Travel Support for Developing Country and Young Scholar Participation in the 2003 Open Meeting of the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Research Community, Canada

Columbia University, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

International scholarly meetings provide excellent forums for scientists from the United States and other nations to meet, review the latest research results, share ideas regarding future research directions and plans, and develop new networks to facilitate collaborative research and other forms of capacity building. Since 1995, the biennial Open Meeting of the Human Dimensions of Global Change Research Community has emerged as the leading venue for social scientists and scientists in related fields to address issues associated with human activity and behavior with respect to global environmental topics. This award provides funds to support the participation of scientists from developing nations as well as young scientists from the United States in the fifth HDGC open meeting, which will take place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in October 2003. These funds will complement contributions made from the Asia Pacific Network on Global Change Research, the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, the German Research Ministry, and the International Human Dimensions Programme. Based on previous experiences, HDGC open meetings have generated a number of positive outcomes, including enhancement of regional collaborations, capacity-building activities to strengthen transnational networks capable of conducting problem-oriented, cross-disciplinary research relevant to global change, showcasing the scientific contribution of participating countries and research programs, increasing awareness of the value of HDGC research for policy making, strengthening of links between social scientists and other global change research programs, and stimulation of the highest quality research. The 2003 meeting in Montreal is expected to result in comparable benefits. Through this award, a broader range of scientists from the U.S. will be able to participate, and they will have more increased opportunities to meet with and develop working relationships with counterparts from developing nations.