세계 물 오염과 공급 문제를 다루기 위한 노력의 일환으로 사막 연구소(DRI)와 네바다 주 최고기관이 중국의 Hohai대학교, 국가 최고 물연구대학교와 파트너를 맺었다. 새 협력을 통해 물 자원 관리와 교육, 그리고 물 오염 감시와 완화에 대해 교수진과 학생들의 의견교류를 가능하게 만들 국제 협력 연구소를 개발할 계획이다.

새 연구소는 중국의 가장 오염된 분수령 중 몇 군데를 복구하고 유지하기 위한 목적으로 혁신적인 과학 연구에 초점을 둘 예정이다.

 

 

New joint laboratory to address global water pollution, management issues
    
In an effort to address global water pollution and supply issues, the Desert Research Institute (DRI) and the Nevada Center of Excellence have partnered with China's Hohai University, the country's foremost water research university. The new collaboration will develop a joint-international laboratory that will facilitate faculty and student exchanges; water resources management and training; and water pollution monitoring and mitigation.

 

The new laboratory will focus on innovative scientific research to rehabilitate and sustain some of China's most polluted watersheds. Hohai University, established in 1915, has more than 30,000 degree-seeking students and 3,000 staff members. With campuses in Nanjing, Jiangning and Changzhou, it serves as one of China's leading academic research institutions.

 

In August, DRI President Dr. Steve Wells and Hohai University President Xu Hui signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlining the objectives of the expanded partnership in the city of Nanjing, China. The DRI delegation to China, headed by Wells, included DRI research professor and the new lab's co-director Kumud Acharya, Ph.D. and Kenneth Ladd, vice chairman of the Nevada Center of Excellence.

 

The partnership's main objectives include identifying shared top-level hydrology and water resource research foci of scientific and strategic importance; the application of joint research funding within China and the U.S.; and the development of a world-class research team from Hohai University and the Desert Research Institute.

 

In support of developing a talent exchange between China and the U.S., the partnership includes the annual exchange of three to six academic personnel and the implementation of shared laboratories to facilitate research. It also includes the joint organization of workshops, symposia, international conferences, and publications.

 

"Our initial work will expand the algae bloom research we have done on Lake Taihu, China's largest freshwater lake, and the Yangtze River Delta," said Acharya, "This heavily-polluted region of Eastern China serves as the ideal test-bed for implementation of innovative technologies and water management practices that can then be applied across the globe.”

 

For more than two decades, Lake Taihu has been stricken with toxic blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) blooms that have jeopardized the drinking water supply of more than 20 million people. The once stable watershed is now home to over 40 million people and serves as the literal "canary in the coal mine" related to China's dramatic economic and population growth, Acharya explained.

 

Through the engagement of a shared laboratory at DRI and Hohai, the research scientists will broaden the impact of their work throughout Southeast Asia and the U.S., using the joint laboratory to research water management practices for watersheds affected by dramatic population growth and urban development.

 

“We believe that this collaboration will allow us to build a team of world-class researchers from both institutes to solve urgent problems on water pollution and management -- not only in China but all over the world,” said Hohai University President Xu Hui.

 

[출처 = Water World / 2014년 9월 24일]