2020-07-17 in Newsletter
Issue 76, July 2020
The latest issue of “Urban Climate News” (Issue 76, July 2020) is now available. It features news on the challenges of urban heat under COVID-19, a research contribution on the magnitude and seasonality of global surface urban heat islands, a report on a “mapathon” to identify LCZs in African cities and a tribute to remembering Baruch Givoni (1920-2019).
2020-06-06 in IAUC Admin, Members
We are calling for nominations for two new members of the Board of the International Association for Urban Climate (IAUC) for the term 2020 – 2024. This is to replace Aya Hagishima (Kyushu University, Japan) and Leena Järvi (University o Helsinki, Finland) whose terms on the Board expired in 2019 and will expire later in 2020, respectively. Please note that the Board is seeking new members eager to play an active role in the development of the society and who reflect the diversity of our membership.
2020-05-27 in Newsletter
Professor Baruch Givoni
The Board of the IAUC is saddened to announce the passing of Professor Emeritus Baruch Givoni, on the eve of his 100th birthday. Prof. Givoni was a pioneer in the understanding of urban and building climatology, and his prolific work over many decades included the landmark book “Man, Climate and Architecture” as well as the highly influential WMO publication “Urban Design In Different Climates“. Beyond the respect and admiration that he enjoyed around the world, Baruch was beloved by those who knew him as a modest and unassuming person. His generosity of spirit, his curiosity and his active pursuit of knowledge endured until his final days.
2020-04-11 in Awards, IAUC Admin, IAUC Statements
The IAUC is delighted to announce a new award to celebrate the achievements of early- and mid-career researchers. The ‘Timothy Oke Award for Original Research in the Field of Urban Climatology’ recognises the contributions of a new generation of urban climatologists and fills the gap between the IAUC’s numerous student awards and the IAUC’s highest accolade, the Luke Howard Award.
The Award is named in honour of Professor Timothy Oke, as recognition for his support of young urban climatologists and his unprecedented contributions to both urban climatology and the establishment of the IAUC.
The Timothy Oke Award addresses a critical phase in the career of an urban climate scientist, when they achieve individual visibility and impact, develop and broaden the scope of their research topics and demonstrate leadership. For the recipients, this award provides a prestigious endorsement of their research trajectory that may help to further advance their career prospects. The unanimous decision was made by the IAUC Board to name this award in honour of Professor Timothy Oke, as recognition of his outstanding research career, his support for young urban climatologists and his unprecedented contributions to both urban climatology and the establishment of the IAUC.
The IAUC is committed to promoting equality and diversity. As such, the guidelines for this award are that candidates should be approximately 3-12 years after PhD, but nominations for candidates who fall outside these guidelines due to career breaks or non-conventional career paths will also be considered, providing they are justified. All nominations will be assessed according to career stage. The Timothy Oke Award can be given for a particularly relevant study, a collection of papers or continuous work on a relevant topic with high impact on the field. It should be given for research that was conducted after the PhD. The award should reflect the diversity of the membership in terms of regions, gender, and disciplines. As the IAUC membership is currently dominated by those in early- and mid-career stages, it is envisaged that there could be many eligible recipients in the first few years. Therefore, the IAUC Awards Committee will select up to three awardees each year.
The IAUC award committee is pleased to call for nominations effective immediately.
2020-04-09 in Meetings
The organizers of the 11th International Conference on Urban Climate (ICUC-11) have launched the official conference website at ICUC11.unsw.edu.au which will be continually updated as we progress towards the event in 2021.
ICUC-11 webpage at ICUC11.unsw.edu.au
The general theme of the ICUC-11 conference, which will take place Aug 30 – Sep 3, 2021 in Sydney, Australia, is “Cities as Living Labs: Climate, Vulnerability, and Multidisciplinary Solutions”.
Accordingly, the organizing committee has identified six scientific streams for ICUC11, with each stream covering various sessions and plenaries. These streams include:
Specific topics within each stream can be found on the website. Additionally, as we are committed to the professional development of early-career scientists and students, several events will be focused on this. We now invite the community to inform us if there is a topic that is not covered by the proposed session themes, or if they would like to propose a workshop or special event. The deadline for submissions of sessions / workshops / panels is April 30, 2020.
Important Dates
2020-04-08 in Newsletter
Issue 75, March 2020
The latest issue of “Urban Climate News” (Issue 75, March 2020) is now available. It features first (urban) climate impacts of the unprecedented lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also announces the new Timothy Oke Award, a IAUC research excellence award for early- to mid-career scientists in our field. On the research section the issue features a contribution on the UHI in Beijing and how it is impacted by population migration as well as a call for participation in a new multi-site evaluation project for modelling urban areas.
2020-03-10 in Awards, IAUC Admin
The IAUC is pleased to announce the call for nominations for the 2020 ‘Luke Howard Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Urban Climatology.’
The Luke Howard Award may be given annually to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to the field of urban climatology in a combination of research, teaching, and/or service to the international community of urban climatologists.
The IAUC is committed to promoting equality and diversity. Therefore we particularly encourage nominations for suitable candidates from under-represented groups.
The person making the nomination will act as the coordinator to put together a nomination package (including a CV of the nominee and three letters of recommendation). Self-nominations are not permitted and current Awards Committee members cannot be evaluated. Complete nomination packages should be submitted (as a single electronic submission) to the IAUC Awards Committee Chair, Dr. Helen Ward: helen.ward@uibk.ac.at
2020-02-20 in Meetings, Members, Student_Positions
The Bochum Urban Climate Summer School 2020 (#BUCSS20) aims to provide a general introduction to the many facets of urban climatology, biometeorology and urban climate informatics, a newly evolving research field that uses artificial intelligence, e.g., machine learning or deep learning, to process non-traditional big data sources for urban climate applications. BUCSS20’s goal is to provide structured information and skill-building capabilities related to urban climate monitoring, remote sensing and modelling, thereby strengthening an active pool of young scientists that tackle the major urban sustainability challenges facing future generations. Those attending can expect to gain an understanding of the state-of-the-art via lectures and hands-on tutorials, on the following topics:
The summer school, taking place between 17-21 August 2020, is primarily intended for master (ECTS available) and doctoral students, but also adresses PostDocs who already have basic knowledge and interest for urban climate issues. Basic background and skills in urban climate modelling, remote sensing and programming are an advantage yet not required.
Registration is open until March 31, 2020 through the BUCSS20 website.
2019-12-27 in Newsletter
Issue 74, December 2019
The latest issue of “Urban Climate News” (Issue 74, December 2019) is now available. It features how teenager Greta Thunberg managed to get the world’s attention on climate action – what researchers and activists have struggled for decades. News on the dramatic urban air quality caused by massive bushfires in Australian cities and the relevance of history in contemporary heat island research are included. Further the newsletter reports on the modeling of the distribution of urban cold-air paths.
2019-11-13 in Awards
The International Association for Urban Climate is delighted to announce Janet Barlow, Professor of Environmental Physics at the University of Reading, as the winner of the 2019 Luke Howard Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Field of Urban Climatology.
Professor Janet Barlow
Through her deep theoretical understanding, Professor Janet Barlow has made major contributions to urban meteorology over the last twenty years. She has undertaken innovative research that is of extremely high quality, and authored many ground-breaking and influential publications addressing a broad range of topics. She has inspired and mentored many students and young scientists and is an enthusiastic and engaged member of the international urban climate community.
