Logbook TransTiP - Part 1: Summer School in the City of the Panda Bears
Lectures, institute visit and icebreaker dinner: Before the team of the International Research Training Group TransTiP, funded by DFG, sets off for Tibet, it takes part in a two-week summer school in Chengdu, China, the city of the panda bears. Dr. Nicole Börner, Kim J. Krahn and Alexandra Müller from the Institute of Geosystems and Bioindication reported on the summer school and the expedition in a series of log entries.
"Finally, it starts: On August 12 the '2019 TPE & TransTiP Science and Technology Training' started in Chengdu, organized by the TPE Program and TransTiP. The summer school was opened by Prof. Fan Zhang and Prof. Yaoming Ma from the Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing and Prof. Antje Schwalb from the Institute of Geosystems and Bioindication at TU Braunschweig.
The day was filled with scientific lectures on atmosphere-land interaction and the deposition of heavy metals in soils. In the afternoon, all participants visited the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment (IMHE-CAS). Prof. Genxu Wang led through the exhibition, which presents the work of the institute. Using various landscape models, he explained the hazard potential of natural disasters on the Tibetan Plateau and in the foothills of the Himalayas, especially the effects in the area around Chengdu.
The day ended with the Icebreaker Dinner, where all 85 participants and lecturers came together and introduced themselves and their research interests. While sitting together, scientists from different nationalities got to know each other and were able to get an insight into the different cultures. Causing some laughs was Dr. Nicole Börner, the moderator of the evening, who made every effort to pronounce the names of the Chinese participants correctly.”