Confirmed Symposia

Microplastics and Their Impact on Ecosystems and Health

Microplastics—plastic particles smaller than 5 mm—have become a pervasive pollutant across the globe, raising significant concerns about their long-term effects on both ecosystems and human health. Despite their small size, microplastics can have far-reaching impacts, infiltrating soil, freshwater, marine environments, the atmosphere, and food chains.
This symposium aims to bring together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to explore the sources, distribution, and consequences of microplastic pollution. With growing evidence of their presence in organisms ranging from plankton to humans, there is an urgent need to understand their ecological consequences, toxicological effects, and socioeconomic implications.
Topics to be covered in the symposium include: (i) Occurrence and distribution of microplastics in terrestrial and aquatic environments; (ii) Detection, identification, and characterization techniques for microplastics; (iii) Transport, accumulation, and degradation of microplastics in natural systems; (iv) Effects of microplastics on biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and food webs; (v) Human exposure pathways and potential health impacts; (vi) Mitigation strategies, public awareness, and behavioral interventions; (vii) Policy frameworks and regulatory measures addressing microplastic pollution
By fostering interdisciplinary dialogue, the symposium will highlight recent research findings and innovative approaches to tackle this growing environmental and health threat. The goal is to contribute to evidence-based solutions and promote collaborative actions at local, regional, and global levels.

Key words: Microplastics, environmental impact, human health, ecosystem disruption, policy and regulation

Co-conveners:
Dr. Basant Giri, Center for Analytical Sciences, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences (KIAS), Nepal
Dr. Bhanu Bhakta Neupane, Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Nepal

Geospatial Technologies for Sustainable Natural Resource Management

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing technologies have become essential tools for addressing environmental challenges related to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem management, climate change adaptation, and sustainable development. Rapid environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, extreme weather events, and increasing pressure on natural resources are threatening ecosystems and livelihoods worldwide, particularly in mountain and other vulnerable regions. In many remote and hard-to-reach landscapes, geospatial technologies provide critical opportunities for environmental monitoring and evidence-based decision-making where field-based approaches are often challenging.
This symposium aims to bring together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, development organizations, and students to explore innovative applications of GIS, Remote Sensing, and spatial environmental sciences for climate resilience and sustainable natural resource management. The symposium will provide a platform for sharing scientific advances, technological innovations, and policy perspectives related to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem monitoring, disaster risk reduction, and sustainable livelihoods.

Topics include:
(i) GIS and Remote Sensing applications for land-use, forest, biodiversity, and ecosystem monitoring;
(ii) Climate change assessment, drought monitoring, disaster risk reduction, and resilience planning using geospatial tools;
(iii) Biodiversity conservation, habitat suitability analysis, species distribution modeling, and ecosystem restoration;
(iv) Forest and natural resource management through spatial analysis and participatory mapping; and
(v) Science–policy dialogue and geospatial decision-support systems for environmental governance and sustainable development.
The symposium seeks to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and highlight innovative geospatial approaches and practical solutions for addressing environmental and climate-related challenges across scales.

Key words: Participatory mapping, spatial ecology, land-use dynamics, science-policy interface, data integration

Co-convener:
Mr. Arjun Lamichhane, Center for Conservation Biology, Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences (KIAS), Nepal

From Data to Decisions: Tackling Air Pollution in Global South

Air pollution stands as one of the most pressing environmental health threats worldwide, driving a surge in respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and causing millions of premature deaths each year. While both urban and rural communities across developed and developing countries are increasingly affected by deteriorating air quality, many lack access to the reliable, localized data needed to guide timely interventions.
This symposium focuses on bridging that gap by advancing affordable air quality monitoring solutions that empower communities to better understand, quantify, and respond to pollution risks. By exploring rapid innovations in low-cost, portable technologies—including optical, chemical, and hybrid sensor systems—this session will highlight how we can now track critical pollutants like particulate matter (PM), black carbon, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide in real-time across diverse, resource-constrained settings.
Bringing together a multidisciplinary cohort of researchers, engineers, public health professionals, and policymakers, the symposium serves as a collaborative platform to explore cutting-edge developments in air quality monitoring, data analytics, and the translation of raw data into health and environmental decision-making.

Key Themes & Focus Areas
• Affordable & Portable Monitoring Solutions: Evaluating the deployment, calibration, and real-world performance of next-generation optical, chemical, and hybrid sensor systems.
• Tracking Critical Pollutants: Real-time spatial and temporal mapping of particulate matter (PM), black carbon, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide.
• Data-Backed Policy Making & Governance: Translating localized environmental datasets into enforceable policy frameworks, strengthening regulatory compliance, and designing robust national or regional clean air action plans based on empirical evidence.
• Community-Driven Monitoring & Equity: Leveraging citizen science to advance environmental justice, ensuring vulnerable urban and rural populations have the tools to advocate for clean air.
• Data Integration & Public Health: Fusing localized sensor data with health analytics to conduct accurate exposure assessments and drive timely policy interventions.
• Cross-Setting Applications: Sharing practical lessons learned from deploying low-cost networks in both high-income and resource-constrained environments.
 
Why Attend?
This symposium offers a vital space to bridge the divide between raw environmental data and actionable policy. Attendees will gain direct insights into scalable, low-cost technologies, innovative data integration frameworks, and the community-led strategies necessary to turn hyper-local air quality monitoring into systemic public health victories. 

Keywords: Air pollution, public health, portable sensor, environmental monitoring, exposure assessment, environmental health, data integration, urban air quality