Yogendra Khadka

Yogendra Jung Khadka is a MS student in his second year of Environmental Science. He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science from Kathmandu University in Nepal, his home country. He has volunteered and worked for environmental organizations doing field surveys, leading focus group discussions, writing reports, overseeing questionnaires and surveys, and analyzing data. He worked as a Research Assistant for NARMA Consultancy Pvt. Ltd., an environmental consulting firm, and ECCA-Nepal (Environmental Camps for Conservation Awareness). The projects he worked on with both organizations involved monitoring water pollution, examining human impact on forests and landscapes, and investigating pesticide use and its impact on human and environmental health. He learned about UNI from friends who were studying here. After reviewing the environmental programs at UNI and coming in contact with Dr. Mohammed Iqbal, a hydrogeology specialist, he knew the programs would align with his research interests and decided to come here.

Yogendra collecting samples,
near cows cooling off in the summer heat

Yogendra’s research focuses on hydrology and water resources. His thesis is entitled “Water and Sediment Analysis of Bagmati River along the Kathmandu Valley Basin, Nepal.” It explores the extent of pollution along the Bagmati River to interpret the quality and status of the river. He spent the summer doing the field survey and sample collection for his study. Over the past few decades, the river has been polluted due to population increases and urbanization in Kathmandu, Nepal’s capital. His work is also extending UNI’s international academic and professional contacts with Nepal and environmental organizations like ECCA-Nepal.

Yogendra appreciates the friendly, safe atmosphere in both the University community and Cedar Falls. He has found people to be helpful, hard working, friendly, and sincere. He feels these traits make a society healthy and prosperous. The climate is the most striking difference he notes between Nepal and Iowa. He comes from Kathmandu, with a climate ranging from sub-tropical to temperate, so he finds Iowa’s chilling winds and four months of snow quite an experience. He enjoys cycling on the trails around the Cedar Valley and using the WRC. After graduation, he will focus on issues of environment protection and sustainability, probably working for an environmental consulting company or a research institute.