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Interim Library Open

Mzuzu University recently opened an interim library. We are now working to ship several palettes of books to Malawi that we have collected via the Mzuni Library Initiative.

The Mzuni Library Initiative

In May 2016, Mzuzu University opened an interim library.  The former students’ dining hall has been remodeled into a small, but functional, university library. Some book donations have already been received from individuals and organizations in Malawi, the UK, and other countries, and more will soon be sent from the US. However, many of the specific titles needed for student’ course work are missing. Click HERE for more information about how you can help.

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Novnit Kashyap (IITK-VT Scholar)

I’d like to thank Ricky Cox and Theresa Burriss for hosting this visit to Radford University’s Selu Conservancy. This was an excellent way for Novnit Kashyap and Charles Chirwa (two visiting scholars from India and Malawi, respectively) to learn about Virginia’s culture and history.

IITK-VT Partnership on Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure

Novnit Kashyap, a student in the Department of Civil Engineering at IIT Kanpur, has arrived at Virginia Tech as a visiting research scholar. He will be working under the guidance of Dr. Ralph Hall in the School of Public and International Affairs for a period of two months (May and June, 2016).

Novnit will work on creating proposals for short term professional development courses to be offered at Virginia Tech’s India ICTAS Innovation Center. Accordingly, he will carry out research to study the nature of professional development courses that are needed in India and engage with prospective faculty at Virginia Tech.

In India, his research focuses on the sustainability parameters for urban water resource infrastructure in the context of smart cities.

The images below were taken during a recent visit to Radford University’s Selu Conservancy, where Novit and visiting scholar Charles Chirwa (from Mzuzu University, Malawi) were able…

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Congratulations Nneoma Nwankwo!

Congratulations Nneoma for being named Virginia Tech’s Undergraduate Student of the Year! The pictures below were taken this evening during Virginia Tech’s Student Recognition Banquet at the VT Inn. Nneoma began the day by giving a presentation at the ACC Meeting of the Minds Conference in Syracuse, NY. Fortunately, the snow stopped this afternoon and she was able to return to Virginia in time for the ceremony. She had quite the day!

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Help Mzuni via “Amazon Smile”

Please consider helping the Mzuni Library Initiative via Amazon Smile.

The Mzuni Library Initiative

If you already shop on Amazon and would like to support the Mzuni Library Initiative, we invite you to shop at smile.amazon.com and choose the Malawi Education and Children’s Welfare Foundation as your charity of choice.

How it Works

1. Visit smile.amazon.com.

2. Sign in and Choose Your Charity. We have registered the “Malawi Education and Children’s Welfare Foundation” with Amazon so please search for us.  We recommend you enter “Malawi” in the search box and scroll down until you see the name of the foundation. Once you have selected the foundation, you should receive an email confirmation from Amazon.

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4. Begin shopping. After selecting the foundation, everything else functions the same. For each product you purchase via Amazon Smile, Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchase to the Malawi Education and Children’s Welfare Foundation.

5. Share with your friends. After you’ve successfully completed a purchase on Amazon Smile

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Launching the Mzuni Library Initiative

Please consider supporting the Mzuni Library Initiative.

The Mzuni Library Initiative

In the early morning hours of Friday, December 18, 2015, the Mzuzu University library in Northern Malawi was completely destroyed by fire. The Mzuni library contained the textbooks and other study materials used by students. It was the main place on campus for students to study, read, and use computers. It housed the University’s network servers. All of these resources were destroyed by the fire. The University is moving forward to establish an interim library for the current semester, to plan for a permanent replacement, and to seek funding for these tasks.  It needs our help.

IMG-20151218-WA0002You can help rebuild this vital resource.  Virginia Tech and the Malawi Education and Children’s Welfare Foundation are collaborating to help Mzuni rebuild its library.

What books are needed?  Books urgently needed for students to use for their coursework are listed here. The University is seeking immediately to replace more than…

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U.S. Experts to Participate in the IITK-VT Workshop in Kanpur, India

IITK-VT Partnership on Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure

The following leading experts from the U.S. will be taking part in the IITK-VT workshop on “Water Infrastructure Management for Performance, Resiliency, and Sustainability” on December 17-18, 2015, at IITK:

  • Mr. David Hughes, P.E.  Manager, Water Research, Innovation and Environmental Stewardship at American Water, New Jersey. Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest investor-owned U.S. water and wastewater utility company. American Water operates as regulated Utilities in 16 U.S. States and serves an estimated 15 million people.
  • Mr. Rajendra Bhattarai, P.E., Division Manager, Environmental and Regulatory Services Division at Austin Water Utility, Texas. For over 100 years, Austin Water has been committed to providing safe, reliable, high-quality and affordable water services to their customers. Austin Water consistently ranks among the best in the country when it comes to water quality.
  • Mr. Walter Graf, Program Director – Infrastructure Management. The Water Environment Research Foundation, formed in 1989, is America’s leading independent scientific research organization dedicated to…

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