We are targeting early career scientist, postdoctoral and doctoral students as the main cohorts for the planned summer schools. The PhD and postdoctoral candidates will be pooled from Germany, Europe and Africa, whose scholarly work and research interests aligns strongly with the foci of the summer school.
A proportion of senior scientist with insights on the topics and theme of the summer school will also be admitted. The senior and renown scientists on aspects of landscape ecology and SDGs will give high level and inspiring presentations at the summers school. They will also contribute to mentorship of the junior scholars and early career scientist, as well as facilitating “campfire” sessions.
A limited number of practitioners, particularly in the locale will also be invited. Some policy gurus and practitioners may also be invited to give a captivating talk on the subject or to facilitate dialogue on a prioritized issue of the summer school. Our goal regarding implementation is to cultivate into multiple dimensions, contexts and experiences of individuals and institutions in order to cultivate elevated scholarship building and knowledge construction that is vital in resilience and the global sustainability agenda.
In respect of this diversity, we anticipate a total of 40 participants for each summer school, who can logistically be accommodated within the resource envelope. Deliberate efforts will be undertaken to attract a reasonable and equitable number of female participants. To realize this, we will circulate the summer school information to targeted networks for female scientists such as Organization for Women in Science for the developing World, OWSD (https://owsd.net/network/africa).
Overall, the participants will be chosen through a competitive process involving submission of a letter of application, concise CV and articulation of requisite background, experience and motivation for participation in the summer school. The summer school will be publicized through various outlets and networks.
For the principal institutions involved (Martin Luther University Halle, Makerere University, IALE), information of the summer school will be loaded on their websites. Implementation of the summer school will be a joint responsibility specifically by Martin Luther University Halle (Germany) and Makerere University (Uganda). they will mutually announce the summer school, select participants, arrange for travels, accommodation, venue, fields visits among others.