SASE National Conference (NC) and STEM Career Fair 2017: Empowering You

                        The SASE NC is the largest national conference and career fair for Asian Americans in the United States. The conference includes –

• a STEM career fair of 80+ companies recruiting for full-time and internship candidates
• professional and leadership development workshops
• networking opportunities with professional scientists and engineers
• a gala dinner featuring keynote and awards
• community service to give back to a local community 
• SASEtank (Business Pitch) and SASEhack (our hackathon).

                   The conference is a fun filled with amazing opportunities to meet new people and make long-lasting friendship. The conference not only increases personal network but professional too. You will have a chance to be at the workshop from leadership development, resume review, interview skills to innovation in latest technology.

                     This conference is second NC for me. SASE University of Dayton chapter participated every year to NC. I was glad to be one of the participant in the team for this endeavor. I was equally excited to be on SASEbowl team as SASE Titans.  SASEbowl is a friendly competition among collegiate members for a night packed with high-intensity games and challenges including:

Minute to win it: teams will have 60 seconds to complete each mini task. This will include great teamwork and communication.

Jeopardy: teams will compete with one another in a battle of trivia.

Build it activity: teams will have to use teamwork to accomplish a building task   

               The team was divided into small groups. While other members were participating in a minute to win it and Jeopardy. I including other 2 members were assigned to build a catapult. We were able to design and built a catapult using ITW hand tools. As a mechie, it was a really great experience for me to complete the task. We had to put the catapult to test by throwing balls with the help of catapult on glass tower and we were able to do remove the most glass from the tower.  We were able to do it maximum. SASE titans were the winner of the overall competition and were awarded with certificate and padfolios.

Happy Us.

I attended couple of workshops –

The future of Advanced Manufacturing by ITW

Data Analytics by Boeing

Panel – Prototyping: from Idea to Product by Ingersoll Rand

Panel – Speak Up, Stand Out, Be Heard

Career Fair

           There were numerous companies looking for perspective hiring for an internship, co-op and full time. I gave my elevator pitch to every potential company like BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON, BOEING, DEPS, US DE, US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEER, US POSTAL SERVICES, UNITED TECHNOLOGIES, and few more.

SASE University of Dayton chapter member

About SASE The Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE) was founded in November 2007 and has since founded 90 collegiate chapters, as well as, 6 professional chapters. In addition to promoting the professional development of future scientists and engineers, SASE encourages members to celebrate their Asian heritage, advocate for diversity on campus and in the workplace, as well as, provide opportunities to give back to the community. SASE is open to men and women of all majors and ethnic backgrounds. For more information, visit www.saseconnect.org.

 

Youth in Solid Waste Management : One day Empowerment Training

                           April 2 2016, Youths are slowing not only evolving as leaders of tomorrow but in various participatory level representing others like them or raising voice for self. The youths have greatest population in Nepal as compared to other children and old people. So there involvement is necessary in each and every level. Solid waste is no new topic in Nepal while millions of rupees are expended from central level to regular fee submitted to local waste mangers still problem of mismanagement continues. There is hierarchal problem from local to highest level authorities.

                           The Nepal Science Olympiad in association with SWMTSC & MoFALD and other organization conduct first kind of one day empowerment seminar on solid waste management targeting youth. As youth can change self the way they view life, and bring changes on perception on people’s life. They will not only change self behavior but will also act to bring changes in their house to society. The experts provided wonderful sessions with great interaction among audience. The major highlight of seminar are:

 Ice Breaker Documentary – Smoke

                                   The documentary entails growing concerns generated by increment of smoke. The negative impacts brought up by smoking cigarettes, burning hays, wastes of home, smoke from industry and factories and other source on human healths. The Maha Jodi were at best providing fun as well as wonderful message which was quite engaging to audience.

Introduction to Solid waste and its management

                                   The session explained about what is solid waste. What are the sources of air pollution? (waste burning, cooking, vehicles, brick klin). Types of pollutants: Gaseous and Particulate. Three types of participatory as such Interested on research of waste, Interested on Entrepreneurship development via waste, Interested on fulfilling responsibility in waste management. The various process of segregation of waste as biodegradable and non-biodegradable were discussed. Accordingly various ways for their management and changing into usable solution were provided. The importance of 3R was emphasized.

Solid Waste Management and Works done by SWMTSC & MoFALD

                        The sessions highlighted about less generation of waste. The works done by various municipalities for waste management was discussed. The various initiative taken by SWMTSC & MoFALD to combat waste and waste management was shared among audience. The use of various bins for composting, separation of waste for their end value generation kept all engaging in event.

Zero Waste Concept

                        The session talked about new approach of waste handling and resource management. The waste handling ways like dumping, centralized mixed waste composting, burning, landfilling was criticized for their inefficient waste handling ways.The 3E (Efficiency, Economy & Ethics) and 5R (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Repair & Reject) were discussed in details. The initiative about clean Himalayas from Ladkha to Bhutan was provided.

Vermi – Composting

                         The session provided details about vermi composting. The use of various types of earthworm for composting was provided. The various process about vermi composting was provided along with in hand learning. The session was very fruitful as it provided impromptu ways for vermi composting.

My Learning

        I learned waste is not waste until it is wasted. There are very genius ways of generation of values of waste. Waste management can be encouraged as business. Not only government institutions but also private organization be part of waste management. Simple logic and creativity can bring alot of change waste management in home. The change has to start and it must be from self. I pledge for my active participation for waste management in home as well as my community.

                        Thank you Nepal Science Olympiad and SWMTSC & MoFALD for providing such wonderful opportunity to be in the event and learn a lot of things about solid waste and solid waste management.

Location: Pragya Bhawan, Kamaladi, Kathmandu

For more information visit: Nepal Science Olympiad 

Yarcha Gumba : A conflict within itself

     Yarcha Gumba

                        Yarcha Gumba which is half insect and half plant found on meadows above 3500m is a rare medicinal herb that grows in Nepal. The collection of herb was legalized in 2058 B.S (2001 A.D) Generally season for collection of herbs begin around may after melting of snow which usually last for two months.

Use

     Believe to be Chinese ancestor medicine discovered around 15^th century. Similar to discovery of coffee, once eaten by goat and getting stimulated, yak grazed on meadows got stronger and people came to know about existence of herbs.

Collection

• Located on ‘Patan or Lak'(local language for hills and meadows)
• Locally called Kira, Jeevan buti, Cheyou
• Found on high altitude, tough job to extract with high vision power to detect
• Uncertain trail and lack of proper path
• No time to set up camp as collection starts from early morning to late morning
• Uncertain weather like snowfall, landslide, heavy downpour
• Risk of damages on herbs as it leads to significant decrement on price

   Collection of Yarcha at Lek

Collector

• Every employee and student around region join the expedition
• Different age group people children, adult, old folks
• Many small, medium and large business man along with middle man come for buying and transporting herbs
• Not only collector, businessman but entertainer, facilitator, small shop install, portable shop operate with full swing

Adversity during collection

            Risk                                                                           Crime

• Lek (Altitude Sickness)                               – Attacks Among Self
• Coldness                                                           – Loots
• Falling off from cliff                                      – Cartel
• Avalanche                                                         – Misuse
• Landslides

Market : Main market is China

Social Issues

• Sustainability : The collection is random and mis-managed so in long-term more exploitation will lead to extinction of herb.
• Solid waste Management: The collectors used fast food for daily food and throw plastic bags around meadows. The human waste and temporary living can cause significant accumulation of solid waste in region.
• Leaving Cultivation : People have given up their traditional cultivation and entirely relying on herb collection for income generation. Dependency of people on collection has increased while it is bringing end to traditional locally available jobs.
• Maintenance of Life cycle of herbs: There is no any proper records or survey regarding status and conservation of herbs. How can we protect it from over encroachment by people and how its life cycle be promoted.

Positive Impacts

• Employment: Collection, transportation and selling has been seasonal jobs for local people during seasons but they are giving up their jobs and entirely relying on collection for whole year budget management.
• Increase in Life Standard: The cash flow has significantly improved living standard of people but raised alarm about sustainability of life. There is major challenge life is only better till there is herb in meadows.

• Development of Local Area: Obviously local area has been developed. Better access to road, health, education e.t.c can be seen.

Negative Impacts

• Self Grading: There is no proper regulatory body for grading of herbs. Self grading is helping middle man so local people are not actually not getting pay how much they actually have to get.
• Collectors not actual receiver of benefits: The local people get significantly less money than other businessman involve in this sectors.
• Environmental impacts no study: There is no proper environmental survey regarding growth ,impact, availability and life cycle of herbs.
• No Accountability: There is no documentation regarding collection, distribution and use of herbs.

Suggestions:

• Shifting Collection: The areas should be separated every year so we can give chance to grow herbs in particular areas. This will help to preserve environmental aspects that herbs play for ecological diversity.
• Artificial Culture: Conducting scientific research so we can artificially culture herbs for commercial use.
• Confirmation of Use: Use of yarcha gumba is still vague so proper study should be done so we can take it as commercial herbs.

• Limitation of collection: We should restrict and make possibility of only collection on limited amount.

  Image source : HimaliSanchar