The North-West University (NWU) in collaboration with WATERnet and Baleware (Bridging Africa, Latin America, and Europe on Water and Renewable Energies Applications), is hosting an International Water-Climate Summer School from 4 to 18 October 2022.

The summer school is a hybrid, interactive, transdisciplinary event aimed at strengthening capacity to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 – “Ensure access to water and sanitation for all”, and SDG 13 – “Climate action”.

The Summer School, which is currently being attended by master’s and doctoral students and other emerging researchers in water-climate and related fields of study, was officially opened by Prof David Modise, the executive dean of the NWU’s Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (FNAS)on 4 October.

This was followed by a public lecture presented by FNAS academic Prof Roelof Burger.

The programme includes interactive lectures, engaging participants in a theatre performance to reach out to local communities, practical sessions, fieldwork and excursions, a science slam competition, a poster session, a three-minute thesis competition, and an award ceremony.

“Subtopics discussed during this summer school include ethics and intersectionality of water-climate studies, integrated water resources management, groundwater and climate adaptation, excursion/fieldwork, research design for proposal writing, and water-climate monitoring tools,” says Abigail Phori, one of the summer school organisers from the NWU.

Prof Roelof Burger addresses the audience during the opening lecture of the International Water-Climate Summer School.