Ms. Sarmila Tandukar (D2) received Excellent Presentation Award at the Water Environment and Technology Conference 2018 (WET2018)

　Ms. Sarmila Tandukar, second-year student of the International Special Doctoral Course on Integrated River Basin Management (Supervisor: Assoc. Prof. Eiji Haramoto), was awarded “Excellent Presentation Award” at Water and Environment Technology Conference 2018 (WET2018) held at Ehime University, Matsuyama, on July 14-15, 2018. The Excellent Presentation Awards were given for outstanding presentations at WET2018. Among 175 applicants, 24 awardees were selected for the Excellent Presentation Award.

　The title of her presentation was “Factors associated with co-infection of waterborne enteric viruses in diarrheal children.” In this study, fecal specimens from diarrheal patients and drinking water samples at their households were examined for the prevalence of various waterborne pathogens, such as rotaviruses and Giardia, to assess the correlation between the occurrence of diarrhea and drinking contaminated water. This study was conducted as a part of the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development (SATREPS) program entitled “Hydro-microbiological Approach for Water Security in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal.”

　Ms. Tandukar said “I am extremely honored to be receiving this award. An award is not only a great prestige or a mark of excellence, but is also a tremendous boost for someone to achieve even bigger accomplishments in life. It’s not a result of winner’s single effort but is a combination of good group work with excellent guidance. Therefore, I feel myself lucky to have good surroundings with proper guidance and support from my sensei (Assoc. Prof. Eiji Haramoto) in each step. I also promise to perform more good and remarkable work in future.”