Professional development event for Scottish local authority engineers

On Friday 30 September 2022, the Co-Opt project team led by Dr Tim Stojanovic ran a half day professional development event in the Irvine building entitled “Coastal Flood and Erosion Risk Management Under Future Climates”.

This was an attempt to get knowledge ‘out of the ivory tower’ and assist reflections of those responsible for decision-making. The event was well attended both in person and online by 32 delegates including local authority engineers from: Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Angus, Argyll and Bute, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council), Dumfries and Galloway, Dundee City, East Lothian, City of Edinburgh, Fife, North Ayrshire, Orkney Islands, Shetland Islands, the Highland, and West Lothian, as well as national government agencies such as the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA).

The tech and desk arrangements in 208 Lapworth were used to good effect as delegates undertook small group exercises.  The event was mainly funded by Co-Opt, but in response to a successful bid, the School also provided Impact Funds towards this which were very gratefully (thanks to the Director of Impact and Innovation) used to subsidise travel by public transport and refreshments.

On the evaluation forms, delegates commented: “This course provided a really good introductory setting to learn more about sustainable coastal schemes, how we can model climate projections, the economic side, and understanding social interactions” and “we had useful discussions regarding future guidelines and understanding issues other local authorities are facing…with limited funding and competing interests”.