Representatives of Central Asian universities, CAREC and the Potsdam Institute for climate research gathered together on July 4, 2018, in Almaty to discuss the possibility of developing and integrating special sections on hydrological and climatic modelling into academic curricula of such disciplines as "Hydrology" and "Climatology".
The regional academic meeting was organized within the Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin (CAMP4ASB), which facilitates the capacity building program on hydrological and climatic modelling for specialists of the hydrometeorological agencies and research institutes of Central Asia. Since having relevant academic background may have a fundamental role in the wider use of modelling techniques for climate and hydrological assessments in the region, the CAMP4ASB project extends its technical assistance to interested universities in developing of educational modules on modelling basics and approaches.
The meeting gathered representatives of the following universities: Eurasian National University named after L. N. Gumilyov (Kazakhstan), Kyrgyz national agrarian University named after K. I. Skryabin (Kyrgyzstan), Tajik national University (Tajikistan), Tajik agrarian University named after Shirinsho Shotemur (Tajikistan), National University of Uzbekistan, Tashkent Institute of engineers of irrigation and mechanization of agriculture, Samarkand University (Uzbekistan).
During the meeting, the parties presented existing university courses on "Hydrology" and "Climatology", as well as discussed promising thematic areas in the field of hydrology and climatology. The representatives of universities underlined the importance of introducing new methods and tools for climate and hydrological modelling and expressed interest in further cooperation for developing relevant sections in the existing curriculum. The PIK experts, in turn, stressed the willingness to cooperate and provide the necessary information and methodological materials.
Climate Adaptation and Mitigation Program for Aral Sea Basin or CAMP4ASB are implemented by CAREC and financed by the World Bank. The project aims to enhance regionally coordinated access to improved climate change knowledge services for key stakeholders (e.g., policymakers, communities, and civil society) in participating Central Asian countries as well as to increased investments and capacity building that, combined, will address climate challenges common to these countries.CAMP4ASB is implemented in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan during the period from 2016 to 2021.
