IFS Research Grants

Perfect for international students in the LLU MPH program...


Applications for IFS Research Grants are welcome from young scientists in developing countries to do research on the sustainable management, use or conservation of biological or water resources. This broad statement covers natural science and social science research on agriculture, soils, animal production, food science, forestry, agroforestry, aquatic resources, natural products, water resources, etc. 
Applications are accepted all year and are to be made on an IFS Application Form. Read more detail in the website below:
http://www.ifs.se/

Dr. Germ is quoted on office germs again...

Dr. Charles Gerba Ph.D is also known as "Dr. Germ". He has multiple studies (~400) published on everything from toilet germs to water distribution systems. 

He was quoted here in a piece on office health risk published online by Yahoo.  

Problem: "The desk, in terms of bacteria, is 400 times more dirty than your toilet," University of Arizona microbiologist Dr. Charles Gerba told WebMD (NASDAQ: WBMD -News). "People turn their desks into bacteria cafeterias because they eat at them, but they never clean them. The phone is the dirtiest, the desktop is next, and the mouse and the computer follow."

But bacteria problems at your desk could be more severe than Gerba thinks. Breadcrumbs and other food remnants get can get in between keys on your keyboard, attract rats and lead to unintended exposure to their germs. What's more, many raw and cooked foods need to remain refrigerated, and leaving them out for two hours or more is a food safety no-no.

Prevention: If you frequently eat your lunch at your desk, you may want to make sure you have hand sanitizer and antibacterial wipes to wipe down your work surface daily. That can also protect you from germs sprayed into the air by your coughing and sneezing coworkers.

If your office has a communal kitchen sink with a sponge, the American Dietetic Association suggests using paper towels instead, just to stay safe from bacteria.

The association goes as far as recommending that those who eat in the office bring a refrigerator thermometer and a meat thermometer as well.

Water and Health Conference

Water and Health: Where Science Meets Policy

October 25-26, 2010

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC, USA

Water and Health: Where Science Meets Policy, will deal with critical issues in water and health internationally and nationally. Here is the conference website.

The abstract submission has been extended to June 1st.  

http://www.ie.unc.edu/content/news_events/symposia/2010/call_for_papers.cfm

Flushing your drinking water?

Gayle Leonard on her blog Thirsty in Suburbia posted this link about upgrading your water wasting toilets.

This will work for many americans who waste thousands of gallons of water each year with inefficient water wasting toilets.

Keep in mind that if you give heavier deposits to your toilet bank, you may want to do some independent research on the subject!  Most Americans have bowel movements of less than 200grams.

http://blog.gayleleonard.com/2009/07/under-the-hood-of-my-ugly-80s-toilet/

Master's Degree in Water, Society and Polic

New Master's Degree in Water, Society and Policy

The University of Arizona has a new  graduate degree program that integrates science, policy and decision-making in the arena of water. The purpose of this degree is to provide opportunities for students to pursue professionally oriented study in an MS degree program that focuses on water science, society, and policy. In this way, we can help train a corps of leaders in water policy who understand both the science and social aspects of water.  For more information see the attached flier and visit the program website:http://waterpolicy.arizona.edu.

Contacts:

Dr. Lisa J. Graumlich

NSF-Arizona Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory Fund

For students in Cambodia who do work in the fields of archaeology, geoscience, and environmental science.

The University of Arizona NSF-Arizona Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Laboratory is announcing a program to foster scholarly research in developing nations. The program’s objective is to provide radiocarbon dates at no cost to colleagues who, due to limited funding or limited instrumental infrastructure, would not otherwise have access to accelerator mass spectrometry. Twenty AMS radiocarbon dates per year will be awarded to successful applicants in the fields of archaeology, geoscience, and environmental science. Applications are being accepted from Southeast Asian and the Pacific Island nations at this time. Qualifying nations include Burma, Laos, Thailand, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, and all indigenous Pacific nations. Australia, Brunei, French Polynesia, Hong Kong, Hawaii, New Caledonia, and New Zealand are excluded.

Readmore:

http://arts.anu.edu.au/arcworld/ippa/Arizona%20C14%20form.htm

Doctoral Program in Infectious Diseases,Environmental Sensing and more..

Singapore-MIT Alliance Graduate Fellowship

The Singapore Ministry of Education has established 100 four-year fellowships for new doctoral students at NTU or NUS who will conduct their research at the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre (SMART Centre).

The establishment of this Fellowship Programme is intended to attract to NTU and NUS the best and most talented doctoral students from Singapore, the region, and beyond and educate them to be future leaders in science and technology for Singapore and beyond. The Fellowship will provide them with the opportunity to be involved in the strategic research programmes at the SMART Centre and provide them with the opportunity to be co-advised by an MIT faculty member. The student may spend up to six months doing research at MIT.

The SMA Graduate Fellowship at SMART provides

• up to four years of full tuition fees at the student’s home university;
• a monthly stipend of S$3,200;
• an allowance of up to S$12,000 to help cover the expenses associated with a six months research residency at MIT.
• and co-supervision by an MIT and NTU/NUS faculty.

There is no bond associated with this fellowship.

In order to be eligible for an SMA Graduate Fellowship, a student must have:

• graduated with an undergraduate degree with first class or second-upper (or equivalent);
• A new doctoral student admitted to NTU or NUS;
• must have a research interest that fits within one or more of the projects currently being carried out in SMART Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRG)s:

1. BioSystems and Micromechanics (BioSyM);
2. Center for Environmental Sensing and Modeling (CENSAM);For more information on specific topics, please visit this URLhttp://censam.mit.edu/research/smart_phd.html
3. Future Urban Mobility;
4. Infectious Diseases (ID).

Question contact smartfellows@smart.mit.edu

Moreinfo: http://web.mit.edu/smart/graduate/index.html