Doctoral training

Context and issues

All three doctoral courses fall under the 'Forest-Wood-Landscape' research area of INRA Nancy-Lorraine and are included within the framework of close partnerships between INRA, Université de Lorraine and AgroParisTech. The courses are structured in multi-year series and contribute to asserting Lorraine's position in the European landscape in the context of research and training focused on forests and wood. They are all offered as doctoral modules of the Doctoral School RP2E (Université de Lorraine) and are strongly supported by LabEx ARBRE (Laboratory of Excellence - Advanced Research on the Biology of Tree and Forest Ecosystems).

The main objective of the SIFER doctoral course is to offer a broad introduction to the use of stable isotopes in forest ecosystem research. Many ecological processes that occur in forest ecosystems produce a distinct isotopic footprint that can be used to trace the origin and the transfer of major elements and to understand the complex interactions occurring among ecosystem compartments. Stable isotope analysis is a powerful tool that uses still rapidly developing technologies. SIFER is directed to students beginning work on their doctoral thesis by providing them with essential knowledge of methods and models related to the use of stable isotopes.

The objective of the IFGI course (International Forestry and Global Issues 2010, 2012 and 2014) is to enable students from various disciplines and countries to understand how their research, however advanced, applies to ongoing debates on current issues associated with climate change, biodiversity and forest management. This course is intended for PhD students and young researchers working in the forest-wood-land scientific field.

Finally, the MIXFOR course, the tenth in the series of NFZ network Summer Universities (Nancy - Freiburg - Zürich - nfz.forestnet), focused on addressing interactions between species in mixed forest ecosystems (MIXFOR). This training was intended to offer doctoral candidates a comprehensive and in-depth view of positive interactions (for example, niche facilitation and differentiation), and negative (competing) interactions necessary for acquiring resources within mixed forest ecosystems and their consequences on the functioning of the ecosystem and on ecosystem services in the context of environmental change.

Results

International courses developed in partnership with AgroParis Tech and Université de Lorraine in the framework of the Resources, Products, Processes and Environment Doctoral School (RP2E)

The SIFER course hosted 19 students from 10 different countries (13 different nationalities). And while SIFER relies largely on local expertise in isotopy, outside experts on "hot topics" were invited to participate in the training. Those who enrolled in the IFGI course were doctoral students and young researchers from 7 different countries, from France to as far away as Australia and Iran. The program involved a total of 15 instructors and lecturers representing several different countries and international institutions, from both academic and professional backgrounds, specifically intergovernmental institutions (EFI, UN-CEE, etc.).  Enrolled in the MIXFOR course were 23 students from 8 different countries (principally European), most of whom were German, Belgian and French. MIXFOR course instructors included 15 scientists from Germany, Switzerland and France.

A rich and varied range of courses

SIFER offered an overview of the major stable isotopes (carbon, nitrogen, water) used in forest ecosystem research, of fractionation processes that affect isotope distribution in ecosystem pools, of their use as tracers using either natural abundance distribution or labeling experiments, and for modeling at temporal and spatial scales. Questions related to instrumentation, technological choices and the quality of measurements were also addressed. Additionally, students worked throughout the week in small groups on practical applications and digital exercises using equipment available in the functional ecology platform.

IFGI courses focused on issues related to forest governance. Compared to coursework commonly offered by the doctoral schools, this training module differed in that it covered social, economic and political issues related to forest research. Indeed, many PhD students focus their research on specialized topics. Results of this research, however, can then be cited in expert reports commissioned by policy makers and therefore can have a direct impact on decision-making.  It is therefore essential that doctoral candidates and young researchers understand the potential significance of their work beyond the scientific domain so that they may place their research in a larger context. The 5-day course included presentations, plenary discussions, group work and round table discussions. As part of the training, J. Marsaud with the national federation France Nature Environment (FNE) was invited to present a lecture entitled "Position and role of an environmental  NGO in the forest Science-Policy interface".

MIXFOR combined a series of conferences, visits to local research sites (the Haye forest and the Hesse forest) with two sessions where the students themselves were given 5 minutes to present the objectives of their own research.

Evaluating the courses / Training for success ?

Each doctoral course ended with the distribution of an evaluation questionnaire. All three events received high marks from both students and invited speakers. In their evaluations of the IFGI course, students described the richness and scope of the week-long program. In addition to learning about new ideas, such as the concept of governance and the fundamentals of forest economics, the students valued the debates and exchange of views throughout the week and benefited individually by improving their personal skill sets (ability to work in groups, communication, networking, etc.). It is worth noting that feedback from the invited speakers was equally positive. Most of these speakers attended one or two days of the training to be able to join in discussions and group work sessions. They found it particularly interesting working with the students on the matrix provided by the course moderators.

Future perspectives / Valorization

The SIFER PhD course will be renewed each year (the next edition beginning in June 2015). A web based forum is also currently in development that will be available on the INRA Nancy-Lorrain center website, www.nancy.inra.fr. Lorraine is recognized as one of the leading European centers for the study of stable isotopes in forest ecosystems and as such, the SIFER course is perfectly placed to align with regional activity.

For future editions of the IFGI, the organizing committee will seek to further distinguish the PhD course on 'International Forestry and Global Issues' from other courses currently offered in the field. Including the model used by the European Forest Institute for its course series of "Winter Summer Schools" is one example (one single location for the whole event). Greater contribution to event organization for the week-long course by the NFZ network is also expected for future editions.

Finally, the next edition of the NFZ Summer School will be launching a new journal club which will focus on the analysis of published scientific articles.