HYDERABAD: Hyderabad, one of the country’s most polluted cities, is playing host to the 22nd Annual Conference of The International Environmetrics Society from Jan 3-6. Jointly organised by the CR Rao Advanced Institute of Mathematics, Statistics and Computer Science (AIMSCS) and University of Hyderabad, over 70 foreign and national delegates will grace the occasion and present over 130 papers highlighting problems and solutions related to environmental conservation.
The delegates, mostly mathematicians, statisticians and environmental scientists will also use the occasion to seek co-operation and research assistance from like-minded individuals and organisations.
The topic for this year’s conference is ‘Environmental challenges facing Developing and Developed countries in a globalised world: Quantitative approaches to Comprehensive Solutions’.
“Statistics help predict the probability of occurrence based on patterns of data available. This helps create solutions in a scientific manner through an interdisciplinary approach,” said Dr SB Rao, Director, CR Rao AIMSCS. “It is in this context that data analysis and assimilation of quality data become the need of the hour, especially in a developing country like India.”
Dr Rao highlighted the importance of interplay of elements such as air, water, Earth, fire and atmosphere and spoke of how the conference would revolve on aspects related to these elements to handle environmental problems.
Prof Tata Subbarao, Professor, University of Manchester, was also present on the occasion and stated that both developing and developed countries are faced with similar environmental problem and solutions; but it was proper implementation that made the difference. “Analysing social statistics and implementing them efficiently will help regulate dynamic changes in the environment”, he said.
“With Hyderabad being only the second Asian city ever (the first was in China four years ago) to host this conference, it gives an opportunities for local and young scientists to interact with their experienced foreign counterparts and put global solutions to local use.”
Like the case of Narjes Kolahchi of the Department of Biology, National Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran who is here to present her findings on the genus Rhodococcus which has been found to be suitable for bio-remediation of polluted sites thanks to its ability to degrade toxic xenobiotics including phenol.
She is hopeful her findings will prove to be of use to remedy environmental pollution in developing countries such as India.
Prof Subbarao also mentioned that the subjects discussed and solutions offered at the conference would be published in the Journal of Environmental Statistics of University of California, as well as offered to various governmental bodies in India and abroad to further the cause of environment protection.