Sustainable Coastal Growth and Resilience - The First Course of the Coastal Resilience School

An advanced hybrid course on coastal resilience for early-career professionals, blending 10 weeks of online theory and practical sessions with an in-person workshop in Italy. Fully funded.

  • Date:

    27 JANUARY
    -
    11 APRIL 2025
     

  • Event location: In presence and online event

  • Type: Courses

This hybrid course is designed for early-career professionals, scientists, consultants, and environmental agency representatives eager to address today’s critical coastal resilience challenges. Combining rigorous theory with practical applications, the course offers a comprehensive 10-week virtual phase followed by an in-person workshop in Bertinoro, Italy (April 7–11, 2025).

Participants will gain advanced knowledge and hands-on experience, equipping them with tools and strategies to enhance coastal resilience in real-world contexts.

The course is free of charge, with travel and accommodation covered by the Decade Collaborative Centre for Coastal Resilience.

The application period for this course is now closed.

 

Who is the Course For?

  • Early Career Ocean Professionals (1-5 years of relevant experience)
  • Scientists and Researchers specializing in coastal or environmental fields
  • Professionals in coastal management, conservation, or environmental consulting

 

Application Requirements

  • Master’s degree in relevant fields (e.g., environmental sciences, coastal engineering, political sciences)
  • 1-5 years of experience in coastal or environmental fields
  • Proficiency in English (spoken and written)
  • Basic computer skills and familiarity with digital learning environments

The application call will be open from November 15 to December 15. To apply, please follow the link provided at the bottom of this page.

 

Course Structure and Timeline

The course follows a blended format to optimize learning, alternating between online lessons, dedicated weeks for hands-on practice, and an in-person capstone workshop. Each online module includes daily two-hour lessons (available at any time of day), followed by practical exercises, a live webinar, and mentorship sessions.

 

Opening Ceremony

January 27 14:00 CET 

  • UN Decade for Ocean Science, DCC-CR and OTGA-IOC/Unesco

  • Course Framework 

  • End-of-Course Project Assignment: Coastal development occurring in a coastal stretch of your country tackling the issues of resilience and sustainable coastal growth. It will involve literature work and inclusion of different aspects from each module. 

Speakers: Nadia Pinardi (DCC-CR, University of Bologna), Renata Archetti (University of Bologna), Quillon Harpham (HR-Wallingford), Ana Carolina Mazzuco (OTGA-IOC/Unesco). 

 

Online Phase (January 27 - April 4, 2025)

The online portion of this course spans 10 weeks, structured to build knowledge progressively across five modules. Each module includes a week of daily lessons followed by a week focused on assignments, tutorships and live webinars. 

 

  • Module 1: Overview of Coastal Resilience and its Business Implications - Week 1-2 (January 27 - February 7)

Introduction to the principles of coastal resilience, highlighting the importance of adaptive strategies and the role of public and private sectors in emergency management.

Lectures and Lecturers

  1. Overview of Coastal Resilience Concepts, Giulia Galluccio, CMCC 
  2. Adaptation Planning for Coastal Resilience, Chiara Trozzo, CMCC 
  3. Sustainability transition management and the importance of coastal resilience for business, Matteo Mura, University of Bologna  
  4. Circular Economy for the Marine Environment, Alessandra Bonoli, University of Bologna 
  5. Early Warning Systems for Disaster Preparedness, Carlo Cacciamani, ItaliaMeteo 

Webinar Titles and Speakers (Tuesday, February 4 at 14:00 CET)

  1. NetZero/NearZero Emissions and Climate Resilient Wastewater Treatment Works for Coastal Resilience, Godwell Nhamo, Institute for Corporate Citizenship, South Africa  

  2. Natural Catastrophe Modeling: Strategies for Resilience and Sustainable Risk Management, Cecilia Bittoni, DCC-CR  

 

  • Module 2: Understanding Coastal Hazards Using Operational Oceanography - Week 3-4 (February 10 - February 21)

Practical training on open-source scientific data tools, covering hazard analysis with oceanographic data and cloud-based Python tools for data visualization.

Lectures and Lecturers

  1. Overview of Global Products from Operational Oceanographic Services, Nadia Pinardi, DCC-CR, University of Bologna 
  2. Coastal Earth Observation Satellites Products and Applications for Monitoring Coastal Hazards, Jérôme Benveniste, COSPAR (Formerly ESA) 
  3. Introduction to Cloud Space and the Jupyter Notebooks, Megi Hoxhaj, CMCC 
  4. Visualization and Extraction of Time Series for Specific Coastal Areas, Megi Hoxhaj, CMCC 
  5. Hazard Mapping for Waves, Salvatore Causio, CMCC 

Webinar Titles and Speakers (Tuesday, February 18 at 14:00 CET) 

  1. Regional ocean forecasting systems, Emanuela Clementi, CMCC 
  2. Ghada El Serafy, Deltares  

 

  • Module 3: Environmental Impact Assessment and Risk Management - Week 5-6 (February 24 - March 7)

Overview of environmental impact assessments, with a focus on managing flood and erosion risks as part of the resilience framework.

Lectures and Lecturers

  1. Introduction to Environmental Impact Assessment, Marie Pendle, HR Wallingford 
  2. Environmental Impact Assessment Techniques, Marie Pendle, HR Wallingford 
  3. Consultation as part of Environmental Impact Assessment, Marie Pendle, HR Wallingford 
  4. Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management, Mike Panzeri, HR Wallingford 
  5. Environmental Impact Assessment Case Studies, Lorenzo Bertolé, Arcadis 

Webinar Titles and Speakers (Tuesday, March 4 at 14:00 CET)

  1. A case study of two dredging projects discussing differences for EIA, Marie Pendle, HR Wallingford  

 

  • Module 4: Enabling Technologies for Coastal Resilience - Week 7-8 (March 10 - March 21)

Exploration of essential technologies, including AI, GIS, data assimilation, and satellite Earth observation, applied to coastal sustainability.

Lectures and Lecturers

  1. Informatics and Big Data, Quillon Harpham, HR Wallingford 
  2. Artificial Intelligence for Coastal Extreme Sea Level Events, Lorenzo Mentaschi, University of Bologna 
  3. Delivering Better GIS, Mike Panzeri, HR Wallingford 
  4. Introduction to Data Assimilatio and Reanalysis for Coastal Resilience, Sarah Dance, University of Reading 
  5. Coastal Altimetry Products Design for Monitoring Coastal Hazards, Jérôme Benveniste, COSPAR (Formerly ESA) 

Webinar Titles and Speakers (Tuesday, March 18 at 14:00 CET)

  1. Jacopo Alessandri, University of Bologna  
  2. Michiel Knaapen, HR Wallingford 

 

  • Module 5: Innovative Solutions for Coastal Resilience - Week 9-10 (March 24 - April 4)

Development of practical resilience strategies tailored to key coastal infrastructures, such as sustainable ports and coastal cities, addressing challenges from climate change and extreme weather.

Lectures and Lecturers

  1. Green and Sustainable Ports, Mariano Buccino, University of Naples Federico II 
  2. NBS for Coastal Protection, Renata Archetti, University of Bologna 
  3. Sustainable Mariculture, Slim Gana, SEA GUST 
  4. Sustainable Coastal Cities, Vassiliki Kourafalou, DCC-CR 
  5. Marine Carbon Dioxide Removal Solutions, Emanuele Di Lorenzo, Brown University 

Webinar Titles and Speakers (Tuesday, April 1 at 14:00 CET)

  1. Achilleas Samaras, Democritus University of Thrace  
  2. Patricio Winckler, University of Valparaiso 

This sequence prepares participants for the in-person workshop in Italy, where they will apply their knowledge through a hands-on project.

 

In-Person Workshop (April 7-11, 2025)

Participants will work on individual project proposals, applying the skills and concepts gained in a real-world scenario related to coastal resilience. Each participant will present their proposal to the group, receiving feedback from instructors and peers.

 

Primary Learning Objectives

  • Grasp the fundamentals of coastal resilience and its applications in business and public policy.
  • Leverage operational oceanography data for analyzing coastal hazards.
  • Conduct environmental impact assessments and manage coastal risks.
  • Utilize cutting-edge technologies to address coastal resilience challenges.
  • Design effective resilience strategies for critical coastal infrastructure.
  • Complete a hands-on project, addressing a real-world resilience issue.

 

Certification

The course certificate is issued by the UNESCO/IOC Project Office for IODE, an ISO 29993:2017 certified Learning Service Provider (specializing in learning services outside formal education). This certification ensures that the course certificate is officially endorsed and can be used as a professional training credential. Each certificate is individually labeled and includes a verification code for authenticity.

 

Organizers

Decade Collaborative Center for Coastal Resilience, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Bologna with the support of OceanTeacher Global Academy (OTGA-IOC/Unesco) and the CINECA Interactive Computing Services.

course outline and timetable

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