Jul 10, 2023
New INREM network for TUD alumni of Environmental Sciences
Dagmar Möbius
Three years ago, the idea arose to breathe new life into the international alumni work at TU Dresden's Faculty of Environmental Sciences. The result was the INREM network, which was founded in 2022. Since then, two workshops have taken place in Southeast Asia and East Africa. More are being planned.
"We are internationally positioned," explains Dr. Simon Benedikter. He is a Research Associate at the Institute of International Forestry and Forest Products and coordinates the INREM alumni network. The acronym stands for Integrated Natural Resources and Environmental Management. By "we" we mean, among others, the three Master's programs Tropical Forestry, Hydro Science & Engineering and Ecosystem Services, as well as the international continuing education programs of the Centre for International Postgraduate Studies of Environmental Management (CIPSEM). But the United Nations University (UNU-FLORES) is also on board. The environment and development are topics that unite them all. About 3,500 alumni are potentially addressed.
INREM visits Mekong River Commission in Vientiane, Laos (September 2022).
Integrative and interdisciplinary thinking and acting
Sustainability is the main focus. "Those working in the environmentally focused scientific fields of forestry, geosciences, and hydrosciences and wishing to contribute to sustainable development must be able to think outside the box. We therefore try to promote interdisciplinary and integrated thinking," says Benedikter. Other fundamental ideas of the new alumni network are global networking, long-term cooperation in international research, and dialog at the interface between science and practice. The network is also an interesting pool for applications and scholarships.
Laos - Uganda - Argentina - Indonesia
Two one-week workshops in Southeast Asia and East Africa, each with 25 participants from the respective regions, have already taken place - in fall 2022 in Laos and in spring 2023 in Uganda. The next workshops are already being planned with the support of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). They are scheduled to take place in Latin America in 2024 and in the Asia-Pacific region in 2025.
INREM on field trip in Uganda (2023).
Tropical Day Workshop in Dresden
Prior to the Tropical Day 2023, which will take place in Berlin in September, there will be a one-week training and networking seminar for 25 alumni from the Global South at TU Dresden. Topics of the event, which will take place in Dresden from September 12-18, 2023, will include sustainable consumption and production in forestry and agriculture. The seminar, organized and hosted by CIPSEM, will be financially supported by DAAD and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The Institute of International Forestry and Forest Products will also host a symposium with international alumni on sustainable land use in the Global South in September 2023 in Tharandt.
Websites in progress
The INREM network, which is currently still in the making, will have its own website in the future, which is scheduled for completion at the end of July 2023. You will also be able to join the network for free via your Linkedin profile. Interested parties can also obtain information in the future via the Alumniportal Deutschland.
Contact:
TUD Dresden University of Technology
Institute of International Forestry and Forest Products
Dr. Simon Benedikter
Coordinator - Global-SDG-Campus Project
Research Coordinator - FLOURISH Project
Coordinator - Alumni Network Project INREM
Tel. +49 351 463-31841