From: Jon Froehlich <jonfroehlich@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Feb 11, 2011 at 12:52
Subject: [dub] Fwd: IDRN Grad Student Conference: May 10-11, 2011
There is an international development conference for graduate students hosted by UBC in Vancouver, CA May 10-11th. I thought this would be of interest to various dub and change members. Note that the email from Kieran below, who is a PhD student in the Institute for Resources, Environment & Sustainability at UBC, begins with a clarification about his view on international development research (which should provide further context for the conference's goals and vision). Following that, is the CFP.
From: Kieran Findlater <kieranfindlater@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, Feb 9, 2011 at 8:41 AM
Subject: IDRN Grad Student Conference: May 10-11, 2011
To: Jon Froehlich <jonfroehlich@gmail.com>
Defining international development is very contentious - something we've generally avoided, to date. Even the phrase itself sparks fierce debate. I hope these guidelines help:
- Generally speaking, my personal opinion is that international development research is any that attempts to address disparities between developed and developing countries - in health, education, gender equality, human rights, environment, infrastructure, resilience to shocks, etc.
- We seek students conducting research that is specifically tailored to applications in developing countries. To this end, we welcome engineers or computer scientists who are working on technology that is specifically targeted to developing countries - ICTD being a prime example.
- International development research is not simply research that happens to be conducted in a developing country (e.g., the study of Mexican culture and art), but rather, research that is specific to the disparities faced by developing countries (e.g., human rights abuses under transitional governments).
We will group participants by theme for both small-group and large-group sessions. If there are students for whom we cannot find suitable groups, we will give them the option of joining one of the existing groups (perhaps students who use similar methodology or who work in the same country/region). We may have a sizeable contingent of engineers given the prominence of Engineers Without Borders up here.
International Development Research Network
International Development Conference for Graduate Student Researchers
May 10-11, 2011
University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
————————————————————————————Building a diverse network with other researchers and practitioners is important for a graduate student to become an effective development researcher.
International development research involves questions that often span multiple academic disciplines and that are intimately linked to practical application. It can often be difficult for development researchers in different disciplines to meet each other and find others working on related questions. It can be also be challenging to stay connected to practitioners who are implementing development activities and trying to put knowledge generated through research into practice. This is particularly true of graduate students, who are often early in their careers, and who often have fewer funds and opportunities for networking.
IDRN aims to facilitate the kind of communication and collaboration that is needed for efficient, timely, topical and useful development research.
The International Development Research Network (IDRN) is a graduate student-driven initiative based out of the University of British Columbia that is attempting to build a strong community of graduate students, faculty and research staff at UBC and beyond. This network has been created to facilitate the kind of communication and collaboration between researchers and between researchers and practitioners that is needed to ensure development research is efficient, timely, topical, and ultimately, useful in tackling the issues that preoccupy us all.
The International Development Conference for Graduate Student Researchers is an opportunity for 1.5 days of networking and learning with other graduate students, experienced researchers, and development practitioners.
As the capstone event for our first year of activities, we are hosting our first International Development Conference for Graduate Student Researchers. This is an “un-conference” designed to bring together graduate students engaged in international development research – along with experienced researchers and practitioners – in an informal setting for one and a half days of networking and learning.
The conference will offer graduate student participants a variety of different opportunities to meet other students whose research is linked to their own in different ways: for example, theme lunches with students who use similar methods or who work in the same region of the world, and brainstorming sessions with students tackling similar questions. Students will also have the opportunity to get valuable feedback on their research program, whatever stage they are at, and to gain important professional development knowledge and skills from more experienced researchers and practitioners.
We are aiming to keep the cost and effort of participation to a minimum.
There is no registration fee. Currently, meals are not included, but we are working to secure funding to include as many meals as possible at no cost – we will keep registered participants updated. Accommodation is not included, but we are happy to provide information about some accommodation options on request. For students, required preparation includes a one-slide summary of their research and a ten-minute presentation to be made in a small group session. More details will be provided upon registration.
To apply, please fill out the attached application and email it to idrn.ubc+conf@gmail.com by February 18 2011. Further conference details may be found on the conference website. There are limited spaces available, which will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Experienced researchers and practitioners interested in participating are asked to send an email to idrn.ubc+conf@gmail.com.
We hope that you will join us in building the international development research community in our neighbourhood!
—————————————————————————————
What is IDRN?
The International Development Research Network (IDRN) is an initiative of the Liu Institute for Global Issues, located at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
The network exists to better leverage the vast contextual knowledge and experience that exists across diverse UBC departments. We want to generate a robust dialogue within the UBC development community, through regular events and web-based collaboration. A strong sense of community will enable grad students, faculty and research staff to reach out to each other for advice and support, crossing the disciplinary divides that isolate us.
Although we encourage web-based collaboration, we believe that face-to-face events provide the best forum for first conversations and creative thinking. Therefore, in addition to our forum, we will hold regular panel events, workshops, field debriefings, reading groups, movie nights and more.
If your work relates to international development, we encourage you to join, connect and collaborate.
Who runs IDRN?
IDRN is a grad student initiative funded by the Liu Institute’s Scholar Program. The organizing committee is primarily comprised of grad students, with an advisory board of faculty and practitioners.
What kinds of events can I expect?
You can expect to see regular panel events, workshops, field debriefings, reading groups, movie nights and more.
Who attends IDRN events?
We hope to attract as diverse an audience as possible, including students, faculty, research staff and practitioners.
What can I do?
- Sign up to receive information on future events and opportunities.
- Mention us to your friends and colleagues, and encourage them to come out to events.
- Sign up to post your research profile as a member of the network
- Volunteer to help us build! Opportunities include website development, copy-writing (website content), recruiting, event coordination, UBC networking, international networking, finance and organizational development (formal structure and constitution).
International Development Research Network @ UBC
www.idrn-ubc.org | idrn.ubc@gmail.com
Liu Institute for Global Issues, University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC, Canada
--
Jon Froehlich
PhD Candidate
Computer Science and Engineering
University of Washington
http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/jfroehli
http://sustain.cs.washington.edu/blog/
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