Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/N000617/1
NERC Numerical Earth Science Modelling short course
Training Grant Award
- Lead Supervisor:
- Professor J van Hunen, Durham University, Earth Sciences
- Grant held at:
- Durham University, Earth Sciences
- Science Area:
- Earth
- Overall Classification:
- Earth
- ENRIs:
- Environmental Risks and Hazards
- Global Change
- Natural Resource Management
- Pollution and Waste
- Science Topics:
- Earth Resources
- Geohazards
- Hydrological Processes
- Mantle & Core Processes
- Volcanic Processes
- Abstract:
- This is a follow-up application of a 2014 NERC advanced training short course grant NE/M006670/1 entitled "Numerical modelling short course for postgraduate students". The course is scheduled for 23-27 March 2015 and is filled to capacity, showing a clear demand for this type of training. Although we therefore cannot yet present results from our 2014 application, we intend to use our experience and feedback from this first course to improve the course content and delivery where necessary. Almost every Earth Science discipline today uses numerical modelling as a research tool. Commercial or off-the-shelf software packages are often used, but such software may be a 'black box', giving limited scientific of computational understanding. This lack of deeper understanding increases the chance of errors and reduces the insight gained from the modelling. Based on an informal survey, knowledge and experience in numerical modelling amongst starting PhD students appears to be quite low and variable. This contrasts sharply with the numerical modelling skills required or desirable for many PhD projects. Modelling was also identified as the number-1 most wanted skill in the LWEC (Living With Environmental Change) 2012 report on skills gaps in the Environment Sector. To bridge this gap in modelling skills, we propose to offer a 4-day residential short course on numerical modelling principles and techniques for beginning and more advanced postgraduate students, to be held in March, 2016. The main objective of this course is to offer postgraduate students the essential skills to develop and apply basic modelling tools during their PhD project and beyond. The course is devided in three parts: 1) A one-afternoon revision session on basic programming knowledge and Matlab (assuming preparation prior to arrival using the supplied self-study materials). 2) A 2.5-day plenary part, attended by all participants, covering fundamental modelling concepts, such as finite differences, time stepping algorithms, and boundary conditions. 3) A one-day parallel session, in which participants choose a topic of their choice and discuss more advanced modelling techniques specific to these interests. Topics include: a. Groundwater flow, contamination, and porous media flow b. Landslides and avalanches c. Earthquakes d. Erosion, sedimentation, and landscape evolution e. Fluid flow modelling: Convection and diffusion of heat and chemicals f. Volcanic eruptions The main objective of this course is to provide postgraduate students with the basic knowledge and confidence to enable them to go on to build and adapt their own numerical models for their research, to enable them to develop into active modellers, not just users of models. The Earth Science department is an ideal choice for running such course. It already runs an undergraduate modelling course for beginners with excellent student evaluation scores. Durham also has staff with state-of-the-art modelling expertise in all of the above-mentioned environmental research fields, and they will all teach on this course. Furthermore, the University has all the required software, infrastructure, facilities, and equipment to run such course for at least 30 participants. The proposed modelling course has the potential to prepare the next generation UK Earth scientists for a research environment in which numerical modelling is a central and important tool. Such course is, to our knowledge, unique in the UK, and would attract postgraduate students from across the UK, as demonstrated by the high demand for this year's course.
- NERC Reference:
- NE/N000617/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- Doctoral Training
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- Advanced Training
This training grant award has a total value of £29,970
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - Other Costs |
|---|
| £29,970 |
If you need further help, please read the user guide.