The future may seem daunting and uncertain for most of us, but for young scientists at New Mexico State University, it means an open door to endless possibilities.
“Advancing Science for the Greater Good” is the theme for the 13th annual Nepalese Student Association (NeSA) International Conference. The conference will be held virtually from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 9 at https://nesa.nmsu.edu/conferences/.
“Unlike previous years, this conference is expected to be more pragmatic and engaging,” said Sharad Mahataran, NeSA conference coordinator and academic director. “We have made our theme broader and more inclusive for divergent researchers from varying fields.”
NeSA began the annual conference in 2009 to share and support educational, technological, scientific, health and socio-cultural activities with scholars, researchers and students.
NMSU Interim Provost Dorothy Campbell will give opening remarks at the event along with Luis Cifuentes, NMSU vice president for research and Deepak Subedi, NeSA advisor and assistant professor in the science program at Dona Ana Community College. The conference keynote speaker is Shabnam Koirala-Azad, the first female dean for the School of Education at the University of San Francisco.
The subject matter of the presentations is a reflection of the diversity in topics. For example, exploring ecofriendly management of insect pests in cauliflower, carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas balance as well as research on how social media can be used for good, are among the subjects on the conference agenda.
Previews and abstracts of the presentations are available on the conference website. Moderators will facilitate the sessions and encourage discussion.
“We encourage participants from all fields to participate in the conference,” said Ram Acharya, advisor to NeSA and associate professor for the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business. “We encourage them to share their work and experience in the science or any other field and contribute to society through their research.”
Panel discussions will include professors and professionals in various disciplines.
Guest speakers include: Elina Adhikari, breeding analytics lead at RiceTec Inc; Basant Giri, senior scientist at Kathmandu Institute of Applied Science; Sangeet Lamichhaney, assistant professor at Kent State University; Rishi Sapkota, senior chemist at Adhesis Inc.; Tara Sigdel, associate professor at the University of California San Francisco; Anna Stirr, associate professor at University of Hawaii at Manoa; and several more, followed by keynote speaker Koirala-Azad.
“They are very excited about the conference and are expecting a great participation from presenters and audiences,” said Krishna Acharya, president of NeSA “it is going to be an informative and interesting session to share and know about different ideas and work in different scientific fields.”
The conference will close with an awards ceremony, which will include an award for the “Best Presentation” and the winner of an online raffle. Closing remarks will be made by NeSA advisors Ram Acharya and Madhav Regmi, assistant professor in the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agricultural Business.
Registration is free. Email nesa@nmsu.edu for more information. Review the conference schedule at the NeSA website.
-30-