News
GSGS Research Conference with Poster Award Winner
On May 12, 2023, the 10th Research Conference of the Graduate School of Geosciences took place. PhD students presented their projects through posters. Among all presenters, one of the Poster Awards was given to Anissa Vogel for her poster on the research project "Identifying Land-Use Related Potential Disaster Risk Drivers in the Ayeyarwady Delta, Myanmar". Congratulations!
Extension DFG-Project
For the year 2024 the follow-up project "Rising sea and sinking land: Determining spatially resolved subsidence rates for the Ayeyarwady Delta (Myanmar) and developing dynamic adaptation scenarios for the increased risk of flooding" to the interdisciplinary research project in the Ayearwady Delta in Myanmar under the leadership of Prof. Dr. Brückner, Dr. Dominik Brill and Prof. Dr. Frauke Kraas is funded by the DFG for another 12 months.
New DFG project
Since 01.01.2023 the project "MiGeQua - Migrant Health Understandings and Practices in Diverse Neighborhoods" under the direction of PD Dr. Carsten Butsch and Prof. Dr. Frauke Kraas is funded by the DFG for 36 months. More infos here.
Excursion to Pune
From 25.9.-4.10.2022, Prof Kraas led a DAAD-funded field internship in Pune (India) in cooperation with our partner university Bharati Vidyapeeth University. The 15 participants conducted fieldwork on the main topic "urban cultural heritage" and experienced an intensive time in India. Reports on the Exkursionsblog (in German) provide deeper insights into the exciting experiences and findings.
Annual Conference of the Working Group SEA
On 24-25 June 2022 the annual meeting of the Scientific Working Groups Southeast Asia and East Asia took place in Osnabrück. Besides Prof. Dr. Frauke Kraas, Anissa Vogel, Niklas Elverich and Khun Set Thar participated and were able to network with new contacts as well as get valuable input for their own research in addition to exciting lectures. More information here.
Press conference on results of MSME survey
On May 10th 2022, the results from the survey of MSMEs and the recommendations for action to be derived from them on the premises of the Cologne Chamber of Commerce and Industry were presented at a press conference.
For more information click here.
Retreat in Koblenz
From 30 March - 01 April 2022 we spent three intensive, beautiful days in Koblenz. Besides the collection of ideas for research and teaching, exchange of expertise as well as future working group orientation (and much more), we could get to know each other better as working group and grow together as a team.
Nusantara - Wie baut man eine Metropole aus dem Nichts?
Prof. Kraas talks to host Jonas Grethel in the detektor.fm format "Zurück zum Thema" from 04.02.2022 about how the Indonesian government wants to build a new capital called Nusantara out of nothing and whether the Indonesian government's goals are realistic. Click here to listen to the podcast (in German).
Goodbye Zoom Meeting for Dr. Tine Trumpp
After many years, Dr. Tine Trumpp is leaving the working group to take up a new position at the University of Stuttgart. We wish you, dear Tine, all the best and thank you very much for the great time together and always productive collaboration.
Excursion to Iceland 2021
The excursion group is back from Iceland and can look back on an adventurous, educational time. Great reports are published in the excursion blog - read is worth it!
Press conference on the MSME survey 2021
On 24.08.2021, Prof. Kraas and A. Mihaljevic informed in a press conference about the start of the digital survey on disaster preparedness of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSME) in Cologne in the context of the MYrisk project in cooperation with the Cologne Fire Department and the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce. Reports on this appeared in the Kölnische Rundschau and the Kölner Stadtanzeiger.
One-hour talk with Prof. Kraas and PD Dr. Butsch
On 06.05.2021, Prof. Kraas and PD Dr. Butsch participated as experts and speakers in the one-hour discussion on "Sustainable Megacities: Health, Risks, Resources part IV", organised by the North America Office in New York. Questions such as "How can cities prioritize different strategies to achieve healthier living conditions for urban populations?" were discussed. The full video is available here.
Excursion Ruhrgebiet
From March 28 to April 11, 2021, Prof. Kraas and 18 Master's students headed to the Ruhr region to explore current urban development processes. Despite strict Corona requirements that did not allow joint large group meetings, the participants enjoyed an educational and enjoyable time in Dortmund and Duisburg. Click here for the blog (in german language).
Flyer dissemination campaign in Myanmar (January 2021)
As part of the project "Multiple risks management of extreme events in fast-growing (mega)cities in Myanmar", flyers prepared by the project consortium on COVID-19, evacuation, earthquakes, tropical cyclones and floods were distributed in Yangon.
Video of the web talk online
On 20 november 2020 Prof. Dr. Kraas and PD Dr. Butsch talked about their work on urbanization, health and risk management in South and Southeast Asia. It is worth to have a look and listen. Here is the one-hour Youtube video: Sustainable Megacities: Health, Risks, Resources - Part 1: University of Cologne.
Annual Meeting AK Southeast Asia and AK East Asia
The annual meeting of the two working groups Southeast Asia and East Asia in the DGfG will take place from June 25-27, 2021 as a three-day event (at the University of Duisburg-Essen or digitally).
The main topics will be "Sustainable Urban Development" and "The New Silk Roads: China's Belt and Road Initiative and its Impact in East and Southeast Asia" (see Call for Papers). (in german language)
Robert Sabelfeld receives NRW.Bank study award
For his innovative, practice-oriented master thesis on the topic: "Cohousing: A Suitable Strategy for Ageing in Place? Lessons Learnt from Bonn, Germany" (supervised by Prof. Kraas) Robert Sabelfeld receives the study award "Wohnen und Stadt" of the NRW.Bank endowed with 1.500€.
Congratulations also from the AG for this great achievement! Here the press release (in german).
International Conference on "Transformation Processes in Myanmar V"
27.-28 November 2020: With an audience of about 150 and 41 scientific presentations, the traditional conference jointly organized by the Universities of Cologne and Yangon was a great success. This year, the conference took place in the ceremonial framework of the 100th anniversary of the University of Yangon and enabled us all to participate online via Zoom.
Here the article on the website of the Ministry of Education.
Poster of the lecture "Megacities" (in german)
Here you can find the poster with all dates and topics of Prof. Kraas' online lecture "Megacities: Environment and Society" in WS2020/21 (in german). If you are interested in participating, please ask Prof. Kraas by e-mail for the access data.
Web Talk Series: "Corona Conversations: Mobility in a Post(covid) Future"
From 27 October 2020 - 10 February 2021 Dr. Amrita Datta will moderate discussions via Zoom on the impact of Covid on mobility, migration and transnationalism. The exact dates, discussion partners and topics can be found here.
Successful disputation
Harald Sterly successfully defended his doctoral thesis on "Translocal Social Constellations and Mediated Communication in Bangladesh" on 11 September 2020. His disputation was online via zoom video conference.
Congratulations to your great work, Harald!
New working group member
Anissa Vogel joined our research group as a PhD student in the new DFG project "Driving factors for and societal effects of sea-level rise and delta flooding in the Ayeyarwady Delta (Myanmar) - Lessons from the past for disaster governance in the future" on 1st July 2020.
Welcome to the team!
Zoom meetings in the home office
We also meet in our home office twice a week via Zoom to exchange information about current developments in our work, teaching experiences and any problems that may arise. Physical meetings are nicer, but this way we stay in touch and can support each other.
Lecture announcements
Prof. Kraas will give the following two lectures in the summer semester 2020:
1. urban development in Asia (weekly)
2. environment and society in Iceland (3 block appointments; already held)
For the exact dates and topics please click on the links provided with the lecture titles.
Further events of the working group can be found here.
Iceland blog online
The blog of the big excursion to Iceland in August-September 2018 is online. Impressive pictures and exciting experiences have been written by the participants and the leader Prof. Kraas. Urgent reading recommendation! (in german)
India blog online
The blog of the big excursion to India in March 2020 is online. There you can find many nice pictures as well as informative and exciting contributions (written by the participants and the leader Prof. Kraas). It is worthwhile to have a look! (in german)
Post from... the excursion blog
In the future, exciting reports on current and past excursions under the direction of Prof. Kraas will be published here. But unfortunately only in german.
Successful Disputation
Satyendra Singh Yadav successfully completed his doctorate on 04.03.2020 on "Exploring the Competitiveness of Home-Based Women Workers in Delhi: A Case Study of the Garment and Apparel Sector". We congratulate him on his great achievement.
7th Research Conference of the GSGS
On 17 January 2020, the Research Conference of the Graduate School of Geosciences took place for the seventh time. In addition to an interesting and varied lecture programme, 23 scientific posters from various geoscientific disciplines were presented. One of the poster awards was given to Sarah Luft for her poster on the research project "New Connectivity in Asia: Pioneering border corridors and transnational transformation processes in the Greater Myeik Area/Myanmar and Prachuap Khiri Khan/Thailand".