A proper understanding of sediment transport is extremely important in many areas of engineering and socio-economic development. On time scales of months to years, the knowledge of where sediment accumulates could save billions of dollars on annual port dredging and beach nourishment. On length scales of deltas, estuaries and coastal zones, such knowledge plays a crucial role for decision-makers to govern the development of a country or region. Unfortunately, high-fidelity, long-term in situ data of sediment transport, particularly suspended particulate matter concentration are often unavailable and/or unreliable. Hence, this project aims to propose a novel approach to reduce the calibration effort and improve the accuracy of long-term, high-frequency in situ measurements. This project will integrate field and laboratory studies to demonstrate that combination of at least one pair of optical and acoustic (O/A) sensors will help to “see” the mud better and “hear” the sand better, which in turn allows us to comprehensively reproduce detailed information of suspended sediment concentration profile in a river, estuarine or coastal zone. Field measurements help to provide input of the boundary conditions for the experiments, whereas the experiments help to isolate variables in order to decipher the behavior of O/A signals that occur in nature. This project will 1) enhance understanding of O/A signals behaviors under similar and different environments, 2) derive empirical functions from field and lab data to describe the ratio of O/A signals as a dependent variable of environmental characteristics and 3) test the functionality and efficiency of the empirical functions, obtained above, with field data collected from different parts of Europe. The primary intellectual merit of this project will be a guideline for water agencies and local authorities throughout Europe and the world to improve their performance in long-term, high-frequency monitoring of water quality.

Baleen whales (Mysticeti), the largest animals on earth, are a spectacular example of evolutionary adaptation and, as predators and nutrient distributors, a major component of the modern ocean ecosystem. Their relatively good fossil record, large ecological impact and the existence of extant species as a source of comparative data make mysticetes an ideal macroevolutionary case study – promising fundamental insights into the interaction between biodiversity, evolution, and the physical environment. Previous research into the mode and tempo of baleen whale evolution has been hampered by a historical data bias towards the Northern Hemisphere, poor taxon sampling, and disjunct methodologies. I propose to address these issues through (1) targeted sampling of Southern Hemisphere fossil material to create the most comprehensive and most balanced dataset on mysticete morphology to date; (2) the application of cutting-edge phylogenetic methods, including new Bayesian techniques to simultaneously infer phylogeny, divergence dates, evolutionary rates and ancestral body size; (3) reconstructing past mysticete diversity, disparity (morphological diversity) and shifts in their rate of diversification, as well as ancestral geographic ranges and dispersal patterns; and (4) integrating all available data and results with palaeoenvironmental proxies to test whether mysticete evolution has been driven by environmental change. This project will create a benchmark for future studies as one of the most comprehensive and multifaceted macroevolutionary syntheses for any major vertebrate clade, and provide profound insights into evolutionary processes and the workings of the marine ecosystem.

The EU 2020 Strategy aims to create smart, sustainable and inclusive growth designed to develop a high employment economy, while addressing major environmental challenges, including biodiversity loss. The message that green economy is an important area for job growth has been reiterated in various EC initiatives. The 2012 ‘EU biodiversity objectives and the labour market’ report points out that mapping skills shortages and training needs in biodiversity-related employment has only just begun in some Member States. A more strategic approach to training opportunities is needed. The report sees important potential benefits for the labour market with a good number of higher-skilled, knowledge-intensive jobs required to meet the EU biodiversity targets. The Convention on Biological Diversity considers the need that people become fully aware by 2020 of the value of biodiversity by integrating awareness and understanding of biodiversity and its values into national educational curricula, taking into account approaches related to Education for Sustainable Development. Based on these priorities, BIOTALENT developed an innovative blended e-learning biodiversity training programme. The right training and capacity building need to be provided today to improve competences of teachers, educators and other professionals in the sector and to improve quality of biodiversity education, effective at raising the level of biodiversity literacy for teachers and students, motivating them to learn about biodiversity and to engage in conserving Europe’s biodiversity. Educators who are innovative and who can make the difference are needed to attract young students to Science studies/careers or to STEM at large. BIOTALENT achieved its objectives by developing:- an open source e-learning platform to deliver e-learning courses;- a pilot blended course on biodiversity and climate change that trained learners and provided them with a certificate;- a customisable blended learning model, transferable to the wider sector of STEM and other disciplines;- a tutor guide supporting tutors, project partners and other users to be competent in the use of blended and e-learning techniques. The blended e-learning course specifically targeted biology teachers and trainee teachers from secondary education and educators in science museums, botanical gardens, science centres and nature organisations. Other professionals such as biologists, rangers and conservation managers seeking to improve their competences on the topic also benefited from the course. The course was also of relevance to young unemployed professionals of the above mentioned categories to provide them with the necessary competences to be successful in finding employment or to improve their position in the labour market. In addition, the course was open to anyone interested in the topic wanting to partake in continuing professional development. The e-learning platform integrated innovative services having a great potential in learning and educational context. Practicing an inquiry based learning approach and using effective multimedia to deliver learning experiences that mirror real-world practices, let learners apply the content in various professional contexts. BIOTALENT offered learners a unique transnational access to a range of facilities and expertise present in the Partnership hardly found jointly elsewhere. No less important than the scientific knowledge gained by the blended e-learning course is that participants greatly enhanced their ICT skills through the use of various internet technologies available on the e-learning platform. The e-learning programme equipped the BIOTALENT learners with new skills and knowledge that will improve the quality of their teaching or other professional activities in the sector and that will support them in finding career opportunities in education, science-related business or industries and/or to improve their position in their organisation or in the labour market. The project’s success -nearly 500 learners enrolled- and the delivery of a high quality e-learning programme relied upon the expertise and resources brought to the Strategic Partnership by each Partner. BIOTALENT involved 5 Partners coming from 4 countries (Belgium, Hungary, Portugal, Greece). The Partners are 3 Non-Profit making cultural organisations (museums), 1 Higher education institution (university associated museum) and 1 Consortium of EU taxonomic facilities. The BIOTALENT training programme and the customisable learning model remain available open access on the e-learning platform. The model can be tailored to the needs of others and transferred to new areas. The project scientific and pedagogical approach can be applied to new project ideas in the field of Science education and in the wider sector of STEM. An important continuation is that the e-learning programme will be integrated into a European and international framework for training and e-learning.

With this project, Belgian Women in Science, a Brussels-based non-profit organisation, aims to bring women researchers closer to the general public and stimulate the interest in scientific careers among young people with a special focus on gender diversity and inclusiveness. Citizens of all ages will be able to discover research related to nature, space and the 5 EU missions (cancer, soil deal, ocean & waters, adaptation to climate change, climate-neutral smart cities) allowing them to exchange ideas and experiences with scientists about their careers and breakthroughs. To achieve this, we will organize over 100 activities engaging the audience like demonstrations focused on climate change and evolution; art & science exhibitions portraying female scientists, workshops focusing on new trends in science and technology such as water and solar power and food of the future. The European Researchers Night (“Night”) events take place in two inspiring locations in Brussels, the capital of the European Union, also enabling the discovery of historic and natural landmarks where research has been conducted for almost two centuries. The ‘Researchers at Schools’ (“Schools”) workshops take place in schools, with a special focus on reaching vulnerable children. In addition, some workshops will be organised at a Brussels university campus, where students can become researchers & innovators, and in the two musea (Museum of Natural Sciences “Museum” and the Planetarium of Belgium “Planetarium”). Our awareness campaign will be one of the successful key points in this project. A dedicated media plan has been designed and a specialized press office will be involved to promote the activities at national level, also promoting our outreach events throughout the whole year on social media channels. In order to evaluate the impact, we will analyse the target audience reached; measure the increase of knowledge and promotion of the researcher's figure; and understand the level of appreciation.