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Climate change as social change:
The role of lifestyles and urban systems

Presentation and Discussion with Fritz Reusswig (Sociologist)

The seminar takes place on Wednesday, 14th March 2012, 17:00h at Telegraphenberg, Science Park Albert Einstein, building A31, Cupola.

Fritz Reusswig is working mainly on lifestyle and consumption issues as drivers for global environmental change, especially climate change. In addition, he is interested in the role of lifestyle and consumption changes for a system wide sustainability transition. The sometimes paradoxical emergence of a global society-including new forms of inequality, power, influence and voice-is a further point of reference for his work. From an environmental sociology point of view, Fritz looks also at the social construction of nature, and the public imagery related to nature, including the way biodiversity is perceived by societies. More recently, the possible role of cities for sustainable lifestyle and climate policy has has become a research focus.

Fritz Reusswig completed his habilitation at Potsdam University with his thesis "Consuming Nature. Modern Lifestyles and Their Environment". He teaches sociology at Potsdam University, at the Branden­burgische Technische Universität (BTU) in Cottbus and at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Offenbach.

Please register
Please register for participation since there is limited seating. Contact the organizers at
science-and-pretzels@pik-potsdam.de, giving your name, institution or Research Domain, and status (PhD student, PostDoc, etc). You will get a confirmation by email or be placed on a waiting list. Registration will be kept open until three days before the seminar. The allocation of places will be made according to the receipt of applications ("first come, first served"), but with priority for PhD students and with 15 places reserved for external students. If you are not a PhD student but interested in participation please contact us. You will be notified whether participation is possible.

How to get there?
http://www.pik-potsdam.de/contact/where

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Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis of model output:
Methods and tools

Lecturer: Michael Flechsig, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

The lecture gives an overview on techniques and tools to deal with uncertainty matters in simulation
models and to study sensitivity of model output with respect to uncertain model input.

The seminar takes place on Wednesday, 27th March 2012, 09:30h - 12:30 at Telegraphenberg, Science Park Albert Einstein, building A31, Cupola.

Modellers and analysts in all research disciplines and in engineering are often confronted with uncertainty matters when designing or using simulation models. Uncertainty is related to the system that is mapped by the model or to the mapping process and the model itself. Special sampling techniques have been developed for simulation models during the last decades to tackle the problem for multidimensional input spaces and non‐linear models. They enable assurance of model quality standards from a systems’ theoretical and statistical point of view.

The participants will get a fist insight into such techniques, their classification and the model requirements. They will learn about ensemble‐run simulation settings and available software tools. Basic knowledge on statistical methods is required.

Please register until 21st March 2012
Please register for participation since there is limited seating. Contact the organizers at schlums@pik-potsdam.de, giving your name, institution or Research Domain, and status (PhD student, PostDoc, etc). You will get a confirmation by email or be placed on a waiting list.

Alison Schlums
Science Coordination
tel: +49 331 288 2504
fax: +49 331 288 2600
e-mail: schlums@pik-potsdam.de

How to get there?
http://www.pik-potsdam.de/contact/where