AQUA-TNET NEWSLETTER

JUNE 2013

This is a free e-mail news service provided by Aqua-tnet for the Aqua-tnet network and its partners. Aqua-tnet is the European Thematic Network in the field of aquaculture, fisheries and aquatic resources management, funded under the European Commission Lifelong Learning Programme, from 2011-2014.

In this newsletter you will find an update of Aqua-tnet and its activities, as well as information from the European Commission related to European education matters.

Please forward this newsletter to your colleagues and students. Please submit any relevant information for dissemination in the newsletter to aquatnet@aquatt.ie

CONTENTS

AQUA-TNET NEWS

PROGRAMMES, COURSES & PEOPLE

RESEARCH & EDUCATION

OTHER

AQUA-TNET CALENDAR

AQUATT TRAINING NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

PISCESTT JOBS


AQUA-TNET NEWS

Aqua-tnet at Learning Innovations and Quality (LINQ) Conference, May 2013, Rome, Italy

Learning Innovations and Quality (LINQ) is the leading European and international conference on learning innovations and quality. The LINQ 2013 Conference was held in Rome, Italy on 16-17 May 2013 and was attended by John Bostock who gave a presentation on the Aqua-tnet project. The conference was a meeting point for many EU Lifelong Learning projects and the first keynote presentation was given by António Silva Mendes, Director General for Education and Vocational Training, DG EAC, European Commission. This was particularly interesting as it shed light on current thinking at the European Commission and likely priorities for the future. Given the current pace of social and technological change, he argued strongly for radical changes in education with a focus on learning rather than academia and policies that support “out of the box partnerships” that create new interactions between all stakeholders.

Some of these themes were later picked up by Jay Cross (Internet Time Alliance) who described the world of work moving from the “clockwork phase” to the “complex phase” and education needing to change from “push” to “pull”. He also argued for a greater focus on tacit knowledge which he considers has been ignored in favour of explicit knowledge.

Further visions of the future were presented by Rory McGreal (UNESCO OER Chair, University of Athabasca, Canada), who considered the trend towards pervasive mobile computing to be the most significant driver for educational change. He argued strongly for the benefits of open educational resources as being the only practical and desirable solution for education to meet the needs of society. He also highlighted the importance of gaming and suggested that the online game World of Warcraft is the best training young people can get for future work. He closed with the observation, “If you don’t like change you are going to like irrelevance even less”.

The next speaker, Fred Mulder (UNESCO OER Chair, Open University of the Netherlands), set out a conceptual framework for integrating Open Educational Resources (OER) with Open Learning Services (OLS) and Open Teaching Efforts (OTE) in a way that is Open to Learner Needs (OLN) and Open to Employability and Capabilities development (OEC). He also introduced the EC supported OpenupEd initiative to develop European MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses).

The conference hosted numerous other interesting presentations which are now available via the conference website www.learning-innovations.eu.

BACK TO TOP

Aqua-tnet Youtube Channel

The Aqua-tnet YouTube channel has a growing number of playlists that should be of interest to both students and teachers. If you have video material on YouTube that you would like to see featured in this way, please send links to John Bostock (email: j.c.bostock@stir.ac.uk).

BACK TO TOP

Journal Links Relevant to Aquaculture, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management

Journal Links is a new page which has been added to the Aqua-tnet website to bring together links to academic journals of interest to our members. Links to RSS feeds are also included when available as this can be a great way to stay informed of latest issues. Please have a look and let us know if journals that are important to you are missing. 

This new page, along with the Aqua-tnet Facebook and Linkedin pages, replaces BIB MAIL and Information of Interest as our sources of frequent information on topics of interest.

BACK TO TOP

Examples of Innovative Teaching

Another new section on the Aqua-tnet website allows Aqua-tnet members to share their experiences of introducing innovation in teaching through new approaches, tools or methods. You are invited to browse through the examples here and share your own experiences by completing and submitting the linked TEMPLATE (Word Document).

BACK TO TOP

Aqua-tnet Presentation at Aquaculture Europe 2013, 9-12 August 2013, Trondheim, Norway

The work and achievements of Aqua-tnet will be clearly visible at Aquaculture Europe 2013 (AE2013). There will be two oral presentations about Aqua-tnet at the Communication & Transfer session on Monday 12 August. The presentations will focus on the accomplishments of Aqua-tnet. WP1 leader Odd Ivar Lekang will present ‘AQUACASE 3.0 – an innovative way to create interaction between academia and the industry’, and WP7 leader Marieke Reuver will present on ‘Aqua-tnet: networking, innovation and aspiration’.

We would like to invite you to attend the sessions if you will be in Trondheim or to promote them to colleagues who will be attending. AquaTT will also have a dissemination table at AE2013 and you’re very welcome to come and visit!

BACK TO TOP

PROGRAMMES, COURSES & PEOPLE

To search for PhD, MSc and mobility opportunities and courses and to access information on your colleagues in Aqua-tnet3, please visit the Aqua-tnet Education Gate. If you have any further additions or would like to make changes to your institution's information please contact Marieke Reuver at marieke@aquatt.ie

If you are a graduate and would like to post your request for an internship, or your company is seeking interns, please visit www.aquatnet.com/index.php/167/internships.

BACK TO TOP

RESEARCH & EDUCATION

More than Four Million People to Benefit from EU Grants for Education and Training Over Next Seven Years

Agreement has been reached on the EU Lifelong Learning support programme for 2014-2020. It will be called Erasmus+ and will include support for new “Knowledge Alliances” and “Sector Skill Alliances” between business and education providers. There will also be a European level loan package for master's students. Read more about this development HERE.

BACK TO TOP

Rethinking Education Strategy

The European Parliament have published a draft response to the Communication from the European Commission (COM(2012) 669 Final) "Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socio-economic outcomes". The tone is very supportive and stresses again the need for more creative partnerships between industry and different education and training providers and improved focus on flexible lifelong learning.

Aqua-tnet will be working on the details of this policy initiative through Work Package 5 (on innovative lifelong learning).

BACK TO TOP

VOA3R and ICORE

The Virtual Open Access Agriculture and Aquaculture Repository (VOA3R) is an EC funded project which aims to establish a virtual open-access agriculture and aquaculture repository to share scientific and scholarly research related to agriculture, food and environment. It has great potential for widening access to knowledge and lowering the cost of higher education in the aquaculture domain. The project has a website and an open access platform. The platform integrates open access material search tools with a social networking tool to promote collaboration and knowledge sharing. There are currently groups on Aquaculture, Aquatic Science and Water Management, Aquatic Science and Greek Aquaculture. Complementarities between Aqua-tnet and VOA3R will be examined for future activities.

The International Council for Open Research and Education (ICORE) will support the VOA3R community and platform in a sustainable way, enabling the current users to continue enjoying the VOA3R experience after the end of the project. The main objectives of ICORE are the recognition, progress and application of Open Research and Open Education: ICORE wants to bridge both worlds of Open Research and Open Education. The goal is the mutual re-usage of their results and outcomes, e.g. through the usage of digital resources from Open Research in Open Education.

The Aqua-tnet project will follow the development of VOA3R and ICORE carefully and will seek engagement if appropriate.

BACK TO TOP

EU Investment for Education and Youth Employability Pays Off

On 25 June 2013, the European Commission welcomed the launch of Education at a Glance 2013, an annual report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) which analyses the education systems of the 34 OECD member countries, including 21 EU Member States. The report identifies challenges for European education systems that must be tackled by the EU and its Member States working together, and confirms the importance of policies aimed at modernising education systems and increasing opportunities for young people to study or train abroad. Education at a Glance 2013 is available to download HERE. To read more, visit http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-13-603_en.htm  or http://www.oecd.org/newsroom/value-of-education-rises-in-crisis-says-oecd.htm

BACK TO TOP

Science Education Gets a Revamp Across Europe

Studies have shown that the proportion of students attending university to study science across Europe has decreased over the last decade, particularly within physical sciences. But an EU-funded project is keen to change all that with the collaboration of 11 European countries. The €3.8 million project European Science and Technology in Action Building Links with Industry, Schools and Home (ESTABLISH ) aims to create authentic learning environments for science students aged between 12 and 18. Read more HERE. 

BACK TO TOP

GCHERA World Agriculture Prize Call For Nominations: Deadline 31 July 2013

The Global Confederation of Higher Education Associations for Agriculture and Life Sciences (GCHERA) World Agriculture Prize will be awarded to an academic/faculty member from a higher education institution working in the disciplines relating to the agricultural and life sciences. A nominee will demonstrate exceptional and significant achievement in his or her engagement in the mission of higher education institutions relating to the agricultural and life sciences. For full details of the terms and conditions for submitting a nomination for the prize, visit www.gchera-wap.org.

BACK TO TOP

Modern Apprenticeship in Aquaculture Development Success

The Marine Science and Technology Department of the North Atlantic Fisheries College (NAFC) Marine Centre has reached a significant milestone by recruiting more than 50 new candidates for their recently revamped Modern Apprenticeship (MA) in Aquaculture Level 3 programme. The NAFC Marine Centre is now, by a large margin, the leading national supplier of Aquaculture MA’s to industry. To learn more, click HERE.

BACK TO TOP

Call Applications: Accredited Postgraduate Module in Applied Marine Biological Sampling and Data Collection, 30 September-25 October 2013, Ireland

The call for applications for the applied postgraduate module in Marine Biological Sampling and Data Collection by Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT) and the Strategic Marine Alliance for Research and Training (SMART) is now open.  Places are limited to 20 and will be filled on a first come first served basis. Fees for the module are €750. Further details, including a module descriptor and staff biographies, can be downloaded at: www.smartseaschool.com/postgrad. Application forms may be completed online HERE.

BACK TO TOP

Daniel Jouvance Foundation Scientific Award

The Daniel Jouvance Foundation was founded in 2008 to promote the study and preservation of the marine environment. It presents an annual Young Researcher Award of €4,000 which recognises the work of young scientists in the areas of marine biology, marine chemistry, marine biotechnology or oceanography. The topic for the 2013 prize is Marine Life and Symbiosis. Applicants (less than 30 years old) should submit their applications before 15 September 2013, including: a CV (2 pages maximum), a short abstract of the scientific work (4 pages maximum), and a copy of the title page of published papers and theses. Submissions and enquiries should be sent to: ylegal@mnhn.fr or y.legal2@orange.fr

BACK TO TOP

TACCLE IST COURSE 2014: Creating Your Own e-learning Content in School Sducation and Adult Education

This sixth in-service training (IST) course will run from 6-13 April 2014 in Urbino, Italy (reference number: BE-2013-268-001 Comenius 2nd Session or BE-2013-267-001 Grundtvig 2nd Session). The aim is to help teachers to develop state of the art content for e-learning in general and for learning environments in particular. Deadline for Comenius or Grundtvig IST grants is 17 September 2013. For more information, visit www.taccle2.eu

BACK TO TOP

FORCE Holds Training Seminar ‘How to Internationalise Your Research’

On 11-12 June 2013 representatives from AquaTT, in collaboration with a representative from the Forum for Euro-Mediterranean Innovation in Action (FEMIA), held a two day training seminar on ‘How to internationalise your research’ at the Faculty of Science, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt, as part of FORCE (Fisheries and aquaculture-oriented research capacity in Egypt), www.forceproject.eu.

Participants from different faculties of Alexandria University and the various branches of the Egyptian National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries (NIOF), the coordinating institute of FORCE, attended the seminar. Initial feedback from the event was positive, with participants appreciative of the information provided and experiences of the European funding landscape shared by their more experienced European counterparts.
If you have any questions about the FORCE project, please contact the project coordinator, Prof Suzan Kholief (email: suzan_kholeif@yahoo.com) or the Project Management Team (email: force.niof@gmail.com).

BACK TO TOP

EPA STRIVE Environmental Science to Policy Interface Workshop

On 19 June 2013, AquaTT and Trinity College Dublin (TCD) held a joint workshop on the Irish environmental science to policy interface. Participants included policy makers, researchers and intermediaries involved in environmental protection in Ireland, including members of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA’s Science, Technology, Research and Innovation (STRIVE) programme has funded both organisations to complete desktop studies to improve the transfer of knowledge and communication between researchers and policy makers regarding Irish environmental issues and challenges. The two studies have taken different approaches to improving the interface but both were combined to inform the workshop.

The entire process was very well received with all participants agreeing that there was a definite need for both approaches with tangible tools. The workshop will inform the development of AquaTT’s final toolkit due by the end of August. The toolkit will then be trialled at a researchers’ training workshop to guide them through the process. Further information on the toolkit for communication with policy, the EPA funded desk study or on the upcoming training event, can be provided by Cliona Ni Cheallachain (cliona@aquatt.ie). 

BACK TO TOP 

Sea for Society: Successful Irish Public Consultations

Citizen/Youth consultations were carried out in Ireland under the Sea for Society project on 18 May 2013 in Salthill, Co Galway and on 25 May 2013 in Dublin. Participants between 18-28 years of age took part in the consultations, which were led by Michelle Devaney of National University of Ireland, Galway, and John Joyce of AquaTT, assisted by Olivia Daly of AquaTT.

Ideas related to the six Sea for Society topics of Leisure & Tourism, Human Health, Transport, Energy, Marine Food and A Place to Live were generated, with additional time being given to consider the last two topics since they are to be considered as national priority subjects. Participants reported that they enjoyed the events and that they broadened their knowledge and understanding of the Seas. In particular, the 'Collective Intelligence' methodology employed, where participants are asked to consider themselves as individual cells in a gigantic collective 'brain', was very much appreciated as a way of creating and exploring new ideas.

Similar citizen/youth consultations are currently being carried out across the rest of Europe. In Ireland, these consultations will be followed in the autumn by focused discussions with marine stakeholders on the two nationally allocated subjects of Marine Food and A Place to Live. Further information, including national blogs, can be found at www.seaforsociety.eu

BACK TO TOP 

AQUAEXCEL Project Update

The second issue of AQUAEXCEL (Aquaculture Infrastructures for Excellence in European Fish Research) Project News is now available to download from www.aquaexcel.eu.
This issue features: an interview with work package 4 (WP4) leader, John Bostock, about AQUAEXCEL's Call for Access programme; feedback from researchers who took part in the recent Recalculating Aquaculture System (RAS) Technology course held by Wageningen University; profiles of researchers who have availed of the Call for Access programme, in which they describe their work and experiences of using Transnational Access (TNA) to further their research; details of AQUAEXCEL’s second annual meeting, which took place in Brussels from 9-11 April 2013; and the latest news from AQUAEXCEL's project partners.

AQUAEXCEL Key Achievements 2011-2013 is the first in a series of four booklets that will introduce the project, its core functions and its progress to date. The booklet focuses on AQUAEXCEL’s key achievements and provides detailed summaries of each. The aim of this booklet is to communicate to a general public how AQUAEXCEL’s work is benefitting the research community and industry as well as helping to achieve significant value creation. The booklet can be downloaded from the AQUAEXCEL website and hard copies can be obtained by sending a request to marieke@aquatt.ie.

Key points of the AQUAEXCEL project will be presented in both oral and poster form at Aquaculture Europe 2013 (AE2013) in Trondheim, Norway. The poster presentations will focus on the functions of AQUAEXCEL as it coordinates and integrates aquaculture research infrastructures across Europe and the development of e-infrastructure for remote access to research facilities in aquaculture will be presented discussing both the methodology and results of this research. The oral presentations will discuss important features of the AQUAEXCEL project, including the online aquaculture research infrastructure map. Other aspects of AQUAEXCEL, such as the transnational access and training courses, will be presented at the EAS-SG Student Forum on 10 August 2013.

The second AQUAEXCEL Training Course, entitled Contribution of genomic approaches to the development of sustainable aquaculture for temperate and Mediterranean fish, will be provided by the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA), France, on 16-18 October 2013 in Rennes, France. Further information is available from the AQUAEXCEL website.

The fifth AQUAEXCEL Call for Access will open on 15 July 2013 with a deadline of 13 September 2013. Interested researchers can propose projects that are compliant with the EATIP Strategic Research & Innovation Agenda, and that involve visits of one or two people to a Research Infrastructure that provides facilities not available in their own country, for periods of up to three months. Access to the research facilities and associated travel and subsistence expenses will be paid for under the project. Registration for the course will open in mid July 2013. Further information is available from the AQUAEXCEL website.

For press queries, please contact: Marieke Reuver, Programme Manager, AquaTT, Dublin, Ireland. Email: marieke@aquatt.ie 

BACK TO TOP 

OTHER

Navigating the Future for European Marine Research

A new position paper from the European Marine Board, Navigating the Future IV, was launched on 20 June 2013 in Brussels, Belgium. Navigating the Future IV outlines how innovative marine research can solve some of Europe’s greatest policy challenges. European policy makers have some big issues to grapple with: climate change, food and energy security, human health, and a loss of economic momentum resulting from the financial crisis. There is a clear recognition that to make maritime activities sustainable, will require a significant investment in collaborative and cross‐disciplinary marine research. Navigating the Future IV is available to download HERE. To read more, click HERE.

BACK TO TOP 

9th ASSEMBLE Call for Access Now Open

The 9th ASSEMBLE (Association of European Marine Laboratories) call for applications is now open. ASSEMBLE is an EU Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) research infrastructure initiative comprising a network of marine research stations.  You can now apply for on-site access to the ASSEMBLE infrastructure sites for the period December 2013-August 2014. Deadline for applications is 5 September 2013. This is the last call for on-site access as the ASSEMBLE project is ending in October 2014. Future calls will be launched within the framework of the European Marine Biological Research Centre (EMBRC) (www.embrc.eu). The number of projects to be accommodated within Call 9 will depend on the remaining budget in the project. For more information, and to submit an application, visit www.assemblemarine.org

BACK TO TOP 

FEAP Annual Report 2012 and Dublin Declaration: ‘Streaming Sustainability’ – European Aquaculture for the Next Generation 

The Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP) has published its 2012 annual report (May 2013), which gives a comprehensive overview of European fish farming and the issues affecting its development. For more information and to download the report, click HERE.

Within the framework of celebrating European Maritime Day 2013, the Irish Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Mr Simon Coveney TD, officially witnessed a  Declaration on ‘Streaming Sustainability in Aquaculture’ made by FEAP on 23 May 2013. For more information, and to download a copy of the declaration, click HERE.

BACK TO TOP 

elearningeuropa.info Interview with Dr Fred Mulder and Dr Rory McGreal

Dr Fred Mulder, UNESCO Chair holder in Open Educational Resources (OER) at the Open Universiteit in the Netherlands and former Rector of OUNL, and Dr Rory McGreal, UNESCO Chair holder in OER and professor at Athabasca University, share some interesting insights with elearningeuropa.info. Read the interview HERE.

BACK TO TOP 

European Parliament Report on Educational and Occupational Mobility of Women in the EU

This report emphasises the need for EU policies to include greater awareness of the situation of women belonging to different age groups, especially in the case of education, integration, migration, employment, poverty, health care and social protection policies, and to concentrate more on the situation of women in the decision-making process. Read tthe report HERE.

BACK TO TOP 

AQUA-TNET CALENDAR

Please check the Aqua-tnet calendar for a live update of upcoming events, courses and workshops.


BACK TO TOP

AQUATT TRAINING NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

AquaTT's Training News is a free monthly e-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 edition.

Please email news@aquatt.ie to submit your news which will reach more than 5,000 international subscribers.

BACK TO TOP

PISCESTT JOBS

PiscesTT Jobs is a free online recruitment service used by over 300 companies globally in Aquaculture, Fisheries and Marine Science. At the moment there are 10 interesting jobs/study opportunities. If you are interested in viewing or posting a vacancy please go to www.piscesttjobs.com or contact aquatt@aquatt.ie. Subscribe at www.piscesttjobs.com/feeds for live RSS updates.  

BACK TO TOP

About Aqua-tnet

This update is published by the Aqua-tnet Secretariat. For further information e-mail aquatnet@aquatt.ie Previous editions are archived on www.aquatnet.com. Aqua-tnet welcomes any feedback regarding content, presentation and user-friendliness of the newsletter. If you would like to post a 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

BACK TO TOP

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.