About the Winter School "Science Meets Practice"

Strengthening a dialogue between science and practice

To confront the complex problems facing society today, the scientific community has recognized the need to step outside of our own communities. Effective science-practice collaboration for the TdLab is defined by joint problem framing and co-producing knowledge between scientists and people and institutions outside of academia. In this Winter School you will learn methods to engage practitioners in public or private institutions and the general public in order to solve problem together, including transdisciplinary tools and design thinking methodology.

A key feature of this Winter School is the opportunity to apply these methods in real-world situations with various stakeholders from administration, business, policy, and civil society. Furthermore, you have the time and space to critically analyze and reflect on your own Doctoral or postdoc research project with respect to its societal relevance and application, together with your peers.

Format

The Winter School takes place during two blocks of four days each, with a weekend pause in between.

• The first block is dedicated to lectures, first stakeholder interactions and case studies, with a focus on understanding theory and the working context.
• The second block participants is dedicated to group work, where participants have a chance to implement methods introduced in the first week. The programme will culminate in a "Science meets Practice" event created by the participants for the residents of Wislikofen.

A team of coaches will support you in achieving the learning objectives of the Winter School during the two block weeks. The total time requirement for completing the course is in the range of 120 hours, equivalent to 4 ECTS.

Content

The goal of the TdLab Winter School is to provide Doctoral and Postdoc researchers with hands-on experience. Participants will test and implement transdisciplinary tools and methods for engaging and collaborating with stakeholders on a timely topic for the community of Wislikofen in canton Aargau, Switzerland. These methods will include:

• The external pageTen-Step Approachcall_made for reflecting on research
  
• external pageSoft systems methodologycall_made
  
• external pageToolboxcall_made for philosophical dialogue
  
• Design thinking methodology
• And other collaborative tools for transdisciplinary research

During the first week, these methods will be introduced through group work and exercises. During the second week, participants will be expected to apply these methods in designing a community event for Wislikofen to include stakeholders in the process of framing of problems and the co-production of knowledge.

Who can apply?

Doctoral students and Postdocs from all disciplines are welcome to apply and participate! The Winter School addresses primarily Doctoral students and postdocs in environmental and natural sciences, engineering, and social sciences working on topics relevant for sustainability and sustainable development, with maximum number of participants limited to 25. Doctoral students and postdocs from the ETH Domain, other Swiss universities and also from universities all over the world are encouraged to apply. The course language is in English, however, knowledge of (Swiss) German is useful for stakeholder meetings as these are normally held in the local language. However, some translation to English will be provided during the stakeholder meetings.

Costs

The participation fee is CHF 400 per participant. The fee covers a contribution to costs associated with staying at Propstei Wislikofen, including board and meals and organizational support. The fee does not cover any travel expenses to and from Propstei Wislikofen.

Organization

The Winter School is organized by the D-USYS TdLab.

With the TdLab, ETH Zurich provides the means to strengthen collaborative research between partners of its institutions in the field of environment and sustainability and to foster dialogue with stakeholders outside science including the private sector, the public administration, and the broader public.