The 8th UNU & GIST
Joint Programme Symposium
“Environmental Issues of the Mekong River”

(Oct. 11-13, 2010, GIST, Gwangju, Korea)

Call for Abstracts

The 8th annual Joint Programme Symposium, “Environmental Issues of the Mekong River”, will be held October 11-13th, 2010. Hosted at the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology and organized by the International Environmental Research Center, this meeting will be held in Gwangju, Korea. The symposium theme will be the environmental challenges facing the Mekong River region in Southeast Asia. The 2010 Symposium aims at bringing together leading experts and researchers from both developing and developed countries to discuss emerging environmental issues, with a focus on new research trends in science and technology for sustainability.

This symposium will be of special interest to researchers and government officers who are actively involved in research and policy implementation to monitor, and abate, the environmental risk of various hazardous chemicals and pollutants.

A brief description of the various sessions and simplified schedule for the symposium are listed below.

Day 1, Oct. 11

Special Morning session: Welcoming address and opening ceremony.

The afternoon will be spent on an excursion to historic locations and sightseeing in the Korean countryside.

Day 2, Oct. 12

2DM:  Morning Session- The Mekong River: Current Challenges This session is to provide an overview of the environmental problems and issues related to the Mekong River region. This session will also provide insight on the impacts of the Mekong River on nearby urban and rural populations.


2DA:  Afternoon Session- Fate of Chemicals and Contaminants in the Mekong River

This session will detail the status of the Mekong River Region in relation to chemical contamination, water quality, and description of the geochemistry of the region. The influence of these topics on the human populace along the Mekong River will also be discussed.

Poster Session – Afternoon of Oct. 12, time TBA

Day 3, Oct. 13

3DM:  Morning Session- Environmental Biotechnology

This session is dedicated to describing various applications of biochemical technology towards solving environmental issues. Not only will topics cover bioremediation and biological transformation of polluted areas, but also methods to control and monitor pathogens in the environment.

3DA:  Afternoon Session- Ecology and Geochemistry

A general session directed towards topics in geochemistry and environmental science. These technical talks will cover a variety of topics, including in depth discussion of geochemistry, to advances in monitoring and management of hazardous waste in the environment.


Admission Procedures

Oral presenters are required to submit an application form, CV, and extended abstract. Poster presenters are required to submit an application form, CV, and abstract. Guidelines and details on abstract submission can be found on the UNU & GIST Joint Programme on Science and Technology for Sustainability website (http://www.ists.unu.edu). Email submissions are welcomed and encouraged (send to: ierc@gist.ac.kr).


Location of Symposium

Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Gwangju, Korea