Wenchao SUN

China
PInterdisciplinary Graduate School of Medicine and Engineering,
Natural, Biotic and Social Environment Engineering,
International Special Doctoral Course for Integrated River Basin Management

The University of Yamanashi is located in the central area of the Kofu Basin, which is named after the symbol of Japan—Mount Fuji. It is the mother basin for the special doctoral course on integrated river basin management that I enrolled in. This international doctoral course aims at cultivating practical skills and applying the most advanced knowledge and technologies for river basin management, currently being utilized in the Kofu Basin, to solve the problems that developing countries are facing. Nowadays, the frequency of extreme climate events such as floods, hurricanes, and droughts is increasing because of global warming. These practical skills are very important for creating countermeasures against such disasters. As PhD students, we are encouraged to pursue research ideas with originality and practicability. Therefore, there are various activities in this doctoral course. Every semester, several lectures about different aspects of river basin management are available. We are supported to attend international academic conferences and workshops to exchange ideas with researchers from all over the world. We also have a chance to participate in research activities in other universities and institutes. One special thing about our course is that members come from many different countries: Japan, China, Thailand, Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, and so on. Everyone has her/his unique background. Sharing experiences with each other leads us to a better understanding of the variety of people, which is crucial in making correct policies for river basin management (as sometimes it is a transboundary issue). In my opinion, taking this special course will be a memorable and fruitful experience.