• NEMOH School in Dublin: "Inverse methods in geophysics and volcanology"

August 31st - September 5th, 2014

The School will focus on illuminating the concepts and applications of inverse methods in geophysics and volcanology. The main research objective in investigating volcanoes is to gain knowledge about  internal volcano dynamics from the surface measurements of various data types. In order to achieve this, such data need to be “inverted” into the causes (dynamic processes) underlying their generation. However, it is sometimes difficult to assess the uncertainty in the inversion, that is, to estimate how well our obtained answer describes the true process. This is particularly difficult task in the presence of strong structural heterogeneity. For example, in the case of volcano-seismic source inversion, recent studies have shown that unmodelled shallow structural heterogeneity can lead to completely erroneous solutions, in terms of their magnitude, source-time histories and source mechanisms.  Therefore, apart from the main concepts and the basic mathematical formalism of inverse methods, the School will pay special attention to issues related to uncertainties. The lectures will be complemented by practical sessions, where inversions of real and synthetic data will be performed.

• NEMOH Field School in Iceland: "Volcano Deformation and Magmatic Processes"

22-29 August 2014

The NEMOH Field School "Volcano Deformation and Magmatic Processes" will take place in South Iceland at Hotel Leirubakki, close the Hekla volcano, 22-29 August 2014. The school will focus on how various measurements of crustal deformation at volcanoes can be used to learn about magmatic processes through modelling of observed deformation. At the same time volcanic process and effusive and explosive activity of Icelandic volcanoes will be addressed by using opportunities for field visits.  Approach to study and monitoring of Icelandic volcanoes through the FutureVolc European research project will be covered.  A geothermal power plant will be visited and the links between volcanology and geothermal applications explored.

• NEMOH Network School in Bristol - Forward Modelling of Volcanic Processes

18-23 September 2013, Bristol

The NEMOH Network School "Forward Modelling of Volcanic Processes" will take place in the School of Earth Sciences at the University of Bristol.  The school focuses on forward modelling in volcanology, and is aimed at Early Stage Researchers and PhD students. The students will be introduced to modelling principles and will do practical exercises applying modelling to a range of volcanic processes.

• NEMOH Fiedl School in Stromboli - Volcano Monitoring and Surveillance

18-23 May 2013, Stromboli

The objective of the school is to provide participants with an interdisciplinary knowledge on the methods of monitoring and surveillance of an active volcano, and on the methods to estimate its current hazard. The school aims at Early Stage Researchers and PhD students, who will be introduced to "state of the art" at one of the most monitored volcanoes in the world. The surveillance system includes broad-band seismic stations, ground-based SAR, high-speed visible light and infrared cameras, infrasonic microphones, GPS system, strain meters, gas plume FTIR, etc.
The students will be trained on the use in the field of such instruments, and on the processing and analysis of the retrieved signals. The summit eruptive activity will be observed, measured, and sampled. A specific exercise will be conducted in order to extract through formalized procedures a group opinion on the current level of hazard at the volcano.

• NEMOH Short Course at Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC) - Introduction to Parallel Programming

18-22 March 2013, Barcelona

The course starts with the objective of setting up the basic foundations related with parallelizing applications. The course follows with the objective of understanding the fundamental concepts supporting message passing and shared-memory programming models. The course is taught using formal lectures and practical/programming sessions to reinforce the key concepts and set up the compilation/execution environment. The course covers the two widely used programming models: MPI for the distributed-memory architectures and OpenMP for the shared-memory counterparts. Some tools for debugging and profiling parallel applications will be shown. Finally, current trends in HPC will be unveiled.

• 1st NEMOH Network School in Munich, Germany
  

17-22 February, 2013, Munich

The 1st NEMOH Network School will take place at Munich, Germany, at the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences of LMU. The school aims at all NEMOH young researchers as well as external PhD students. Focus of this school will be various aspects of experimental volcanology. The students will learn state-of the art laboratory based experimental volcanology, and will have the chance to see the instruments and participate in demonstrative experiments. Further, the students will be trained in best practice data analysis and signal processing. The scientific program will be complemented by soft skill training for young researchers.

 

• Volcanic Processes Field Course, Nicolosi, Sicily, April, 2014

Aims and scope: This intensive week-long (5 taught days) field course on Mount Etna, Sicily, will develop understanding of many of the complex processes that take place both on the surface and beneath volcanoes. Each day is spent in the field at key localities, studying the features and processes involved in the evolution of a basaltic volcano. The course allows students to improve their theoretical knowledge of volcanic processes and their field skills through a problem-based approach. Higher level problems such as understanding the plumbing system of a complex volcano or the role of ‘volcano spreading’ and slope instability run throughout the entire course, whilst lower level problems will be addressed at individual localities. Etna has a wealth of varied deposits, and we aim to visit several of the recent lava flow fields (e.g. 2002-3) and usually include least one lava tube. During the course, students will improve their observational and deductive skills, with group discussions and group analysis of data forming an essential component of the work. Hazard assessment and mitigation will also be discussed.

• MELTS, GLASSES, MAGMA 2013

The 2013 edition of Prof. Dingwell's one week short course "Melts, Glasses, Magmas" will tentatively take place from 8 through 12 July 2013 in Munich (Germany), and provides insights into the nature of the liquid state using examples from the silicate systems that play a central role in Earth and Material Sciences.

• Volcanic Processes Field Course, Nicolosi, Sicily, 8-12 April, 2013

Aims and scope: This intensive week-long field course on Mount Etna, Sicily, will develop understanding of many of the complex processes that take place both on the surface and beneath volcanoes. Each day is spent in the field at key localities, studying the features and processes involved in the evolution of a basaltic volcano. The course allows students to improve their theoretical knowledge of volcanic processes and their field skills through a problem-based approach. Higher level problems such as understanding the plumbing system of a complex volcano or the role of ‘volcano spreading’ and slope instability run throughout the entire course, whilst lower level problems will be addressed at individual localities. Etna has a wealth of varied deposits, and we aim to visit several of the recent lava flow fields (e.g. 2002-3) and usually include least one lava tube. During the course, students will improve their observational and deductive skills, with group discussions and group analysis of data forming an essential component of the work. Hazard assessment and mitigation will also be discussed.

Logistics: The ESRs will join a group of 22 undergraduates and masters students who are taking the course as part of their degrees at Lancaster University. The course will be delivered by Mike James and Steve Lane. The group will stay in a small hotel in Nicolosi and travel to field localities each day by minibus. Breakfast and lunch are usually eaten in the field, allowing a return to the hotel by around 5-6 pm in the evening. Evening sessions are used to further discuss earlier observations or to explore other areas such as monitoring techniques. Students will need to arrange their travel to and from Nicolosi for the course (transport from Catania airport may be available, depending on specific flight arrangements).

Cost: The course will cost 450 GBP, which will include accommodation for 6 nights (7th – 12th inclusive, shared rooms). Meals are not included.

Suitability: The course will assume students have a background understanding of how volcanoes work (such as from the Munich NEMOH school), but have yet to carry out any field work. ESRs must be prepared to work outside in challenging conditions (the weather on Etna in April is highly variable, with snow and rain very likely) and a reasonable level of fitness is required.

Application, selection and deadlines: Applications for attending the field course should be made by email to Mike James ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ). However, due to the logistics of the course, only 2 places can be made available to ESRs in 2013 and selection may be necessary. Thus, application emails should contain (a) one paragraph on your volcanological experience and (b) a second paragraph describing how attending this course would be beneficial to your development and research. Applications from ESRs with significant field experience on active volcanoes will not be prioritized. The application deadline is 19th November.

Note: For the duration of the course, the ESRs would be enrolled and considered as Lancaster students. However, ESRs will not be assessed and attendance will not lead to any formal qualification.

For any queries, please contact Mike James (m.james (AT) lancs.ac.uk).

• SPECIALIZATION CERTIFICATE IN GEOLOGICAL AND CLIMATE RELATED RISK (CERG-C)

Geneva, Switzerland : April 15 - June 14, 2013

Postgraduate certificate (30 ECTS) with the main objective of providing state-of-the-art tools for the assessment of natural hazards and associated risk. This training brings together participants from around the world and a multidisciplinary and international team of experts from various fields, such as volcanology, seismology, geology, climate, social sciences, law, land-use planning, statistics, media communication and economics.

CERG-C in a nutshell:

• 5 modules: risk management, hazards related to floods and climate change, seismic hazards, landslide hazards, volcanic hazards
• Schedule: 7 weeks of lectures (including field work), 2 weeks of exams, 4 weeks of research for the compilation of the final Memoir
• Teaching team: about 20 international experts in the field of geological and climate-related risk

For additional information, please go on the website www.unige.ch/hazards and/or send an email to the CERG-C coordination at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• MELTS, GLASSES, MAGMAS 2012

16 - 21 July 2012, Munich, Germany

This course (held by Prof. Don Dingwell since 2000) will take place from 16 through 20 July 2012 and provides insights into the nature of the liquid state using examples from the silicate systems that play a central role in Earth and Material Sciences.

Information and registration: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• CABOT SUMMER SCHOOL - RISK AND UNCERTAINTY IN NATURAL HAZARDS

Bristol, UK, 16 - 20 July 2012

Topics:
- Introduction to risk and uncertainty in natural hazards
- Quantifying and visualising uncertainty
- Model checking and calibration
- Working with spatial data
- Expert elicitation of uncertainties

Contact mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• Master's degree in Advanced Mathematics and Mathematical Engineering
  
• Master's degree in Numerical Methods for Engineering 
• Master’s degree in Geological Engineering
• II LECTURES ON ATMOSPHERIC MINERAL DUST
  November 5-9, 2012, Barcelona, Spain (Campus Nord UPC)
  

The event is targeted to operational meteorologists as well as to early career scientists (advanced students, PhD candidates and postdoctoral researchers) with a background in the Earth system sciences. They are expected to be proficient in English as a working language. Participants will attend a series of lectures and practical exercises. They will also have the opportunity to participate in some technical visits.  Attendance of international experts on aerosol observation and modelling will ensure an advanced and stimulating learning environment for participants

• MASTERS-LEVEL COURSES AT UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL

1. 1. GIS and Remote Sensing of Natural Hazards
   2. Seismology
      
   3. Geophysical Fluid Dynamics
      
   4. Natural Hazards and Risk Assessment
      
   5. Physics of Volcanoes and Hazardous Flows
      
   6. Advanced Geology Fieldwork
   7. Natural Hazards in Central America (only if spaces are available)

• LEC Taught Masters Courses
• MSc Volcanology and Geological Hazards
• Postgraduate Study at Lancaster Environment Centre
• Master in Geological Risk - ELSTE
• Fluid and granular dynamics in geosciences

This 5-day module course is part of the  ELSTE Master in Geological Risk, Engineering Geology and Environmental Geology (GIRGGE; http://www.geoleman.ch/) and provides an introduction to the fundamental principles of fluid and granular dynamics as applied to geological processes. Practical activities include determination of rheological properties of fluid, flow visualisation and investigation of the motion of buoyancy-driven fluid and granular flows using the new geological fluid dynamics laboratory facilities at UNIGE (http://www.unige.ch/sciences/terre/mineral/volcano/lab_en.html#dynamics).