Lecture Title 1: “Basics of air pollution, current challenges and opportunities”
Abstract
Air pollution is a serious social and environmental problem around the world. Urban air pollution is one of the major issues in India. Air quality in
the urban area is deteriorating due to complex interactions between source emissions, poor dispersion conditions, and increased urban warming. In cities, wide variety of sources contribute to air pollutants. Among these, the single major source of air pollutants in cities is vehicular exhaust
emissions. The poor air quality in urban areas impacts the health of the people. During peak traffic hours and poor meteorological conditions,
increase in ambient pollutant concentrations results into episodic conditions at urban areas. This presentation will first introduce the basics of air
pollution, air quality characteristics in urban areas followed by key components of urban air quality management plan.
Lecture Title 2: “Introduction to receptor modeling”
Abstract
Receptor modeling is a critical tool in air quality management, enabling the identification and quantification of pollution sources using ambient air
quality data. This talk will provide an introductory overview of receptor modeling techniques, offering participants a foundational understanding
of their principles and applications. The session will cover key concepts such as source apportionment, the use of chemical composition data, and
the mathematical frameworks that underpin receptor models. Popular approaches, including Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) and Chemical
Mass Balance (CMB), will be introduced, along with case studies of their implementation. By the end of the talk, participants will gain insights
into how receptor modeling can inform targeted air quality interventions and policy decisions, laying the groundwork for further exploration and
application in this essential field.
About the Speaker
Dr. Shiva Nagendra SM is presently working as Professor in Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), Chennai, India. He is Chairman GATE, JAM 2025, IIT Madras. He has more than 24 years’ experience in research, teaching, consultancy and community development. He has published more than 100 research publications in international and national refereed journals, two reference book, more than 100 papers in conferences and three patents. He is author of books titled ‘Urban Air Quality Monitoring, Modelling and Human
Exposure Assessment’ (ISBN:978-981-15-5511-4) and ‘Artificial Neural Networks in Vehicular Pollution Modelling’ (SCI-41, ISBN-10: 3-540-37417-5) published by Springer. He is associate editor of the journal Frontiers in Sustainable Cities, Frontiers and Journal of the Institute of Engineers (India): Series A, Springer. He also edited seven conference proceedings. He is Director of Clean Environment for Planetary Health in Asia (CEPHA) Network supported by UKRI. He is founder chairman of Indian International Conference on Air Quality Management (IICAQM) series and founder President of Air Quality Management Association (AQMA). He has been part of numerous grants involving multiple national and international partners. Much of his research interests focus on air quality management which includes monitoring, source apportionment, modelling, design and development of emission control system, development of air quality management system, personal exposure monitoring, environmental impact assessment, outdoor-indoor air pollution relationships and indoor air quality management. He is WHO subject matter expert in a global technical consultation on the transmission of respiratory pathogens through the air. He also is a professional member of several technical institutions and organizations of India.
