Kurita foundation to sponsor graduate students of VNU University of Science

Kurita Water and Environment Foundation has just announced their sponsorship for 11 research topics in Vietnam in 2020. Each is given 400.000 JPY, equals 88 million VND or US$ 3.818. One of the sponsored topics belongs to Đào Thị Hương, a graduate student in VNU University of Science (VNU – HUS).

Kurita foundation to sponsor graduate students of VNU University of Science
Ms. Đào Thị Hường

Ms. Hường is a Chemistry major. Her Kurita foundation sponsored topic is: Adsorptive removal of organic pollutants in water using synthesized alumina nanoparticles with surface modification by polyelectrolytes.

She noted that this was a part of her research for her Master thesis under the guidance of Dr.  Phạm Tiến Đức, Faculty of Chemistry. Two research findings have been published on magazines indexed in ISI (International Scientific Indexing). The research still continues and it is expected that another announcement will be made in a magazine indexed in ISI.

Kurita foundation to sponsor graduate students of VNU University of Science
11 topics approved for sponsorship by Kurita Water and Environment Foundation in 2020

Ms. Hường boasts an impressive academic and research record: 6 articles published in magazines indexed in ISI, 4 articles in Q1, and 2 in Q2 two of which were chiefly written by her.  In 2019, Ms. Hường received a 120 million VND (US$5.227) scholarship for graduate students from  Vingroup, and another from Toshiba.

She revealed that during her time spent studying and conducting experiments with her peers and her teachers, she was enthralled by scientific research and the wonder of Chemistry. Every successful experiment with all problems solved brought her joy.

Kurita foundation to sponsor graduate students of VNU University of Science
Đào Thị Hường (right) and Nguyễn Ngọc Trung (K61 Advanced Chemistry) at Emerging Material Technologies Summit 2018

Ms. Hường conducted a study on “Processing Cefixime by photochemical method with TiO2. nanocatalyst”. She finished it by the time she graduated from the university. She also developed her graduation thesis from her research and successfully defended it. The research findings were published in ISI magazine Q2.

Ms. Hường said: "Treatment of organic compounds causing water pollution by adsorption methods using surface-modified polymeric aluminum oxide nanomaterials is a new and promising technology. This has been a concern of both domestic and international scientists. This topic is very broad, highly applicable, and the research findings can be useful for the treatment of hospital and aquaculture waste”

Kurita Water and Environment Foundation (KWEF) is a non-governmental organization from Japan, specialized in social and environmental activities. KWEF sponsors young researchers in ASEAN countries to do their scientific research on local environmental protection and water resource recovery. Since their establishment in 1997, the foundation has given away 1000 scholarships for 6.600 studies, with a total value of 600 million JPY.

By 2020, Kurita Foundation will be sponsoring young researchers from Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and other Asian countries for 6 years. Each scholarship is worth 400.000 JPY (or 88 million VND, US$ 3.700), and will be given to 30 research projects in 2020.

Candidates for the sponsorship are scientists, students, and graduate students under 40 years old from universities and research institutions. Candidates over 40 years old are still considered for sponsorship if they have just defended their doctoral thesis, or master's thesis in less than 3 years. Criteria for sponsorship awarding are based on the quality of the proposal, content, and the participation of academic institutions from different regions to promote the spread of Kurita Foundation in a nation’s scientific community.

“I learned a lot from conducting this study. Teachers in the Faculty of Chemistry, VNU - HUS, especially Mr. Phạm Tiến Đức, whose guidance is pivotal in helping me make the right decision. I also thank my peer for helping me in the time of difficulty. The Faculty of Chemistry, VNU - HUS is my second home. I hope that I can contribute a small part into scientific achievements of my school, and my country” - Đào Thị Hường, VNU – HUS graduate student.

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