Where is your hometown?
My hometown is Kathmandu, Nepal.
What are a few of your favorite hobbies?
Some of my favorite hobbies include reading fiction, poetry and hiking in nature. I also enjoy cooking dishes that remind me of my mom’s kitchen.
Where did you obtain your bachelor’s and/or master’s degrees, what were your major(s)?
I obtained my bachelor’s and master’s degree in Environmental Science at the Tribhuvan University in Nepal. After graduation, I worked as lecturer in Tri-Chandra Multiple Campus and was employed at Nepal Research Institute at environmental laboratory.
Why did you choose Ball State for your graduate studies?
Ball State University’s graduate program, collaborative workspaces, diversity and availability of assistantships were good fit for my personal and professional growth.
What first interested you about your graduate program?
The interdisciplinary environment science graduate program best fitted my passion for solving environmental issues and pursue academic goals. Moreover, the ongoing research project on water resources in the Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest), National Park region, Nepal was great opportunity for me to work in my own community.
What is one lesson you have learned as a graduate student?
One vital lesson I learned as a graduate student is to be resilient and adapt with circumstances with open mindset. The demands of advanced research, coursework, and unforeseen challenges taught me to remain patient, focused and resourceful in face of adversity. It’s important to have work-life balance to boost productivity, maintain physical and mental well-being, for achieving long-term success and fulfillment in both professional or personal areas.
Describe your capstone research project and how you used the funds from the fellowship to help complete the project.
My research project focuses on the water resource and climate assessment in the Sagarmatha National Park region, Nepal. The goals of this projects are (a) to assess the physicochemical parameters of drinking water sources (springs, rivers, local water) (b) to determine the glacier meltwater contribution in drinking water sources, and (c) to evaluate temperature and precipitation change over past 30 years in the region. For this project primary, secondary and published data has been collected from department of meteorology and hydrology, Nepal and through field work respectively. The study analyses 256 water samples dataset collected from spring, surface water, glacial meltwater and rain water during pre-monsoon dry season (year 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023) along the trekking route from Lukla (2845 m) to Mt. Everest Base Camp (5315 m). For hydroclimatic assessment, time series analysis of temperature, precipitation and discharge over 30-year period was done to investigate climate variability in the region. In summary, the research findings show that the water resources in the SNP region are nearly 68 % glacier meltwaters supply during pre-monsoon dry season with deteriorating water quality. The hydroclimate data shows warming temperature trends and decreasing precipitation in the form snow in the SNP region. The repercussion of climate variability in the region suggests meltwater sources to be highly susceptible to dry and warm climate extremes in future. The long-term changes in water quality and quantity will likely impact water resource supply/security for the SNP mountain and downstream communities. The project broadly fulfills the knowledge gap in data scarce high-altitude mountain region and likely contribute to water resource management strategies or policies for the communities. The significance of conducting research in this field have potential to impact diverse geographical areas across globe facing similar water quality and quantity issues exacerbated by climate change.
The Graduate School Capstone Completion Summer Fellowship Program allowed me to focus on my research and writing goals. At this stage, I am working mainly on writing dissertation chapters, analyzing data and manuscript preparation. The fellowship fund particularly helped to support for living expenses. I plan to use some portion of it to register for Fall 2024, AGU conference.
