICK HERE
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Information of Interest is a biweekly updated overview of interesting publications, reports, and manuals relating to aquaculture in a broad sense, with links to the respective files or information points.
To go to the Information of Interest website link on the Aqua-tnet site please CLICK HERE
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AquaTT's Training News is a free monthly electronic newsletter. With the latest news from the European education 
community, opportunities for collaboration, announcements and a student corner, Training News is an important dissemination channel for education and training opportunities for the aquaculture and related sectors.
CLICK HERE for the latest AquaTT Training News and Announcements.
Please email news@aquatt.ie to submit your news which will reach almost 6,000 international subscribers interested in aquaculture and related sectors.
PiscesTT Jobs is a free online recruitment service used by over 300 companies globally. The innovative system, updated daily, lists jobs, PhD vacancies and student placements in Aquaculture, Fisheries and Marine Science worldwide. This service facilitates human resource development in the industry.
At the moment 8 interesting jobs/study opportunities. If you are interested in viewing or posting a job vacancy please go to http://www.piscesttjobs.com/ or contact aquatt@aquatt.ie Subscribe at http://www.piscesttjobs.com/feeds/ for live RSS updates of new job postings.
About Aqua-tnet
This update is published by the Aqua-tnet Secretariat. Please forward this mail to any colleagues that may be interested. For further information e-mail aquatnet@aquatt.ie All old Aqua-tnet Newsletters and other Aqua-tnet information is archived on the Aqua-tnet website ().
Aqua-tnet welcomes any feedback regarding content, presentation and user-friendliness of the newsletter. If you would like to post a notice, news item or event details on the next issue of the Aqua-tnet Newsletter or on the Aqua-tnet website, please send details to Marieke Reuver at marieke@aquatt.ie or aquatnet@aquatt.ie.
DISCLAIMER: AQUA-TNET provides this newsletter as a free service to its partners. Most of the information is provided by AQUA-TNET. Where it is not, the source of the news is provided in the text of the news brief or else AQUA-TNET attributes the news to the coordinating body as the "Data Source Provider". In no way does this newsletter intend to wrongly or inappropriately claim projects, news, etc. as its own nor is it responsible for incorrect information provided from other sources. The AQUA-TNET Newsletter is a dissemination tool and forum for both AQUA-TNET and its partners.