Rien van Genuchten Award Deadline extended to July 1st, 2020

• Rien van Genuchten Award for advanced modeling of soil processes
• ISMC Early Career Award

The biennial Rien van Genuchten Award is issued for outstanding contributions to the understanding of flow and transport processes in soils. It is dedicated to recognizing outstanding scientific achievements made by well-established researchers in the field of soil and vadose zone sciences. Granting merit to the scientific findings and breakthroughs in the soil and hydrological sciences by Rien van Genuchten, the award honors a senior/mid-career scientist with a certificate and a cash award of $2,000. Along with the Rien van Genuchten Award, the ISMC Early Career Award is issued: The ISMC Early Career Award is dedicated to recognizing outstanding scientific achievements made by early career researchers in the field of soil and vadose zone sciences.

Further info: https://soil-modeling.org/ismc-conference/rien-van-genuchten-award

Webinar: IS-GEO Community Standards for Next Generation Modeling

Date/Time: 2 Jun 2020 12:00PT Zoom

Abstract:
Computational modeling plays an increasingly critical role in science and contributes to policy in significant ways. An emerging consensus in the scientific modeling community envisions next generation modeling as an evolving ecosystem of diverse, potentially interoperable models. Such a modeling ecosystem could represent societal and biogeophysical systems in  more flexible ways, at multiple scales to respond to challenges we have yet to face. To make this vision of next generation modeling a reality, it will be necessary to develop models so that they can be reused by others and can be connected to other models. This, in turn, requires common standards for model accessibility, documentation, reuse, and integration. Recently, a growing number of modeling organizations have begun working together towards this end as the Open Modeling Foundation. The OMF is envisioned as a self-organized, international meta-orManization spanning societal, ecological, environmental, and geophysical sciences.
 
-----
Call Connection Information:
 
Link:
https://zoom.us/j/675166710
Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://zoom.us/j/675166710
 

Webinar: RECSOIL: Recarbonization of global soils

Date/Time: 17 Jun 2020 15:00-16:30 CEST Zoom

Background
Increased soil organic carbon (SOC) has been identified as one of the most cost-effective options for climate change adaptation and mitigation, as well as combating desertification, land degradation and food insecurity by the IPCC’s special report on climate change and land.  Maintaining existing SOC stocks and enhancing SOC sequestration through sustainable soil management (SSM) practices constitute a feasible solution to offset a portion of global emissions while providing multiple benefits for the environment, people and the economy. While there is substantial scientific evidence that soils could play an important role in the current global challenges, there are still some uncertainty and risks for moving into action and scale up. FAO and its Global Soil Partnership (GSP) have established "RECSOIL: Recarbonization of global soils" as an initiative to move the SOC agenda into action using the best tools and technologies available while being aware of the associated uncertainties.

15:00 - 15:15 | OPENING REMARKS
    Dr Qu Dongyu, FAO Director-General (tbc)
    Mr Ibrahim Thiaw, Executive Secretary, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification
    H.E. Carlos Manuel Rodriguez, Minister of Environment and Energy of Costa Rica
15:15 - 15:25 | Status and challenges of global soil organic carbon sequestration – Prof. Rattan Lal, Distinguished University professor of Soil Science and Director of the Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, The Ohio State University, Ohio, USA
15:25 - 15:35 | Is soil organic carbon sequestration really feasible? How to scale it up? Prof. Pete Smith, Professor of Soils and Global Change, Aberdeen University and Science Director of Scotland’s ClimateXChange
15:35 - 15:45 | Soil organic carbon sequestration: experience from the ground,Ms Maria Beatriz Giraudo,Farmer from Argentina
15:45 - 15:55 | Unlocking the potential of soil organic carbon: RECSOIL, Ms Rosa Cuevas/Mr Ronald Vargas, FAO
15:55 - 16:25 | PANEL SESSION - Moving the SOC agenda into action:
    H.E. Aslak Brun, Ambassador Permanent Representative of Norway to FAO (tbc)
    Ms Arianna Giuliodori, Secretary General, World Farmers Association
    Mr Eric Fernandes, Global Lead, Technology-Innovation-Climate Smart Agriculture, World Bank Group
    Ms Valeria Forlin, Policy officer, DG Clima, European Commission
    Mr Barney Debnam, Strategy Lead Agriculture at Microsoft
16:25 - 16:30 | CONCLUSION, Ms Maria Helena Semedo, Deputy Director General Climate and Natural Resources, FAO

Further information:
http://www.fao.org/global-soil-partnership/resources/events/detail/en/c/1277609/