Martin-Luther University Halle-Wittenberg
Universitätsplatz
06110 Halle/Saale
Germany
The conference will bring together diverse scientific disciplines.
Theme of the international scientific conference
As a consequence of witnessing several extreme natural phenomena in recent years and the constantly increasing degree of vulnerability these disasters represent to our societies, an interdisciplinary debate of their significance for human life and planning is becoming necessary. For that reason the conference intends to introduce different scientific perspectives regarding these phenomena into discourse. Papers from the fields of natural sciences, humanities, cultural studies and theologies are intended to foster discussion on how to create awareness of such hazardous situations. These will have an enduring presence as an individual and shared experience, so that these events can be prevented, or at least their impact minimised or dealt with more successfully, by change of behaviour in general and by prevention of an advance in such singular events.
We cordially invite you to this conference.
Prof. Dr. Hans Moser Prof. Dr. Harald Schwillus
moser@bafg.de harald.schwillus@kaththeol.uni-halle.de
Day 1 - March 21, 2016
| Introduction | |
| 09:30 - 10:00 | Registration (coffee & tea) |
| 10:00 - 10:30 | Welcome and opening of the conference – Prof. Dr. Hans Moser, President of the CHR & Prof. Dr. Harald Schwillus, University Halle |
| 10:30 - 12:00 | Keynote on conference theme from a scientific point of view – Prof. Dr. Günter Blöschl, Technical University Vienna |
| 12:00 - 13:00 | Lunch |
| Session 1 | Disaster and Media |
| 13:00 - 13:45 | The role of media during disaster. Argumentation and formation of aid programs of Germany after 1945 – Prof. Dr. Patrick Merziger, Universität Leipzig |
| 13:45 - 14:30 | (Scientific) Communication on risk- and disaster management of natural hazards: Issues on human perception within organizations and people – Dr. Andreas Schwarz, Technical University Ilmenau |
| 14:30 - 15:00 | Coffee- & Tea break |
| Session 2 | Climate and Discharge |
| 15:00 - 15:45 | Weather chronicler within the context of culture and everyday-life. A journey through the database `Euro-Climhist‘ (Switzerland) 1501-1863 – Prof. Dr. Christian Pfister, University Bern |
| 15:45 - 16:30 | Extreme discharges of the Rhine and Elbe: probability and consequences – Dr. Jaap Kwadijk, Independent Research Institute Deltares, Delft |
| 16:30 – 17:00 | Closing words on day 1 by Prof. Moser/Prof. Schwillus |
| ... walk to the hotel ... | |
| 18:00 | Conference Dinner in the Dorint Hotel |
Day 2 - March 22, 2016
| Session 3 | Religion and Disaster Management |
| 08:30 - 09:00 | Coffee / Tea |
| 09:00 - 09:40 | Worships as a contribution to cope with Natural Hazards – Some thoughts from a Liturgy-scientific perspective – Dipl.-Theol. Brigitte Benz, Universität Erfurt |
| 09:40 - 10:20 | Disasters and the possibilities of human influence in Islam literature from the Middle Ages: an overview – Prof. Dr. Anna Akasoy, Hunter College, New York |
| 10:20 - 11:00 | Where has God been, when he was not there? Disasters, children, aid programs – Prof. Dr. Hans Mendl, University Passau |
| 11:00 - 11:30 | The Lions building (`Löwengebäude’) of the University Halle. Some explanations on the conference location. – Dr. Ralf-Torsten Speler, President of the sponsors and friends of the Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg |
| 11:30 - 12:30 | Lunch |
| Session 4 | Natural Hazards and (Human) Perception |
| 12:30 - 13:15 | Risk perception in case of thunderstorms – Results of representative consultation in Berlin – Dr. Katja Schulze, Freie Universität Berlin |
| 13:15 - 14:00 | Natural hazards: Perception and opinion - Facts and developments – Andreas Hahn, Gesamtverband der Deutschen Versicherungswirtschaft e.V. |
| 14:00 - 14:30 | Coffee- & teabreak |
| Session 5 | Myths and Reality |
| 14:30 - 15:15 | From flood to tsunami. Mythic pictures and explanation of real disasters – a transcultural view – Prof. Dr. Monica Juneja, University Heidelberg |
| 15:15 - 16:00 | Flood as a risk and an experience – Dr. Christian Kuhlicke, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung Leipzig |
| 16:00 - 17:00 | Summary of sessions and closing – Prof. Dr. Hans Moser / Prof. Dr. Harald Schwillus |