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Please scroll down for the English version - UNNC PhD student named 2026 River Messenger after winning International Youth River Exchange.
导读
“伴随城市扩张，叠加气候变化影响，热暴露问题愈发严峻，给自然环境与居民都造成了显著影响。”
近日，在第五届国际青年河流交流活动中，宁波诺丁汉大学城市化与可持续发展环境专业博士生Emmanuelle SM Kangumba（简称“Emma”）借鉴世界灌溉工程遗产—宁波它山堰智慧，提出“将传统农业灌溉智慧移植到现代城市建设当中，让运河如血管般穿梭城市，营造局部凉爽微气候，以解决城市热暴露等问题”的创新参赛方案，斩获活动一等奖，并获授“2026年度河流大使”荣誉称号。
颁奖仪式
评审团评价其研究兼具本土实践根基与全球推广价值，为青年学者以河流为切入点回应全球可持续发展议题提供了崭新思路。
该活动是水利部推进水文化建设的重要国际水事活动，汇聚水利文博领域学者、行业专家以及世界各地青年代表，通过开展主旨演讲、交流比赛，助力水利遗产保护、水利文明传承与跨国水文化对话传播。
01
重构人水共生的多元价值
“过去，河流常被视为只承担航运、贸易、灌溉等某一项功能的通道；如今，人们越来越认识到河流具备多重功能。我的方案，就是将功能单一的传统水系改造为多功能网络，兼顾生态保护、经济发展，最终服务社会民生。”Emma说。
参赛期间，她实地探访了宁波它山堰。这座始建于唐代的综合水利枢纽，至今仍发挥着城市环境用水、防洪排涝和灌溉等重要作用，令Emma深感震撼。
Emma 在活动中演讲
“放眼全球，这样的工程也非常罕见。”Emma表示，它山堰展现了一种非常智慧的可持续模式，巧妙融合了水安全、生态、经济与文化，持续创造多重价值。更重要的是，当地百姓的参与和认同，让它拥有超越建筑本身的生命力，最终演变为驱动区域发展的文化引擎。
参观它山堰
备赛期间，在宁诺导师的指导下，Emma借鉴中国古代灌溉工程智慧，以南非为样本，对其硕士研究课题进行了梳理与升级。
最终，在其主题演讲《Route to Roots》（《从通道到根脉》）中，她向人们展示了——面对气候变化、快速城市化带来的各类环境挑战，可以依托河流这类现成自然资源同步化解难题，实现环境、经济、社会多方福祉协同提升。
02
“获奖背后，是宁诺的支撑”
这次活动吸引巴基斯坦、摩洛哥、南非、印度尼西亚、中国等多国青年同台角逐，仅有六名选手闯入决赛。这份荣誉的含金量，不仅在于国际赛事平台的专业认可，更在于Emma的议题直指气候变化、城市热暴露等全球性挑战。
“2024年我到宁诺攻读硕士后，一直在进行城市与可持续环境相关的研究。”硕士毕业后，Emma选择继续在宁诺攻读博士，聚焦洪水治理。
“不仅因为宁诺出众的学术声誉、丰富的科研机遇，以及顶尖的师资与设施，更因为这里让我建立了对自身研究的充足自信。”她提到，学术圈竞争激烈，人很容易自我怀疑。但身边的导师们经历过失败，依旧不断尝试，最终在学术和行业领域取得成果，“这深深感染了我，就像涓涓细流，终会奔流入海。”
作为新任河流大使，Emma将受邀参与下一届国际青年河流交流活动的主持工作，持续参与国际学术对话。未来，她计划继续探索兼顾当下效益与未来韧性的水资源治理路径，并以青年力量，向世界传递人水和谐的发展理念。
UNNC PhD student named 2026 River Messenger after winning International Youth River Exchange
Emmanuelle SM Kangumba, a PhD student in the department of Architecture and the Built Environment at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), has won first prize at the fifth International Youth River Exchange and been named a 2026 River Messenger.
Representing South Africa, Emma was one of just six young participants to reach the final of the international competition, which brought together young people from countries including Pakistan, Morocco, Indonesia and China. Her winning project, presented through a keynote speech titled Route to Roots, explored how traditional irrigation practices could inspire more sustainable urban development and strengthen communities’ connection with rivers.
The judging panel praised her work for combining strong local relevance with potential for global application, offering fresh perspectives on how young researchers can use rivers to address challenges including climate change and urban heat.
Emma’s achievement builds on research she began at UNNC during her master’s degree in 2024, in Urbanism and Sustainable Environments. With support from her UNNC supervisors, Wu Deng, Yina Sima and Matthew Pike, she further developed her research into the award-winning project, demonstrating how rivers and existing water infrastructure can deliver environmental, economic and social benefits in rapidly urbanising cities.
After completing her master’s degree, Emma chose to continue at UNNC as a PhD student, where she now focuses on flood management. She credits the University’s academic environment and the encouragement of her supervisors with giving her the confidence to pursue her research and take it onto an international stage.
As a 2026 River Messenger, Emma has been be invited to host the next International Youth River Exchange and continue contributing to international academic dialogue on sustainable water management.
Her success reflects UNNC’s commitment to providing students with the research opportunities, academic support and international perspectives they need to turn their ideas into impact.
图文来源：Lucrecia Zhou，Tony Bao
电子编辑：Suri An
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