Conference Workshops
Monday, 5 February 2024 at the Marie Reay Teaching Centre - Kambri on the Australian National University (ANU) Campus. NOTE: Morning and afternoon tea will be provided. Note that lunch will NOT be provided (there are nearby food outlets on campus). Workshop: Accessible and usable science: working with end users for impact through co-design
Monday 5 February, 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Convenors: Ramona Dalla Pozza, Tahnee Burgess, Sarah Boulter, Brad Murphy, John Clarke, David Hoffman
Working with end users to co-design science is a way to ensure your science will have impact. It will also ensure it is usable and accessible to decision makers need to understand how to find and use the best available climate information for their needs. This workshop brings together scientists, policy makers, and knowledge brokers from across Australia. It will involve working through the process of co-design with advice on identifying and engaging with end-users, targeting your communications and ensuring the information delivered to them is accessible, usable and understood.
Workshop: Accessing and using BARRA2 and BARPA data for research
Monday 5 February, 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Convenors: Dr Joshua Torrance, Dr Chun-Hsu Su
This workshop will demonstrate how to access and navigate through the BARRA2 and BARPA datasets, both available at NCI.
The BARRA2 reanalysis dataset provides researchers with historical long-term and spatially complete records of the atmosphere from 1979 to the present day. BARPA are climate simulations based on CORDEX-CMIP6 (Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment) experiment design, providing CMIP6 downscaled data for historical, SSP1-2.6 and SSP3-7.0 scenarios.
Participants will be guided on how to find information on, how to gain access to, and how to navigate through the BARRA2 & BARPA datasets. Participants are expected to have access to NCI, some familiarity with Python, and will be guided through a series of demonstrative Python notebooks.
Workshop: Best practise communication: Translating the science
Monday 5 February, 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Convenor: Ms Amelia Pearson, Ms Ella Healy, Mr Mandeep Kuldeep Singh
The Monash Climate Change Communication Research Hub (MCCCRH) works with Australia's leading news agencies to disseminate climate information to the general public. Through our research and impact-focused projects, we have identified four key strategies for best practise climate change communication: using objective, non-persuasive communication, distilling complex concepts into simple formats using written and visual aids, localising data, and pairing human experiences with the science.
This workshop will be divided into two parts. First, participants will learn the four principles of effective communication. The second portion will be highly interactive. They will have the opportunity to apply this new knowledge to a communication piece based on a scientific topic of their choice, and receive feedback from the convenors. The session aims to help participants develop effective written and verbal communication skills they can use in their work.
This workshop will be hosted by science communication experts from the MCCCRH.
Workshop: Climate Classrooms: Educational Resources for Teachers Workshop
Cancelled
Convenors: Ms Amelia Pearson, Dr Sanaa Hobeichi
There is a need for climate education that ensures every student has the knowledge and skills to tackle climate change. The Climate Classrooms workshop offers an innovative way to improve climate literacy through the co-design of climate lessons for Australian schools. The in-person workshop will bring climate scientists and high school teachers together to develop educational resources that use climate science concepts and data to address learning objectives within the Australian Maths and Science curricula. The aim is to make novel climate research accessible to secondary school teachers and enable them to use it in their teaching of the Australian Curriculum.
The workshop will be run by convenors from the Monash Climate Change Communication Research Hub in partnership with the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes. It will facilitate knowledge sharing, improve teacher understanding of climate change, and allow the latest climate research to be embedded into curriculum resources.
Workshop: Climate science, climate impacts: How is climate change impacting on the work of meteorology and oceanography?
Monday 5 February, 10:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Convenors: Prof. Lauren Rickards, Dr Lisa De Kleyn, Dr Todd Denham
The work of meteorologists and oceanographers is crucial to understanding climate change, now and into the future, and fundamental for effective climate change adaptation. We are all exposed to the risks, uncertainty, and effects of climate change, including through our work. Building on the Climate Impacts at Work (Denham and Rickards, 2022) report, this workshop will facilitate discussion of climate impacts on atmospheric and oceanographic scientists’ work, including practices, pressures, and public engagement, and what is needed to support scientists in responding to increasing demands from climate change impacts. Examples may include damage to equipment and assets; blackouts and ICT disruptions; disrupted and delayed work schedules; resource shortages; increased and altered roles; and the impacts on home life affecting work capacity. The purpose is to build understanding of what is needed to support scientific work as a part of our adaptive efforts.
Workshop: Regional climate downscaling for Australia within the CORDEX framework
Monday 5 February, 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Convenors: Jason Evans, Marcus Thatcher
This workshop is relevant for those performing regional climate simulations or using regional climate projection data in their work with a focus on CORDEX related data and modelling. The workshop will have some presentations with extended discussion. Some topics to be covered include:
• Accessing the existing CORDEX data. How to access and use the data
• Discuss the CORDEX-CMIP6 dataset
• Current status of the CORDEX-CMIP6 ensemble
• What evaluation has been done? What further evaluation is underway? Or should be done?
• What collaborative analysis could we do?
• Possibilities for a collaborative convection permitting projection experiment? Should we propose an official CORDEX Flagship Pilot Study (FPS).
Workshop: ENSO Workshop
Monday 5 February, 1:30 PM - 5:30 PM
Convenors: Arnold Sullivan, Wenju Cai
A workshop dedicated specifically to ENSO-related discussions which aims to provide an opportunity for broader engagement and knowledge sharing within the ENSO community.
Workshop: RV Investigator, Australia’s dedicated blue-water research vessel: Applying for sea time & your future research capability needs
Thursday 8 February (during conference)
Convenors: Dr Ben Arthur, Dr Venetia Joscelyne
The CSIRO Marine National Facility (MNF) provides researchers with world‑class ocean research capabilities, high quality marine data and expertise built up over more than 40 years. Centred around CSIRO research vessel (RV) Investigator, designed and built to operate flexibly both within and between scientific disciplines, the MNF also provides the Australian research community with access to a suite of advanced scientific equipment and instruments, as well as expert technical and voyage planning support.
In this workshop we outline the process for applying for sea time onboard the RV Investigator, including the access pathways, and what makes a good application. We also touch on what happens with voyage data and how to access it.
Keen to continue to provide the Australian Meteorological and Oceanographic research community with world‑class ocean research capabilities, we ask “what does MNF need to look like in the next decade to meet your future research capability needs?”.