Transcript Training the next generation of international scientists

Laurel Saito
University of Nevada Reno, USA
Kristina Toderich
Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, UZBEKISTAN
Dilorom Fayzieva
Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, UZBEKISTAN
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Gained independence from
Soviet Union in 1991
447.4103 km2
Population: 28 million
Literacy: 99.3%
Bukhara
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Double land-locked
country
Agriculture is about 17%
of GDP
2004
 Cotton is dominant crop
(11% of GDP in 2009)
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1960
Natural resources
 Natural gas
 Mining
 Aral Sea
Courtesy of ZEF
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90% of girls receive secondary education (2000-07)
8% of women receive tertiary education (2000-07)
59% of women of 15+ years are in labor force (2010)
 Down from 75% in 1990
18% of seats in lower house of parliament held by
women (2008)
 15% of seats in upper house of parliament held by
women (2008)
 5% of gov’t ministers are women (2008)
 20.3 mean age for marriage
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Source: ZEF
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Academy of Sciences
 Established 1943
 7 branches of disciplines
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Universities
 24 new institutions established in 1992
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International collaborations
 Provide additional research funding
 Provide funds for new equipment
 Provide funds for training of young scientists
Example 1: Study of Khorezm lakes
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Lead investigators:
 Laurel Saito, USA
 Dilorom Fayzieva, Uzbekistan
▪ Head, Hygiene and Environmental Medicine Laboratory
Institute of Water Problems
Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences
▪ Ph.D. 1995 Research Inst. of Sanitation, Hygiene and
Occupational Diseases, Uzbekistan
▪ Experienced with international collaborations with UK,
Germany, Japan, European Union, Medicins Sans
Frontiers
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Met in 2002
 Interest in applying innovative technologies (stable
isotope analysis; SPMDs) to assess ecosystem
sustainability
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2003-2004
 Womens International Science
Collaboration
▪ Funding agency: American
Association for the Advancement of
Science (through grant from NSF)
▪ Travel grant ($8,000) for proposal
preparation
▪ Saito and colleague took trip to
Uzbekistan Dec 2003-Jan 2004
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Oct 2003
 Fulbright Student Fellowship application
submitted for Margaret Shanafield; not funded
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Feb 2004
 Proposal submitted ($69,000); not funded
 Integrated watershed management policies in the
Zarafshan River Basin, Uzbekistan
 Funding agency: National Council for Eurasian and
East European Research
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Mar-Dec 2004
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May 2004
 International Travel Grant
 Visiting International
($2,500)
 Funding agency: University
of Nevada Reno
 Enabled Fayzieva to visit
UNR in spring 2004 for
proposal development
Fellowship (~$1,200)
 Funding agency:
Environmental and Water
Resources Institute
 Enabled Fayzieva to come
to US for EWRI conference
and collaborate with Saito
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Feb-Dec 2006
 Fulbright Student
Fellowship awarded for
Margaret Shanafield
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Jul 2006-Nov 2010
 Using stable isotopes,
passive organic samplers,
and modelling to assess
environmental security in
Khorezm, Uzbekistan
 Funding agency: North
Atlantic Treaty
Organization (Science
for Peace)
 €259,000
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NATO Science for Peace Project
 Trained 6 young Uzbek scientists
 2 Uzbek and 2 US masters theses
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completed on project
2 student manuscripts published
4 additional manuscripts in prep
Majority (85%) of funding for Uzbek side
No salary coverage for US participants
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Nov 2005
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Jun 2008
 Proposal submitted
 Proposal submitted
($179,000); not funded
 Assessing human
impacts on water
resource sustainability in
Khorezm, Uzbekistan
 Funding agency: World
Bank Development
Marketplace
($49,994); not funded
 Investigating pesticide
contamination in small
lakes in Khorezm,
Uzbekistan
 Funding agency: U.S.
Civilian Research and
Development
Foundation
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Mar 2009-Mar 2014
 Investigating pesticide contamination in small lakes
in Khorezm, Uzbekistan
 Funding agency: National Science Foundation
 $139,000
 Provided funding for soil
core sampling and analysis
and microbial experiments
Example 2: Use of halophytes to improve
saline lands
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Lead investigators
 Laurel Saito, USA
 Kristina Toderich, Uzbekistan
▪ Head, Desert Ecology and Water Resources
Research
Complex Research Institute of Regional
Problems
Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences
▪ Coordinator, International Center for
Biosaline Agriculture
Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
▪ PhD 1988 Botany, Russia
▪ Experienced with international collaborations
with Norway, Japan, European Union, USA
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Met in 2004
Interest in determining utility of halophytic
plants as economic resource while rehabilitating
saline land and water
Feb 2012
 Proposal submitted ($4.975 million); in review
 Using halophytic plants to improve food security and
environmental quality in dryland ecosystems
 Funding agency: USDA National Institute of Food and
Agriculture
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Jul 2012-Jun 2014
 Modeling halophytic plants to improve agricultural
production and environmental quality in Nevada
 Funding agency: Nevada Agricultural Experiment
Station
 $69,200
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Soon in 2012-Mar 2014
 Utilization of low quality water for halophytic forage
and renewable energy production
 Funding agency: USAID/NSF
 $100,000
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Find the right partner
 Enthusiastic and responsive
 Strong English skills
 Ability to identify good project
participants
 Share philosophies about mentoring
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In-person visits are very helpful
Be persistent and keep iterating
 Learn from experience
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Be aware of political hurdles
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Building collaborations
for the future
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UN Women Watch
(http://www.un.org/womenwatch/)