Science on the move in the UNESCO Biosphere Park Nockberge

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Looking for a topic for your thesis? In the SCiENCE_LINKnockberge project, bachelor and master theses are supervised.

In the project SCiENCE_LINKnockberge final theses are scientifically supervised

Looking for a topic for your bachelor or master thesis? As a cooperation partner of SCiENCE_LINKnockberge we supervise practical Bachelor and Master theses. Proposals for topics are welcome from all fields of study: technical, economic, ecological and social innovations in the biosphere park are the focus.

All UN member states have committed themselves in the Agenda 2030 to work towards achieving the 17 UN sustainability goals. A change and awareness raising for environment and sustainability is currently taking place at Carinthia University of Applied Sciences. We are the first university of applied sciences in Austria to be awarded a chair by UNESCO with a focus on the "Sustainable Management of Conservation Areas". With this we want to do justice to the education and research in the fields of environment and sustainability. As a cooperation partner of SCiENCE_LINKnockberge we supervise practical Bachelor and Master theses.

Development of inspiring and exciting research questions around the Nockberge Biosphere Park
The SCiENCE_LINKnockberge project is an institutionalized cooperation between the Nockberge Biosphere Reserve, the Carinthia University of Applied Sciences and the Alpen-Adria-University of Klagenfurt. Especially today, the topics environment and sustainability are becoming more and more relevant. Practice-oriented bachelor and master theses with innovative questions in technology, economy and health not only serve the protection and care of certain ecosystems, but also ecological research and environmentally sound use. They promote the dissemination of scientific knowledge and contribute significantly to education in the field of sustainable development.

Students and teachers ...

  •  build a bridge between international research and the reality of life in the biosphere park
  •  accompany technical, economic, ecological and social innovations in the region on a scientific basis
  •  support the management of the biosphere park in accessing international developments, in technical aspects as well as in scientific public relations
  •  promote the identification of a broad public with the Carinthian Biosphere Park
  •  extend and maintain the online literature database "Nockothek

Which topics and questions can be dealt with, for example?

Civil Engineering & Architecture:
There are certain architectural styles in the Biosphere Park.
-> HOW could these fit into a more modern world?
-> Is there a possibility to preserve these characteristic style elements into the 21st century and beyond?

Engineering & IT:
Due to the shortened vegetation period, the duration of the snow cover in the high altitudes is a decisive factor in determining the vegetation. Depending on micro-relief, wind carrying capacity, altitude and exposure, characteristic patterns of snow loss develop.
-> HOW can these patterns be systematically recorded and documented?
-> HOW much can the snow cover and its duration vary in a given area?
-> HOW do snow cover and plant communities correlate?
-> WHICH remote sensing methods should be considered useful to analyze these operations?
-> CAN meaningful models be created to visualize these patterns and possibly make predictions possible?  

Health Sciences and Social Work:
With the Nockalm Road, the Nockberge Biosphere Park has a tourist "backbone" that also offers disabled people the opportunity to experience nature.
-> HOW good are the currently existing visitor offers in terms of accessibility?
-> WHAT economic potentials do barrier-free tourism offers offer?
-> CAN the biosphere park become "barrier-free", what are the costs and benefits involved?  

School of Management:
The Nockberge National Park was a (non-protected) brand name that was built up over twenty years and is used extensively today: signage, hiking maps, tourist offers and advertising, etc. The conversion to the new designation Biosphere Park requires a number of investments at the operational, regional and national level.
-> WHAT steps are necessary for a successful re-branding?
-> HOW long can the process take and what costs can be expected?
-> WHAT structures can support these investments?
Further relevant research questions are developed together with stakeholders from the region and are available to students in an online database, a so-called research exchange: www.biosphaerenparknockberge.at/forschung-bildung/science-linknockberge/
On the UNESCO Chair "Management of Conservation Areas

Contact for scientific work in the SCiENCE_LINKnockberge project
CUAS
Alexander Thamer
sciencelink[at]fh-kaernten[dot]at
https://www.facebook.com/sciencelinknockberge