TRANSECTS Newsletter

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2023 marks TRANSECTS’ second year of program activities. The University of Saskatchewan is offering its second pilot micro-credential in January, Foundations in Collaborative Research, developed by The Resilience Institute. Six bursaries were awarded to learners at TRANSECTS-affiliated universities, Biospheres, or those with supervisors in TRANSECTS, sponsored by TRANSECTS and The Resilience Institute.

 In August, a mini-Transdisciplinary International Learning Lab (TILL) was held in collaboration with Elbe River Landscape Biosphere Reserve. Sixteen students from eight countries, registered at the University of Saskatchewan, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, Leuphana University, Rhodes University, University of Cape Town, and University of Toulouse, France attended the two-week pilot in Germany. We thank the Elbe River Landscape Biosphere Reserve, with special appreciation to Jan Schormann and Katharina Bruck, and the mini-TILL mentors Bianca Currie (Garden Route Biosphere Reserve), Bob Patrick (University of Saskatchewan), Denise Matias (Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development), Pam Shaw (Vancouver Island University), and Thomas Gottert (Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development).

Evaluation of the mini-TILL guided the formation of our first full-length TILL, held in Schorfheide-Chorin Biosphere Reserve, Germany, from January to March 2023. Eighteen students from ten countries and four mentors are participating, including Bob Patrick (University of Saskatchewan) Pam Shaw (Vancouver Island University), Preven Chetty (Rhodes University), and Peter Spathelf (Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development).

A Foundational Course was offered in advance of the mini-TILL in August and the TILL in December, providing necessary fundamentals to students in preparation for TILL activities.

The Foundational Course is divided into two parts, (I) transdisciplinary research and practice and (II) orientation to the TILL and host BR. We are grateful to Alta De Vos (Rhodes University) Amanda Jiménez Aceituno (Leuphana University), Felicitas Egunyu (University of Waterloo), Heike Walk (Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development), Jessica Cockburn (Rhodes University), Jim Robson (University of Saskatchewan), Julia van Velden (Stellenbosch University), Laura Lynes (The Resilience Institute), Kaera Coetzer (University of the Witwatersrand), Sheona Shackleton (University of Cape Town), and Uli Graebener (Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development).

We have made significant developments in TRANSECTS throughout 2022.

• We launched our website and social media pages, including LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
• We decided to use Microsoft Teams as the program’s platform for collaboration and file sharing. This will be used alongside OneDrive for file storage, Canvas for student activities, and Zoom for virtual meetings, forming the TRANSECTS Resource Platform (TARP) software package.
• TRANSECTS was granted research ethics approval for TILL activities and their monitoring and evaluation.
• TRANSECTS has a new working group, the Teaching and Learning Committee (TLC), led by Jim Robson. The TLC will review syllabi to provide feedback, ensuring learning activities and outcomes are consistent and promote TRANSECTS values, goals, and principles. They will also work to expand transdisciplinary learning opportunities within TRANSECTS and integrate the Sustainable Development Goals into teaching and learning activities.
• A Travel Policy was created for all individuals travelling with TRANSECTS, as well as the development of a Communications Plan, Branding Package, and Project Charter.
• TRANSECTS was explained by D Erik Aschenbrand and Dr. Pam Shaw to international audiences at the 2022 EuroMAB conference, entitled “Tying cultures. Cross-border cooperation between societies and generations” held in Bad Kleinkirchheim, Salzburger Lungau and Karntner Nockberge Biosphere Reserves, Austria.
• The need for TRANSECTS was also described at the conference marking the 30th anniversary of the UNITWIN/UNESCO Chairs Programme, held at UNESCO offices in Paris, in November “Transforming knowledge for just and sustainable futures”, by Maureen Reed.
• TRANSECTS was also ‘in the news’ in Canada’s national newspaper, The Globe and Mail in November.
• Program Director, Maureen Reed, discussed the inspiration and foundationof TRANSECTS in her recent TEDx talk on January 22^nd. It will be available on the TRANSECTS website soon.

 

Country teams in Germany, South Africa, and Canada will be each hosting a Program Institute in 2023. They will each focus on an individual theme, with members of the country team and previous TILL students coming together for collaboration, professional development, mentorship, and further development of the community of practice. Look on our website for more information and updates.

We invite our members to continue to participate, to take on new roles, and share any ideas to transects@usask.ca!

We are a socially and culturally diverse team that includes researchers and emerging scholars, local and Indigenous leaders, experts in sustainability practice, practitioners, and partner organizations. TRANSECTS has hubs in Germany, South Africa, and Canada, with six partner universities across these countries, including the University of Saskatchewan, Vancouver Island University, Eberswalde University of Sustainable Development, Leuphana University, Rhodes University, and the University of the Witwatersrand. We also have wonderful partners and collaborators in Argentina, Ghana, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe. Each newsletter, we intend to profile a small sample. Please read about the great team members below.

TILL MENTORS AND PROGRAM MANAGERS