SAGE-Center (Sustainable Adaptation to Global Change in the Middle East)
Global change – including climate-, land use-, and socio-economic change – is taking place rapidly and will have serious impacts on the world as a whole. The Middle East is a region where climate change impacts on society and the environment are likely to be most severe. For example, regional climate scenarios for the Jordan River region indicate a decrease in precipitation in this highly water-scarce area, together with an increase in extreme weather events. Rapid population growth, increasing urbanisation, and a massive influx of displaced persons are exacerbating these problems by increasing over-exploitation of the scarce land and water resources. Taken together, global change processes will significantly impede agricultural productivity, biodiversity, soil quality, and human well-being in the Jordan River region.
Efficient mitigation and adaptation options are urgently needed. This requires sound scientific knowledge and mechanisms to translate scientific findings into application. Furthermore, in order to plan effectively in face of the above threats, the countries of the region need to share their knowledge, and look together at ways in which limited resources can be used most efficiently and fairly under conditions of global change. In order to help achieve these aims, we have established SAGE, a Regional Centre for Sustainable Adaptation to Global Change in the Middle East.
SAGE will contribute to empowering societies to find science-based solutions to adaptive and sustainable management of natural resources. It will collect, assess and make available data about the current and future situation with regard to regional climate and natural resources.
Overall, SAGE will i) contribute to sharing of and exposure to knowledge and capacity building in relevant disciplines, ii) conduct multilateral and interdisciplinary research on areas of concern and make available cutting-edge research for decision-makers, iii) be a regional resource for national and international bodies concerned with global change, and iv) promote regional cooperation in global change adaptation.
The key measures for achieving these goals are:
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Establishment of an interdisciplinary and international Master Certificate in Global Change Studies that is delivered by a regional and international consortium of eminent scientists.
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Establishment of a PhD School related to regional climate change and resource management that meets international standards for PhD training.
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Development of a research agenda for the PhD via a continuous science-stakeholder dialogue that serves to co-design, co-produce and co-disseminate research jointly among scientists and stakeholders.
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Development of a regional and international information hub for issues related to climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as transboundary resource management.
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Development and implementation of resource-friendly means of international cooperation in education and research, following the RRR (reduce-replace-refine) principle.
SAGE is one of four international Climate Centres funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Its main host is An Najah National University. SAGE is coordinated by the University of Tübingen, Germany. SAGE closely cooperates with the other DAAD Climate Centres in South America, Africa and Asia and thus benefits from a broad international perspective.
A team from the Energy, Water, and Food Security Center and the UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Water Management at An-Najah University participated in a workshop and the annual conference of the SAGE project in Amman.
The team, which included Dr. Anan Jayousi, director of the center, Dr. Ghadeer Omar from the Faculty of Science, and Dr. Asmaa Al-Asmar, the project coordinator, attended the annual SAGE project conference, funded by the DAAD foundation. The event brought together numerous international researchers in the field of climate change. Dr. Anan Jayousi spoke during both the opening and closing sessions, and Dr. Dawwas Dawwas, Secretary-General of the Palestinian National Commission for Education, Culture, and Science, also participated in the opening session.
Representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and the Environmental Quality Authority also attended the workshop. The An-Najah University team members led several sessions during the four-day conference, which took place from March 12-15, 2023.
The workshop also included 16 Ph.D. students from Palestine, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, and Germany who are part of the project, along with partners from German universities. The students presented the progress of their research in the fields of water, agriculture, economics, biodiversity, and environmental ethics.
Professor Name: Harald Grethe, Jonas Luckmann, Zuhal Elnour, Thierry Kinkpe, Ferike Thom, Sawsan Abdul-Jalil, and Sara Ashour.
Course Description:Attached the announcement.
Collaborating with Humboldt University of Berlin and the University of Jordan, the Research Center of Energy, Water, and Food Security, the Continuing Education Center, and An-Najah Innovation Park at An-Najah National University are hosting a specialized spring school in agricultural and environmental economics.
Professor Name:
Prof. Jehad Abbadi / Al-Quds University / Palestinian.
Time Offered:
April – June 2024.
Number of Lectures:
45 teaching hours (30 lectures, 90 minutes each).
Course Description:
Course Description:
This Master of Science (M.Sc.) course in Plant Stress Physiology is designed to provide students with an in-depth understanding of the physiological responses of plants to various stress factors, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to address contemporary challenges in agriculture, environmental science, and plant biotechnology. The course encompasses theoretical foundations, practical applications, and cutting-edge research in the field of plant stress physiology.
Course Objectives:
- Fundamental Principles
Explore the fundamental physiological processes underlying plant responses to stress, including molecular, biochemical, and cellular mechanisms.
- Stress Factors
Examine a broad spectrum of abiotic and biotic stress factors affecting plants, such as drought, salinity, temperature extremes, pathogens, and pollutants.
- Adaptive Mechanisms
Investigate the diverse adaptive strategies employed by plants to cope with stress, including osmotic adjustment, hormone signaling, and molecular responses.
- Technological Approaches
Introduce advanced technologies and methodologies used in studying plant stress physiology, including omics techniques, imaging technologies, and molecular biology tools.
- Environmental Impact
Analyze the ecological and agricultural implications of plant stress responses, with a focus on sustainable practices and climate change resilience.
- Applied Aspects
Explore practical applications of plant stress physiology in crop improvement, biotechnology, and sustainable agriculture practices.
- Case Studies
Examine case studies showcasing successful interventions and innovations derived from plant stress physiology research, with a focus on real-world applications.
- Critical Thinking
Foster critical thinking and problem-solving skills through discussions, literature reviews, and presentations on current research topics in plant stress physiology.
By the end of this course, students will be well versed in the intricate mechanisms governing plant stress responses, enabling them to contribute to advancements in agriculture, environmental science, and biotechnology. The interdisciplinary nature of the course prepares graduates for careers in academia, research institutions, agribusiness, and environmental consulting.
Professor Name:
Dr. Amani Mahindawansha, Prof. Dr. Matthias Gassmann / University of Kassel / Germany.
Time Offered:
End of Oct 2024 – Mid Feb 2025.
Number of Lectures:
75 hours.
Course Description:
Qualification aims of the course:
Students learn how to deal with English-language research articles in the field of water research. They learn to extract hypotheses and research questions from articles and to formulate them themselves in English. They know basic methodological procedures in hydrology. Students will be able to grasp the essential content of technical articles and present it clearly on a poster. Students can write summary articles in English.
Contents:
- Joint reading and discussion of English articles on hydrology in the English language.
- Historical development of hydrological research.
- Current topics in hydrology.
- Analysis of the structure of technical articles.
- Structured literature search - literature databases, keywords.
- Preparation, presentation, and discussion of a scientific poster from a technical article in the English language.
- Writing a review article in English.
- Basic grammar/times.
- Incorporating references.
- Feedback on writing samples.
Professor Name:
Sara Tomiolo / University of Tübingen / Germany.
Time Offered:
Asynchronous lectures + 6 h of online consultations with students to assist with issues and with their assignments.
Number of Lectures:
8 lectures (3h) total 24 h.
Course Description:
This course is addressed mainly to students with little or no experience in R and RStudio, who want or need to use R in the near future. Intermediate R users will benefit comparatively less but can still acquire new tools and skills. This course is also recommended for students who intend to take the "Advanced biometry course" and who have no prior knowledge of R.
- Content:
Lectures and participatory live-coding using R-Studio, R, and a suite of packages called the "tidyverse", to provide the students with the fundamental concepts of coding, and the tools for advancing their learning beyond the classroom. Individual and group assignments in which students apply and implement the tools they have learned in class, to import, manipulate, and visualize data, and to produce dynamically-generated reports.
- Final Exam:
Data projects developed by students using open datasets.
- Structure of the Course:
In a highly participatory workshop format, students will learn how to manage projects in R Studio, how to import, manipulate, and visualize data using a reproducible workflow. Finally, they will learn to produce publication-ready, reproducible, and dynamically generated reports. This course provides the basis for learning how to code in an efficient and reproducible way, becoming familiar with the most common issues one encounters when coding, and solving them.
Professor Name:
University of Freiburg / Germany / Prof. Dr. Jens Lange.
Time Offered:
Time: 9 - 12 / Date: 09/01/2025 - 16/01/2025 - 23/01/2025.
Number of Lectures:
3 lectures.
Course Description:
- Over the centuries, people settling in drylands have developed water harvesting methods for the collection, distribution, and storage of runoff water. These techniques have enabled water supply and agricultural activities in areas unsuitable for agriculture under natural conditions.
- This course analyses historical systems with a special focus on the Middle East and highlights their sustainability in comparison to modern irrigation and water supply systems.
- A practical exercise comparing simple linear regressions with a simulation model based on “R” quantifies potential in recent and future climate.
- Participants must successfully pass this exercise and submit a short report on the results, and, at the end, must successfully pass a short oral exam.
Professor Name:
Prof. Dr. Frank Wätzold, Prof. Dr. Amani Alassaf, Dr. Ahmed Shaqfa, Dr. Mai Nusir / Brandenburg University of Technology / Germany.
Time Offered:
Date: 23/1/2025 - 9/4/2025.
Number of Lectures:
42h.
Course Description:
This module introduces students to the principles and applications of Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA). It covers foundational microeconomic concepts, the economic valuation of environmental goods, and practical applications of the CBA. The course aims to provide students with knowledge and skills to understand and conduct economic evaluations of environmental and other projects. The course is structured into two main components: online lectures and in-person seminars.
The online lectures consist of 12 topics, typically covering two topics per week. However, the topics differ somewhat in length; therefore, some topics may be a bit longer than others. The in-person seminars will be held in Jordan and will consist of presentations from the students’ side. The seminars involve knowledge sharing and discussions. Participation throughout the seminars is mandatory.
Student performance is assessed through continuous evaluation, which includes points awarded for the written exam, the presentation, and the associated handout. The total points accumulated across these parts are then converted into a final grade.
An-Najah National University Hosts Spring School on Cost-Benefit Analysis for Environmental Projects
The Energy, Water, Food Security, and Climate Change Center (EWFSC) and the Continuing Education Center at An-Najah National University's An-Najah Innovation Park recently held a specialized spring school. The program focused on cost-benefit analysis (CBA) for evaluating environmental projects.
Sponsored by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) through the Climate Change Adaptation Center project, the EWFSC collaborated with experts from the Brandenburg University of Technology in Germany to host the event. The school, a 5-day series of lectures from April 5-9, 2025, was also a partnership with the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness at the University of Jordan in Amman. The training sessions covered topics in agricultural, macro, and environmental economics, along with practical CBA methods. Following the lectures, students received access to a month of supplementary online materials.
The program targeted graduate students, with a total of nine participants: six from An-Najah National University and three from the University of Jordan. Students came from diverse backgrounds, including agricultural economics and environmental science. According to Dr. Anan Jayousi, Director of the EWFSC and the project, the primary goal of the lectures was to enhance graduate students' skills in connecting macroeconomic principles with environmental issues through various modeling techniques.
At the conclusion of the training, participants were awarded certificates in collaboration with the Continuing Education Center at An-Najah National University.
A team from An-Najah National University's Energy, Water, and Food Security Center and the UNESCO Chair for Sustainable Management of Water Resources participated in the annual DAAD Foundation Conference in Berlin.