Geography and Environmental Science at the University of Reading

That's a wrap on ! The Water@Reading group had a wonderful week in Vienna sharing their work and catching up with collaborators and old time friends. Thanks to everyone who made such a rewarding experience once again! See you next year!

Our first year students are measuring soil quality at the University of Reading

Last week, the students of "Preparing for floods" heard from Vice Chancellor Prof. Robert van de Noort CBE and his work with the Thames Flood Risk. FloodMary followed with touching stories of people flooded out of their homes.

Our first year Geography and Environmental Science students are deploying diffusion tubes across campus today to monitor air quality

And that’s a wrap:
4 days of fieldwork on the Isle of Wight for the MSc Environmental Management field classes:
Day 1 - Ecosystem Services
Day 2 - Sustainable Land Management
Day 3 - Water Quality for Seagrass
Day 4 - Carbon Storage in Urban Orchards

Seawater sampling at Colwell Bay on the MSc Field Class to Devon

Prof. Micha Werner at IHE Delft and Wageningen University and Research gave today an invited lecture in Prof. Hannah Cloke's "Preparing for Floods" module. Key takeaways from today's session:
1. Vulnerability isn't one-dimensional. It depends on a web of social factors, and it varies across communities. One striking example: robbery rates can serve as a proxy for community cohesion. Where cohesion is high, communities collaborate during floods, reducing vulnerability even when government response is slow.
2. Flood warnings don't change the flood. They change the relationship between the flood and its potential damages.
3. If you're caught in a flood — don't move. Movement during flooding is one of the most dangerous things you can do.
4. Slow the water down. If it runs, make it walk. If it walks, make it sit. A powerful way to think about flood risk reduction.

A beautiful stroll around our campus lake on the way into work this morning listening to and seeing swans, geese, coots, moorhen, egret, woodpecker, squirrels and obviously the ducks! Good way to start the day, campus is very definitely Springing into life. Make sure if you're visiting us over the weekend that you take time to have a look around!

⭐⭐UoR GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE STUDENTS⭐⭐

Sign up to our student partner-led focus group to discuss the format and consistency of how assignment info is communicated in your modules - QR code above or link to form in the bio (click the 🔗for options).

Food will be provided!!

Thank you in advance,

GES student partner team!

Why do disasters still happen despite early warnings?
New research from GES PhD researcher Jeff Da Costa and colleagues examines the July 2021 floods in Luxembourg — the country's most costly disaster on record — and finds that the problem wasn't missing forecasts. It was a system built to wait for certainty before authorising action.
"Systems designed to wait for certainty are more likely to deliver warnings that arrive too late to feel like warnings at all".
📄 Read more in The Conversation: https://theconversation.com/why-do-disasters-still-happen-despite-early-warnings-because-systems-are-built-to-wait-for-certainty-275021