eNews
#03 2022
SAEON GSN to host the first in-person student Indibano since the Covid-19 pandemic
By Buster Mogonong, External Communication Liaison, Graduate Student Network
SAEON’s Graduate Student Network (GSN) will be hosting the 14th annual Indibano in partnership with the Expanded Freshwater and Terrestrial Environmental Observation Network (EFTEON) in Kimberley, South Africa, in what will be the first in-person Indibano since the Covid-19 pandemic.
Indibano details
The Indibano will be held from 16 to 21 October 2022. This year’s annual conference promises to be an exciting gathering as students from different universities across South Africa will meet to share their research work.
The theme of the 2022 Indibano is Emerging infrastructures for interdisciplinary research in South Africa. Information on the conference and how to submit an abstract can be found here.
The 2022 Indibano is set to have approximately 60 delegates, of which 25 will be MSc and PhD students who will be presenting their research. The talks will be categorised into three sub-themes – (i) Terrestrial, (ii) Marine/aquatic and (iii) Socio-ecological studies – to accommodate a broader spectrum of research work that is in line with the EFTEON and SAEON mandates.
Poster inviting calls for abstracts for the 14th SAEON GSN Indibano
Workshop sessions
Several workshops (carbon flux, remote sensing, science communication and Google Earth Engine) aimed at equipping postgraduate students and building their capacity will be held during the Indibano. The planned workshops will kick off by engaging delegates on the principles of science communication and the importance of why the up-and-coming African scientists need to communicate their science to a broader public audience. The delegates will also be taken through a Google Earth Engine workshop and the reasons why it is important, especially during this time of climate change.
On 20 October workshops will be held on carbon flux and remote sensing. These two workshops are meant to build capacity and will demonstrate new technologies that are currently being used to understand ecosystem processes. The carbon-flux workshop will be facilitated by the EFTEON team led by Dr Gregor Feig and Dr Kathleen Smart, while the remote-sensing workshop will be facilitated by Dr Tamaryn Morris.
The EFTEON savanna flux tower site at Benfontein Nature Reserve (Photo: Amukelani Maluleke)
The EFTEON Karoo flux tower site at Benfontein Nature Reserve (Photo: Buster Mogonong)
Things to look out for soon
The SAEON GSN will be hosting a number of online workshops between now and the Indibano.
Get in touch with us
Keep your eyes open for exciting opportunities and further progress updates regarding our annual Indibano 2022. Follow us on our Twitter page @SAEON_GSN and like the SAEON GSN Facebook page.
For more information regarding the GSN activities and how to become a member, please visit our website: gsn.dirisa.org
SAEON eNews is the bimonthly online newsletter of the South African Environmental Observation Network.
SAEON is a research platform funded by the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and managed by the National Research Foundation (NRF).
SAEON serves as a national platform for detecting, translating and predicting environmental change through scientifically designed observation systems and research.