At the 7th IWA-ASPIRE Conference 2017 & Water Malaysia Exhibition 2017, held from September 11 (Monday) to 14 (Thursday) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Mr. Iweh Ndubisi Samuel (a master’s program sophomore) of the Soka University Graduate School of Engineering (an exchange student from Nigeria), earned the “Best Poster Award.”.

　This international conference, sponsored by the International Water Association (IWA), which discusses the water environment in the Asia Pacific Regional Group (ASPIRE), is a venue at which research results by universities and research institutions around the world, as well as successful examples pertaining to water environmental issues in various locations, are presented and shared.
　This year, researchers from Asia, including Malaysia, China, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan, gathered and deepened their discussions under the theme of “Breaking Boundaries - Developing a Better Future for Asia Pacific Regions.”

　At this conference, the “Best Poster Award” is determined based on appraisals on the importance of the research theme, uniqueness of research methods, balance of the entire poster, and questions & answers. The prominent researchers of universities and research institutes attending the conference serve as examiners, and the award is presented to the top three applicants out of 57.
　Award winner Mr. Iweh Ndubisi Samuel shared that he is truly happy and honored to have received the Best Poster Award at this 7th IWA-ASPIRE Conference 2017 & Water Malaysia Exhibition 2017. He also said that this award was a result of Professor Toda’s guidance, along with the advice that he received from the members of the Laboratory of Restoration Ecology. Mr. Ndubisi shared his hopes that many more award winners will be produced from his laboratory and that he will put further effort in his research.