Published 2025-08-08
Prismita Nursetyowati (Mita), an ITB Environmental Engineering doctoral student pursuing a double degree with Coventry University’s Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience in the United Kingdom, was selected for the São Paulo School of Advanced Science on Emerging Pollutants, held on 2–13 September 2025 in Santos, Brazil.
Fully funded by the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), the program brought together early-career researchers from different countries. Over 12 days, participants explored emerging pollutants through an interdisciplinary combination of environmental science, engineering, and public health.
Expert lectures, scientific discussions, case studies, field visits, and collaborative activities such as a hackathon covered pharmaceuticals, pesticides, PFAS, microplastics, and antimicrobial resistance genes. The program also emphasised risk-based and policy approaches to contaminants not fully captured by conventional regulatory monitoring.
Mita presented a poster on her doctoral research into the contribution of septic systems to antibiotic contamination in aquatic environments. Her case study focuses on the Upper Citarum watershed, particularly communities with limited access to safely managed sanitation.
Using environmental chemical analysis and risk assessment, the research examines relationships between antibiotic use, decentralised sanitation, and potential environmental risks. Participation expanded her academic perspective and international network while supporting ITB Environmental Engineering’s research on global environmental challenges and Indonesia’s continuing sanitation needs.