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NZC Visiting Fellow Associate Professor Naresh Singhal Lectures at Peking University
21/04/2019 — Dr. Naresh Singhal, an Associate Professor from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Auckland University visited Peking University from 14 – 20 April. He was hosted by Professor Xilong Wang from the College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University. During his visit, he presented his lecture and met with scholars, apart from other engaging activities organized by his host professor. From the 14th to the 20th of April, Associate Professor Naresh Singhal visited Peking University for the first time as a New Zealand Centre fellow. He is an Associate Professor from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Auckland University. With the help of his host Professor Xilong Wang from the College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, he had a very productive visit at Peking University. On 16 April, he presented his two-part lecture to an audience constituting both undergraduate and Master’s degree students from the College of Urban and Environmental Sciences. The lecture was hosted both by Professor Xilong Wang and Associate Professor Xiaoxia Lu. The first part of Assoc. Professor Singhal’s seminar covered “Oxidative Stress: An unexplored strategy for microbial overproduction of high-activity enzymes to degrade emerging pollutants and transform waste materials.” Assoc. Professor Singhal explained how bacterial oxidative stress can be used to enhance the degradation of highly potent micro-pollutants, as well as transform bio-resistant waste materials.
Assoc. Professor Singhal Lecturing at Peking University The second half of the seminar comprised of “Using Artificially Intelligent Models in the Restoration of Impacted Waterbodies.” Assoc. Professor Singhal compared and contrasted the deterioration of water quality in the Ganges river, India to the Waikato river in New Zealand. He demonstrated the impact of intensified agricultural practices in New Zealand on stocking rates, increased fertiliser and pesticides, and the discharge of nutrients into the Waikato. However, pollution of the Ganges was largely due to the tannery industry and raw sewage. Assoc. Professor Singhal further detailed his models for water improvement by using artificial intelligence approaches.
Assoc. Professor Singhal and Assoc. Professor Xiaoxia Lu As well as providing his lecture, Assoc. Professor Singhal also had the opportunity to have discussions with other faculty members at Peking University. On the 19th of April, with the help of Professor Xilong Wang, Assoc. Professor Singhal was able to meet up with Assoc. Professor Xin Dong at Tsinghua University for potential future collaborations. The New Zealand Centre at Peking University organized meetings to facilitate the visit, and to bridge and support the cooperation between the Assoc. Professor Singhal, the visiting fellow, and Professor Xilong Wang, the host professor and the host department. |
