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AWI presented on Climate Change Issues at PECC Conference
AWI’s Managing Director, Dr Richard Drobnick, shared AWI’s CMAS project at a plenary session on “An APEC Climate Change and Sustainable Environment” in the “Economic Crisis and Recovery” PECC Conference in Singapore on 9 – 10 October 2009. The conference was a prelude to the major issues that the leaders of the Asia-Pacific region will address when they convene in Singapore a month later for the APEC Summit.
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Plenary Session 5 : An APEC Climate Change and Sustainable Environment Agenda
L-R: Prof Tommy Koh (Singapore’s Ambassador-At-Large, and Chairman of the Institute of Policy Studies and the National Heritage Board), Dr Richard Drobnick (AWI MD), Dr Emil Salim (Member, Advisory Council to the President of the Republic of Indonesia), Prof Stephen Howes (Australian National University), Dr Hu Tao (Co-ordinator, United Nations Development Programme, Beijing)
New Member of the AWI Governing Board Dr. Ronald J. Daniels
Ronald J. Daniels, 14th President of the Johns Hopkins University joins as a new member of the AWI Governing Board, succeeding William R. Brody who stepped down after nearly 12 years as leader of America's first largest research-intensive university.
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AWI Managing Director Dr Richard Drobnick's meetings with AWI partners, August, 2009
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Dr. Drobnick met up with Associate Professor Lim Meng Kin, AWI Public Health Director and Professor Azizan Samah, Director, Malaysian Antarctic Research Centre and a participant in the AWI Climate Change Research Program. This meeting brought together key players of the two research themes to discuss comparative models and how the projects could move forward by co-opting other experts from countries like India and Bangladesh. Dr Drobnick also shared about the support he had received from the APEC BusinessAdvisory Council |
Exploring synergies between Climate Change and Public Health, 12 August 2009
L – R: Richard Drobnick (AWI MD), David Chan (AWI Secretariat), Meng-Kin Lim (NUS & AWI Public Health Director), Azizan (U of Malaya & AWI Climate Change project member) |
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Exchanging updates on “green
buildings” and AWI Climate
Change project with Mr Liu Thai
Ker, Director, RSP Architects
Planners & Engineers (Pte) Ltd,
12 Aug 2009
L – R: David Chan (AWI
Secretariat), Wynn Cam (RSP
Architects), Liu Thai Ker (RSP
Architects), Richard Drobnick (AWI
MD), Davina Tham (AWI
Secretariat) |
(ABAC) on the
collaboration of AWI and ABAC on
business issues related to climate
change and public health.
Dr Drobnick’s meeting also included a
visit to Mr Liu Thai Ker, Director of
RSP Architects Planners & Engineers (Pte)
Ltd. The discussions included the
Building & Construction Authority (BCA)
Green Mark Scheme, sustainable cities
and their potential application to the
AWI Climate Change Project. The BCA
Green Mark Scheme was launched in
January 2005 as an initiative to drive
Singapore's construction industry
towards more environment-friendly
buildings. Overall, both meetings
brought about positive outcomes and it
was proposed that the next AWI CMAS
program be part of the Singapore
International Water Week (SIWW) in 2010.
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Hydrologic Data Management and Modeling in South East Asia (SEA), Kuala Lumpur, 20–24 July, 2009
Co-Organisers:
AguaJaring, Cap-Net, UNDP, APRU World Institute & Water Knowledge Hub for Climate Change Adaptation, NAHRIM
Description:
Recognizing the need for a hydrological information infrastructure and the analysis of health risks associated with water resources planning and management, robust and uniform standards-based access to water quantity and quality information are required for assembling hydrologic model inputs, and for real-time water resource monitoring and policy-making. These efforts were combined into an informative and comprehensive international workshop focused on secure hydrologic data sharing and advanced hydrologic modeling for the tropical regions.
This workshop was the first step in integrating data collection and data management efforts, and modeling designs, across SEA countries. Jointly conducted by the University of Malaya and University of California at San Diego, the workshop had 30 participants from various research institutes across SEA and from government agencies in Malaysia. It was anticipated that at least one participant from each SEA country would attend the workshop. Other participants would be drawn from government agencies and other data stakeholders in Malaysia.
Goals of Workshop:
1. To demonstrate the available data management tools for hydrologic observations, and provide hands-on training on the use of these tools;
2. To demonstrate available water balance and HEC-GeoHMS models, and how they were implemented for watersheds in Malaysia;
3. To identify researchers in partner countries that would form the core of the interest group focused on building and standardizing a shared hydrologic data infrastructure in SEA.
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Closing speech by Steven Sample, President of University of Southern California
“But here’s the important thing to note. When those collaborative partnerships begin to take off, they are much more productive and effective than a single researcher or a single institution working alone… A great example of such transformative partnerships is the APRU World Institute (AWI), which was formed in 2006." - Steven Sample, President of University of Southern California.
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AWI activities report presented at the 13th APRU President’s Meeting
A report on AWI activities was presented at the 13th APRU President’s Meeting held at the California Institute of Technology on 28 – 30 June 2009.
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Keynote speech by Lincoln Chen, President of the China Medical Board
Lincoln Chen, President of the China Medical Board, was one of two keynote speakers at the 2009 AWI Public Health Workshop hosted by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Mr Chen's keynote speech was on "Health and Economic Crisis: Tightening Belts, Expanding Minds".
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2009 AWI Public Health Workshop at Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health hosted the 2009 AWI Public Health Workshop on June 24-26, 2009, with the theme “Forging Public Health Partnerships in Response to the Global Economic Crisis”.
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AWI participant featured by world renowned economist Dr. Saul Hymans, March 2009
RSQE is an economic modeling and forecasting unit which has been in operation at the University of Michigan since 1952. RSQE provides forecasts of the U.S. national economy
on a four-times-per-year basis and forecasts of the Michigan economy on a four-times-
per-year basis.
In November 2008, Dr. Lisa Shaffer, Executive Director, UC San Diego Environment and Sustainability Initiative presented on ‘Coastal Cities: Climate Change Impacts and Response Strategies at the 56th Annual Economic Outlook Conference put on by RSQE. This was subsequently published in Mach 2009 by world renowned economist Dr. Saul Hymans.
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Recommendation of ABAC’s Sustainability Development Working Group
- February 12, 2009
Richard Drobnick, MD of AWI, attended the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC) held in Wellington, New Zealand, on 9 – 12 February 2009. Appended below are excerpts from the recommendations of the ABAC Sustainability Development Working Group following the Meeting:
# 24. “Mr Richard Drobnick, Managing Director from the APRU World Institute (AWI), presented to the group on the Institute’s upcoming research projects on Climate Change and Public Health. Mr Drobnick outlined that ABAC can assist the Institute on its projects in three ways: 1) recruit business participants to participate in surveys 2) ABAC as a vehicle to assist in publicising and disseminating AWI’s work 3) ABAC as a vehicle to assist AWI in policy recommendations to senior officials and leaders resulting from its studies and research.” *
# 25. “The Chairman agreed that ABAC establish a relationship with AWI and the Institute work with the Secretariat to contact members regarding their participation and interest in their upcoming projects.”
* Note: “Senior Officials” are the ambassadors from the 21 APEC economies who have national responsibilities for APEC activities. “Leaders” are the presidents and prime ministers of the 21 APEC economies.
Stanford University hosts Second AWI Public Health Research Project Meeting
The AWI Public Health Research Project is an outgrowth of the 1st and 2nd AWI Public Health Workshops hosted by Peking University in 2007 and University of Tokyo in 2008 respectively. Participants had expressed their wish to come together in research collaboration so as to bring their collective expertise and capabilities to bear on significant Public Health issues facing the Asia Pacific region.
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New Appointment of Professor Jim Falk
AWI’s Climate Change Director, Professor Jim FALK, has been appointed by the United Nations University - Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) to join the UNU-IAS as a Visiting Professor from 16 March 2009 for a period of three years. The UNU-IAS tackles key sustainability issues of global concern - particularly those on the UN agenda such as climate change and the loss of biodiversity. The UNU-IAS Visiting Professorship is offered only to eminent scholars in their individual fields, whose intellectual strength and wisdom can stimulate reflection on the pressing global issues of our time and assist its research and capacity development. Prof Falk is also currently the Convener of the Climate Adaptation Science and Policy Initiative at the University of Melbourne.
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