ALUMNI E-UPDATE | September 2008

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Editorial

Dear Alumnus,
Warm regards from Delft!
It is my pleasure to send you this second alumni e-news letter. I would like to thank all those who sent e-mails received after the first edition with greetings and suggestions, and to express my happiness at getting many emails with updated personal data.

Remember to send us information you would like to share with others, such as your personal experiences in the field, best practices, interesting events and newsworthy items. Submit it for publication - either in the next issue of the e-newsletter or on the alumni website - by emailing to alumni@...  with ‘e-news’ in the subject line.

Hoping you enjoy the second edition!

Maria Laura Sorrentino, Alumni Officer

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In this issue
. NEW! Alumni website: access to the library Catalogue BIBIS
. HRH Prince Willem Alexander meets UNESCO-IHE         participants        
. Alumnus currently Indonesian minister visits UNESCO-IHE                                
. Water events: Expo Zaragoza / Stockholm Water Week        
. Switch Project, the Movie
. Open source water platform Akvo
. PhD defence on solid waste bioreactor
. Educational opportunities at UNESCO-IHE
. Refresher Seminar Indonesia, July 2008
. Alumni Gatherings
. Netherlands Alumni Association News
. Contact

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Alumni website, new access to the library Catalogue BIBIS

The UNESCO-IHE Library and Information Services offer to alumni from now on the possibility to access the Library Catalogue, BIBIS, from remote locations.

Through http://www.unesco-ihe.org/education/alumni/quick_links/browse_the unesco_ihe_library_database
you will be able to access all the records contained by the catalogue:

- the reference database (contains references of all the publications by UNESCO-IHE Staff)
- the complete MSc. theses collection. Theses from 2004 onwards are available as PDF
- the complete PhD. theses collection. Theses from 2006 onwards are available as PDF
- the complete overview of the book collection

 If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the library staff at: library@...

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HRH Prince Willem Alexander meets participants

On the 16th of June, His Royal Highness Prince Willem Alexander visited UNESCO-IHE for three information exchange and discussion sessions. The topics discussed included sustainable sanitation and the development agenda; urban water management research in the SWITCH project and flooding and coastal protection in the context of climate change. Several participants and staff directly involved with these subjects had the opportunity to meet the Prince and present their work, and informally discuss current water challenges.
> http://www.unesco-ihe.org/about/news/hrh_prince_willem_alexander_visits_unesco_ihe

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Indonesian minister visits UNESCO-IHE

The Minister of Public Works of Indonesia, Mr. Ir. Djoko Kirmanto visited UNESCO-IHE on June the 24. Mr. Kirmanto, himself an alumnus of the Institute, discussed the progress of a capacity building project involving 10 universities in Indonesia, in which UNESCO-IHE plays the role of facilitator. The Minister also met current Indonesian students who told him about the progress of their studies.
> http://www.unesco-ihe.org/about/news/indonesian_minister_visits_unesco_ihe

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Participating in water events

UNESCO-IHE wouldn’t miss participating in the two major water events of this summer: EXPO Zaragoza (from June to September in Spain) and the annual Stockholm Water Week (16-22 August, Sweden). At EXPO Zaragoza, the Institute was present at the UN pavilion. UNESCO-IHE also presented its flagship project SWITCH, a project that promotes sustainable water practices in cities. At the World Water Week in Stockholm, UNESCO-IHE participated in two sessions, one discussing best practices in sanitation and another examining capacity building networks as knowledge sharing platforms for development.
> http://www.unesco-ihe.org/about/news/participating_in_the_water_expo_in_zaragoza
 
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SWITCH PROJECT, the movie

You may have heard a few things about the SWITCH project by now, the biggest research project the Institute currently coordinates. The project is developing scientific, technological and socio-economic solutions that contribute to an effective water management for the City of the Future. Innovations are being tested in ten cities around the globe and a recently-made film has documented the progress in three of those cities.
> http://www.switchurbanwater.eu/
> http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6227854076904348077&q=source:009166983342264459607&hl=en

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Open source water platform Akvo

Akvo is a global foundation that was launched in 2006 to lay a bridge between the water and information technology sectors. Incubated inside UNESCO-IHE’s own campus, in Delft, the Netherlands, with a development team stretching to Sweden and California, it will have launched over 75 pilot projects by the end of 2008.
> http://www.ihe.nl/Education/Alumni/News-and-Events/Open-source-water-platform-Akvo-fully-operational

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PhD defence

Successful PhD Promotion on solid waste bioreactor
On July 3rd, 2008 Mr. Roberto Valencia Vázquez successfully defended his PhD thesis and propositions on "Enhanced stabilisation of municipal solid waste in bioreactor landfills". The main objective of the thesis was to achieve a final storage quality (FSQ) status of waste through laboratory and pilot-scale experiments. The research focused on the interaction and modification of the factors controlling the waste stabilisation process in order to have a better understanding of the physical, chemical and biological processes occurring in a bioreactor landfill. Professor Huub Gijzen was his supervisor, and Henk Lubberding, PhD, his co-supervisor.
> http://www.unesco-ihe.org/about/news/successful_phd_promotion_on_solid_waste_bioreactor

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Educational opportunities at UNESCO-IHE

The new Online & Short Courses 2009 brochure is available.
> http://www.unesco-ihe.org/content/download/997/11754/file/2008-ETG_07_e.pdf

Phd positions
A number of interdisciplinary projects will start in the coming months! The Institute is looking for candidates for Phd positions:
-  Upscaling small-scale land and water system innovations in dryland agro-ecosystems for sustainability and livelihood improvements (SSI-2).
-  Risk-based operational water management for the Incomati River Basin (RISKOMAN).
-  The Ecology of Livelihoods in East African Wetlands - wetland utilization and conservation in the context of local and global change.
> http://www.unesco-ihe.org/education/alumni/news_and_events/phd_positions_available_at_unesco_ihe

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Refresher Seminar Indonesia, July 2008

The Climate Change and Coastal Lowland Development on (Sub)-Tropical Environments Seminar was held last July in Palembang, Indonesia. 35 participants - 20 of them Alumni - from Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Vietnam and Sri Lanka attended the refresher seminar that was organized with the cooperation of the University of Sriwijaya in Palembang and IKANED-  Indonesian Alumni Association- and supported by NUFFIC. The seminar was positively evaluated by the participants who expressed an urgent need for training and capacity building on the subject of lowland development and climate change in their home countries.
All alumni from Indonesia were also invited to an alumni gathering. For the occasion a dinner was organized to socialize with UNESCO-IHE participants and staff members of the seminar.

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Alumni Gatherings

Coming soon! Kampala, Wednesday 26 September 2008. You will have more details next week on the alumni website.
> http://www.unesco-ihe.org/Education/Alumni

Buenos Aires, Argentina. July 2008
Argentinean UNESCO-IHE alumni met in Buenos Aires on 21 July 2008, at the occasion of the visit of Ms. Maria Laura Sorrentino, UNESCO-IHE's alumni officer. The event was organized together with the Alumni Association, ACANEB. Representatives of the Netherlands Embassy in Argentina, as well as members of the Alumni Association were present. Mr. Gabriel Pardi - president of the association - kicked off the evening with a welcome, and Ms Miriam Solis -IHE representative of the board - followed. Mrs. Iris Josch, IHE alumnus and currently National Director of Hydraulic Works (Ministry of Planning and Public Investment) lectured about the development of public hydraulic projects. The experiences throughout her professional years were of great interest to all. Ms. Sorrentino presented UNESCO-IHE in its present role, and explained how the Institute is trying to intensify its interactions with alumni.
UNESCO-IHE Alumni had the opportunity to exchange ideas and talk informally with Institute representatives during a dinner held afterwards in the city centre.
> http://www.ihe.nl/Education/Alumni/News-and-Events/Alumni-gathering-Buenos-Aires-Argentina

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Netherlands Alumni Association News

NANC – China – has appointed two UNESCO-IHE alumni as NANC Board. This will facilitate communication and cooperation between NANC alumni and UNESCO-IHE in the future. The two alumni are Mr. Wang Li, MSc. alumnus, 2004-06, on Water Science and Engineering and Dr. Quiwen Chen, MCs and PhD alumnus, 1998-2004 on Hydroinformatics who also works as guest lecture at UNESCO-IHE.
 
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Maria Laura Sorrentino
Alumni Officer UNESCO-IHE



UNESCO-IHE
PO Box 3015
2601 DA Delft
The Netherlands

T +31 (0)15 215 1715
F +31 (0)15 212 2921
E alumni@...


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