Ohio State University is a partner of the Marmara Urban Forum, October 1-3, hosted by Marmara’s Municipalities Union, in Istanbul, Turkey. The Middle East Studies Center will co-host an event with the Global Water Institute to connect people and deepen their understanding of the need for trust-building for water access and agriculture projects. We will discuss multiple ways in which strong relationships can be transformative with regard to water access and food security in a diverse array of communities around the world. Participants will include environmental scientists, practitioners working in the field, and will focus on multi-disciplinary and cross-cultural team-building. This is one of MARUF's networking events. Register here.
The discussions will foreground the human dimensions of engineering-based solutions, especially in regard to water access and agriculture. You will be mingling with professionals who are seasoned experts as well as people just getting started in their fields - the commonality is that all are working toward similar goals and facing similar obstacles with regard to community partnerships. These will include environmental scientists, practitioners working in the field, and a variety of professionals and researchers.
This event is co-hosted by the Middle East Studies Center and the Global Water Institute at Ohio State University. Dr. Rebecca Gianotti, Global Water Institute, Ohio State University, will share her knowledge from her work in the field focused on water access and water security in rural communities, particularly in East Africa. This work involves developing strong partnerships with communities and a broad range of stakeholders, including local and national governments, NGOs, donors, private sector actors, and other universities.
Special guest, Prof. Dr. Charles Vörösmarty, Director of the Environmental Sciences Initiative at the City College New York University (CUNY) Advanced Science Research Center will join us to share his experience team-building for massive multidisciplinary research projects. Dr. Vörösmarty is an engineer, best known for his work in large-scale earth system science in the domain of water resources. He has led numerous interdisciplinary study teams carrying out research on hydrology and water resource systems worldwide; strategic regional water-environment-food-energy risks; and, global threats to human water security and aquatic biodiversity.
Expect an interactive session with opportunities to get feedback from your colleagues and the aforementioned experts. The session will address the following questions:
- What does it take to develop strong partnerships with local communities?
- What are the keys to engaging a broad range of stakeholders, including local and national governments, NGOs, donors, private sector actors, and universities?
- How strong relationships can be transformative with regard to water access and food security in a diverse array of communities around the world.
After hearing feedback from experts you will connect with colleagues from a variety of sectors to discuss your experiences and make new partnerships. We will review the learnings in the wrap-up and invite you to take action with specific team-building steps. Registration is required and space is limited. Register for this event in two steps:
- Register for the event here: mbb.bb/networking
- Register MARUF21 here: https://marmaraurbanforum.org/kayit
Read the report here!
