Kathmandu, March 16

KU mechanical engineers and professors are all set to organise the Habitat Innovation Conclave, 2023 tomorrow at Hotel Hyatt Place here in the capital.

According to KU mechanical engineering students, the Habitat Innovation Conclave, 2023 will be highly beneficial for stakeholders from various sectors as it is all about green energy. They also informed that the innovation conclave which is happening in Nepal on such a large scale is the first of its kind. This is also one of the newest platforms wherein youths can solve energy-related problems by selling their ideas on a larger scale.

Former minister of Environment, Science and Technology Ganesh Shah said, 'Sustainable and green city is the current need of society.

Since cities are becoming jungles of concrete and sand, construction of energy-efficient buildings and use of innovative building materials, water management and sanitation can be solutions to the existing problems.' He further said, 'A conclave like this will draw the attention of the stakeholders and youths from all the disciplines and this will certainly shape the face of renewal and energy city.'

'HIC 2023 will provide a platform to graduated students for exchanging and sharing cutting-edge developments and research in energy, science and engineering,' said Prof Bim Prasad Shrestha, Convener of HIC 2023. 'It will facilitate and enhance connections between academia, industry, and stakeholders in the field of energy, science and engineering, and establish a scholarly research culture among graduates for innovative ideas and research explorations,' Shrestha added.

Organised with the aim of rethinking the ways we live through innovative habitats, Habitat Innovation Conclave is a platform for new-age innovators who think about solving the existing problems with a new approach.

The motto of the Conclave is, 'Innovation and Sustainability: The Keys to our Future Habitats.' The Energy Efficient Building Design 2021 Batch and The Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU, have come together to highlight the importance of energy efficiency, innovation, and habitat.

Various stakeholders from all over the world will be sharing ideas on the topic. The major thematic areas of the Conclave include Innovative Building Materials, Building Codes Policies and Standards, Planning Design and Retrofitting with Emerging Technologies, Water and Sanitation, Energy Efficiency in Buildings, Women in Engineering and Habitat. Throughout the Conclave, participants will be engaged in product demonstrations, product simulations, paper presentations and panel discussions.

The panel discussions include various speakers, including Deputy Director Dr Roshan Raj Shrestha of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Deputy Chief of NEEP Narayan Prasad Chaulagain, President of NSET Dr Amod Mani Dixit, Prof Dr Sangeeta Singh of Pulchowk Campus, Programme Manager of UN Habitat Pragya Pradhan, Founder of Abari Nripal Adhikary, Prof Dr Amy R Sapkota of School of Public Health Building, University of Maryland, among others.

A version of this article appears in the print on March 17, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.