Posted on July 12, 2017
This is our second story about one of our fantastic citizen scientists (you can read the first one here). Hope you enjoy meeting another important member of the team!
Q: What is your name? A: My name is Suraj Ghimire.
Q: How old are you? A: I’m 11 years old.
Q: Where were you born? A: I was born in Jhor, Kathmandu.
Q: Where do you live in the Kathmandu Valley? A: I live in Jhor, in the Kathmandu District, in the northern part of the Kathmandu Valley.
Q: Can you walk us through a typical day of life? What are the activities you’re doing? A: I go to school at 9:30 am and come back home around 4:00 pm. After school I do my homework, watch TV, and collect precipitation data for S4W-Nepal.
Q: Can you tell us a little bit about your family? A: I have a brother and sister; I am the youngest in my family.
Q: What is (or was) your favorite subject in school? A: English is my favorite subject, and I don’t like science at all.
Interviewer’s Note: While it was sad to hear Suraj say he doesn’t like science, we are glad he can still play an active role in S4W-Nepal. We are confident that he will warm up to science one day!
Q: Can you tell us about a favorite moments of yours? A: My favorite moment is whenever I ride my bicycle.
Q: How did you hear about the S4W-Nepal project? A: The S4W-Nepal team was in the area near our home, looking for willing citizen scientists to participate in the project. I was one of those willing citizen scientists!
Q: What has been your experience as a citizen scientist with S4W so far? A: I have enjoyed learning about something new! I am also receiving encouragement from the people around me as well; they are proud of me for getting a job.
Suraj is playing a critical role in S4W-Nepal as a citizen scientist. Each day, Suraj uses an Android application called Open Data Kit (ODK) to record rainfall collected by an inexpensive locally made rain gauge (each costs about $1.50). Suraj is the youngest citizen scientist participating in S4W-Nepal. He is motivated to participate in the project because of a desire to take care of the water resources he and his family rely on, and because each observation he makes earns him 25 rupees (roughly $0.25).
S4W-Nepal is a collaboration between S4W, Himalayan Bio-Diversity and Climate Change Center (HimBioCliCC), Kathmandu Institute of Applied Sciences (KIAS), Delft University of Technology, the Swedish International Development Agency, and Stockholm University. Water is our most precious resource. Lord Kelvin, a famous Scottish mathematician, once said, “you can’t manage a resource you don’t measure.” S4W-Nepal’s goal is to generate the data necessary to support wise water management decisions. S4W aims to accomplish this with a three pronged approach of Research, Education, and Employment. This project in the Kathmandu Valley is our first project.
