Staff Reporter :
A six-member delegation led by Pro-Vice Chancellor (Academic) of Dhaka University (DU) Professor Dr. Abdus Salam participated in the ‘JSPS Core-to-Core Symposium on One Health Approaches to Chemical Risk Management’, held from October 6 to 8 at Ehime University in Japan.
The delegation comprised Dean of DU Faculty of Earth and Environmental Sciences Prof Dr. Md. Humayun Kabir, Chairman of the Department of Fisheries Prof Mohammad Mamun Chowdhury, Prof Dr. Anwar Hossain and Dr. Md. Habibullah-Al-Mamun from the same department, and Associate Prof of the Department of Oceanography and Director of the International Centre for Ocean Governance (ICOG) Dr. K M Azam Chowdhury.
With support from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the Center for Marine Environmental Studies (CMES) at Ehime University and co-organised by Leading Academia in Marine and Environment Pollution Research (LaMer) organised the event.
The symposium brought together researchers from Bangladesh, Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Mozambique, and other nations.
The event focused on sustainable development research directions for South and Southeast Asia, specifically mitigating the impact of chemicals used in medicine, agriculture, aquaculture, and animal husbandry on ecosystems while safeguarding public health.
During the academic sessions, Prof Dr. Abdus Salam presented on air quality status in Bangladesh, its sources, and health impacts. Prof Dr. Md. Humayun Kabir presented a poster on fire hazard risks from chemical warehouses in Dhaka South City Corporation(DSCC) while Prof Mohammad Mamun Chowdhury
showcased research on the effects of dietary selenium and zinc nanoparticles on Pangasius growth.
Prof Dr. Anwar Hossain delivered a talk on antibiotic contamination and antimicrobial resistance in Bangladesh’s water environments, and Dr. K M Azam Chowdhury presented a poster on seasonal dissolved oxygen dynamics in the northern Bay of Bengal.
On October 8, a bilateral meeting took place between ICOG and CMES, led by Prof Dr. Abdus Salam. CMES was represented by its Director Prof Dr. Akihiko Morimoto and Prof Dr. Xinyu Guo while Dr. K M Azam Chowdhury presented ICOG’s research initiatives.
During the meeting, the DU Pro-VC stressed strengthening ocean research, modeling, and forecasting through collaboration with CMES to support Bangladesh’s blue economy and marine development.
Both sides exchanged crests, discussed future academic exchanges and joint research, and agreed to proceed with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Dhaka University and Ehime University, expected to be signed soon under the supervision of DU Vice-Chancellor (VC) Prof Dr. ABM Obaidul Islam.
