SRINAGAR: Two Ph.D. scholars from the Faculty of Forestry at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir (SKUAST-K) will represent the University at an international summer school in Tartu, Estonia, gaining global exposure to emerging approaches in climate change, biodiversity and sustainable land-use management.
Sadaf Fayaz and Baria Beigh, Ph.D. scholars in the Division of Natural Resource Management (NRM), Faculty of Forestry, will participate in the International Summer School, “ACT! Observation, Modelling and Acting for Sustainable Land-Use in the Context of Climate Change and Biodiversity,” being hosted by the Estonian University of Life Sciences (EMU) in Tartu.
The scholars will attend the programme under the Erasmus+ project “ENTER: Environmental Open Data for Engaging Curricula and Research Training.” The international summer school will bring together students, researchers and experts from different countries to examine emerging methods in environmental observation and modelling, sustainable land-use planning, climate change and biodiversity conservation.
Their participation will provide the SKUAST-K scholars with an opportunity to interact with researchers from diverse academic backgrounds and gain exposure to contemporary tools, methodologies and research practices. The experience is expected to strengthen their doctoral research and broaden their understanding of global approaches to environmental and natural resource management.
The international academic exchange is in line with the vision of SKUAST-K Vice Chancellor Prof. (Dr.) Nazir Ahmad Ganai, who has emphasised strengthening international collaborations, student mobility and research partnerships to enhance the University’s global academic footprint.
Prof. Ganai congratulated the two scholars and appreciated the efforts being made to create opportunities for SKUAST-K students and researchers to engage with international academic and research communities.
Prof. A. H. Mughal, Dean, Faculty of Forestry, said international exchange programmes expose students to broader perspectives on emerging scientific challenges and technological developments. Such exposure, he added, enables scholars to acquire new skills, exchange ideas and build capacities to address increasingly complex challenges relating to the environment and natural resources.
The programme is being coordinated by Dr Akhlaq Amin Wani, Principal Investigator of the Erasmus+ ENTER Project in the Division of Natural Resource Management, Faculty of Forestry, SKUAST-K.
The ENTER project seeks to develop a sustainable, data-driven model for strengthening academia-community engagement in India and Malaysia through environmental open data, information and communication technologies, living laboratories and closer integration of research, education and community engagement.
The participation of Fayaz and Beigh in the international summer school further underscores SKUAST-K’s growing emphasis on international academic mobility, global research exposure and collaborative approaches to addressing climate change, biodiversity loss and sustainable management of natural resources.
