WS 3.506
Bridging Research and Practice in PhD Studies
Full Title
WS 3.506: Bridging Research and Practice in PhD StudiesScheduled
TBALocation
TBAConvener
Assigned to Synthesis Workshop
---Thematic Focus
No focus definedKeywords
PhD Research Integration, Natural Hazards, Soil Mechanics, Landslide Risk Assessment, Geotechnical Analysis
Description
Building on the foundation of newly acquired knowledge, this workshop emphasizes the practical integration of insights into ongoing PhD research. It provides a collaborative platform for participants to critically evaluate how the findings from various sessions can influence and enhance their individual studies. By engaging in open discussions and peer-to-peer exchanges, attendees will explore innovative methods to tackle challenges in their research fields.
The workshop promotes an interactive format, where participants not only share their experiences but also brainstorm creative solutions and strategies to address emerging research gaps. A dedicated focus will be placed on synthesizing theoretical concepts with real-world applications, ensuring that participants leave with actionable takeaways.
Additionally, the workshop will provide valuable resources, including curated literature, tools, and case studies, empowering attendees to deepen their understanding and refine their approaches. Ultimately, this session aims to inspire PhD students to reimagine their research paths and foster a community of shared learning and support.
Submitted Abstracts
Forest stand characteristics and salvage logging strategies affect the dynamics of post-windthrow vegetation trajectories
Carlotta Grande
Candotti, Anna; Stein, Miriam; Alberti, Giorgio; Lingua, Emanuele; Tomelleri, Enrico
Abstract/Description
The increasing frequency and intensity of windthrow events pose significant ecological, economic, and social challenges. A notable example
is storm Vaia (2018), which devastated over 42,500 ha of forest across Trentino Alto Adige, Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lombardy,
and, to a lesser extent, Piedmont and Valle d’Aosta, with an estimated 16.5 million m³ of fallen trees. Understanding post-disturbance
forest recovery is crucial for guiding management strategies that promote resilient restoration. This study examines post-Vaia
vegetation dynamics by integrating earth observation data and field monitoring to assess regeneration trajectories. During summer
2021, field data were collected from 32 transects in affected areas of South Tyrol using a standardized protocol. The survey covered
edge forest structure, dead wood presence, and ground cover. To assess vegetation dynamics remotely, we used the Normalized Difference
Vegetation Index (NDVI) from Sentinel-2 (2016-2024) and land surface temperature (LST) from ECOSTRESS (2018-2024). Time series
analysis grouped sites based on similar recovery trajectories. Additional data from field surveys, topography, climate, and salvage
logging were integrated into a Multifactorial Analysis (MFA) to explain observed temporal patterns. The analysis identified three distinct
recovery trajectories, primarily influenced by topography, temperature, and precipitation. The pronounced seasonality in two recovery
groups suggested successional stages dominated by grasses and herbs, with limited tree regeneration, indicating slow forest recovery.
Although harvesting strategies are often guided by topography, different methods affect soil conditions and subsequent vegetation
growth. While NDVI and LST effectively captured broad recovery trends, they had limitations in detecting species-specific regeneration
and site diversity, underscoring the need for supplementary data. Our findings highlight the importance of integrating earth observations
with ground-based surveys to assess post-windthrow recovery and inform forest management. Understanding how stand characteristics
and salvage logging influence regeneration is key to optimizing intervention strategies in mountain forests. These insights support
decision-making for resilient forest restoration. Future research should expand monitoring efforts to neighbouring regions and incorporate
species-specific analyses to refine post-disturbance management.
Medhavi Gulati
Abstract/Description
Fieldwork is as much a social phenomenon as it is an individual phenomenon, invariably affecting all studies, especially those conducted in unfamiliar and unacquainted social settings not by an isolated researcher but rather created by all people in the social situation being studied, wherein the ethnographer undergoes a process of continual discovery enabling them to interpret and reinterpret their own cultural and personal domestic context. I situate myself as an unmarried and unescorted Indian female ethnographer in Nepal, who occasionally found herself in remote locations where water and sanitation systems were poorly developed thus increasing the risk of parasitic infections, and in places where her interaction was limited to men who belonged to distinct cultural and linguistic backgrounds. In the session, I will draw on my fieldwork experiences, and will underscore the challenges confronted in the field in the capacity of a culturally outsider woman whose presence was sometimes largely (mis)construed by men as an invitation for casual dalliance. However, by working alone, I afforded the leisure to be socially and psychologically mobile thus facilitating greater empathic involvement in enticing social circumstances. Sustained involvement with people in the field helped me earn the status of a marginal native in whom people could confide with gossips and potentially sensitive information. In the session, I will reflect on the liminal position where ethnographers find themselves between and betwixt the worlds.
Devagya Raman
Pain, Dr Anindya
Abstract/Description
Mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls are gaining popularity in different parts of the world. These walls have demonstrated tremendous potential in supporting the rapid infrastructure development occurring in our country. This technology is highly versatile and is used for constructing highway approach roads, railway bridges, and airport runways in challenging terrains. MSE walls are generally designed using a 2D plane strain approach. However, recent observations indicate that these structures are extensively used in undulating terrains, where the 2D plane strain assumption is invalid—such as at turning corners of roads in hilly regions. Few studies have attempted to quantify the additional reinforcement requirements for these corners. Recent failures of reinforced earth structures, such as those at Yeager Airport (USA) and Sikkim Airport (India), highlight the need for improved design considerations. The geosynthetic-reinforced structure at Sikkim Airport exhibited extensive distress, primarily due to improper drainage design. Another contributing factor was the presence of a highly fractured phyllite rock mass at the base of this extremely high retaining wall. Similarly, the catastrophic failure of a 73 m high reinforced soil slope at Yeager Airport in Charleston, West Virginia, USA, was analyzed by VandenBerge et al. (2021), who concluded that improper engineering judgment and local stress concentrations were the primary causes of failure. For infrastructure expansion in tough hilly terrains, integrating airways and highways while minimizing environmental impact is crucial. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) studies highlight the importance of using locally available materials, as MSE wall design parameters generally allow for draining backfill material. However, contractors often opt for locally available soil, which may be highly cohesive. To ensure safety, researchers tend to adopt high factors of safety (FOS). In the present research, numerical modeling using Plaxis 3D will be employed to study corner stress development in MSE walls—an aspect that remains hidden in 2D limit equilibrium method (LEM) software such as Roc science Slide. A numerical analysis of 26 cross-sections of MSE walls was conducted for a RESA project in the hilly terrains of Northeast India using 2d LEM. LCA dwells into opting sustainable design approach. For Stabilisation of facia includes locally available grasses for carbon absorption.
Carmen Chavez
Abstract/Description
Climate change is a highly complex global issue with unique challenges at local levels. The Andean mountains face severe effects, including glacier melting, unpredictable weather patterns, water crises, and declining crop productivity. Indigenous and rural communities at high altitudes face particularly challenging circumstances as their subsistence agriculture and pastoral practices confront an uncertain future. Creating collaborative spaces for climate change adaptation and informed decision-making is crucial for these communities to navigate current and future challenges. Research has shown that combining local traditional knowledge (LTK) with Western scientific knowledge enhances the effectiveness of place-based solutions. Success in implementing climate change adaptation relies heavily on understanding and integrating local community worldviews. Andean communities have developed their civilizations over millennia through close environmental interactions, passing down unique knowledge through generations. When combined with climate change research, this LTK creates a powerful ‘two-eyes-seen’ approach for developing locally effective adaptation solutions, emphasizing mutual learning, respect, and ownership by the community members, securing sustainability. Addressing climate change effects requires transdisciplinary approaches with strong community engagement and stakeholder participation. This research focuses on the challenges faced by rural and Indigenous communities in the Cusco region of south Peru’s Andes, a population often overlooked due to language and accessibility barriers. The study examines these communities’ perceptions and experiences of climate change, their current adaptation strategies, and how a transdisciplinary community-based approach can enhance adaptation measures based on their knowledge, values, and beliefs. Additionally, it identifies all stakeholders involved in climate change adaptation and their potential contributions to co-creating concrete, locally-based solutions. A mixed-methods research approach with explanatory sequential design (surveys and interviews) was employed, illuminated by Transformative and Indigenous paradigm worldviews. These bottom-up transdisciplinary interactions and iterative processes of knowledge construction have proven to establish a strong foundation for collaborative and sustainable climate change community adaptation actions and a model for other communities.
Transforming Conservation in Ecuador: Integrating Rural Women and Local Communities through the GESI Approach
Belen Moya
Abstract/Description
In Ecuador, most conservation projects focus on wildlife or exclude local communities from active participation. However, community engagement is essential for fostering collaboration among key stakeholders, including local communities, academia, and NGOs. The CEPF project “Amphibian Conservation Strategies in the Sangay-Podocarpus Corridor” serves as a model for promoting gender equality and social inclusion by shifting the perception of women from victims to agents of change. The GESI approach enables meaningful integration and involvement of rural communities in conservation efforts. In this framework, rural women are learning sampling techniques and actively contributing to research and conservation initiatives.
