Research Seminar Series
Title:
Understanding Hazard Monitoring and Preparedness in Nepal: Research on Earthquake Early Warning Systems and Air Pollution Sensor Networks
Paper 1: User Perceptions and Acceptance of Earthquake Early Warning Systems in Nepal
Speaker:
Shana Scogin, PhD
Postdoctoral Fellow, Perry World House, University of Pennsylvania, USA
Abstract:
What drives user perceptions and acceptance of earthquake early warning systems (EEWS) as an emerging technology in Nepal? This presentation summarizes the findings from a recent collaborative project that deployed an online survey (n = 567) to test if and how 1.) information on how EEWS work and 2.) information about the system’s limitations can drive outcomes related to technology acceptance in Nepal.
About the Speaker:
Shana Scogin is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania with a PhD in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame. Her research involves themes of governance, environmental politics, disasters, and public goods, with a particular focus in South Asia. She has published work on gender and post-earthquake rebuilding in Nepal as well as on democracy and climate change.
Paper 2: Toward a Community-Led, High-Fidelity, Open-Data, Low-CostAir Quality Monitoring Network in Nepal
Speaker:
Trailokaya Raj Bajgain
PhD Student, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Duke University, USA
Abstract:
Following the global proliferation of low-cost PM2.5 monitors, a handful of low-cost sensor networks have been deployed or are now emerging in Nepal. However, most are project-specific, with data that are difficult to access or not openly available, and they lack transparent calibration, QA/QC, and harmonization processes, limiting their reliability and ability to produce decision-grade, high-fidelity data. Network design can be as important as deployment itself, yet sensors are often installed on a “find a spot where we can” basis, without systematic consideration of siting, representativeness of the target area, and other key constraints. This talk synthesizes insights and lessons learned from a previous nationwide network in Nepal (70 sensors, including 32 in the Kathmandu Valley) and from related network projects spanning more than a dozen countries to characterize these design challenges and the benefits of a more rigorous network design phase, and then highlights how geospatial, meteorological, and satellite evidence can further strengthen siting and network configuration decisions. It concludes by outlining how these lessons can inform a future, community-led, open-data air quality network for Nepal and by briefly introducing work planned over the next two years to design and launch such network that is structured for sustainable expansion, local capacity building, and supported by statistics-informed tools capable of diagnosing and correcting biases and data gaps as sensors drift or require reconfiguration.
About the Speaker:
Trailokaya Raj Bajgain is a PhD student in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Duke University, where his research focuses on air pollution monitoring, low-cost PM2.5 sensor networks, and applied AI for air pollution. Educated in Nepal, China, and the United States, he has worked with air pollution research teams in ten countries across South and Central Asia. In May 2025, he delivered an official statement at the 10th United Nations Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology, and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals (STI Forum) at United Nations Headquarters in New York.
Date, Time and Venue:
14 December 2025/२८ मंसिर २०८२ (आइतबार, दिउँसो ३ बजे)
Martin Chautari Seminar Hall, Thapathali, Kathmandu
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