Georgetown professor makes waves at water conservation panel in Russia

Dr. Robert G. Wirsing, Professor of Government at Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), recently moderated a panel discussion at the Third Annual Open Innovations Forum in Moscow, Russia, a global platform created for representatives of the scientific, expert, business and governmental communities dedicated to examining emerging technologies and breakthrough solutions through international cooperation in the promotion of innovation exchange and collaboration.

Dr. Wirsing moderated one of the forum panels, titled: “Smart Water Treatment That Quenches the World’s Thirst”, where panelists discussed the latest advances in intelligent water systems, solutions, and water resource management. Over 14,000 participants from more than 45 countries attended this year’s forum, which was themed “Creative Disruption: Staying Competitive in the 21st Century.”

“Water scarcity, whether from natural or man-made causes, continues to present a significant challenge to human development. This panel presented some very interesting new technologies that seek to address some of these challenges, from extraction, to distribution, to demand management of global water supplies,” said Dr. Wirsing, whose most recent research focuses primarily on the politics and diplomacy of river resources.

The forum program organizer was GU-Q alumnus Dmitriy Frolovskiy, who graduated with a degree in International Politics in the Spring of 2014. “Dimitri took several of my courses at Georgetown, such as the class on Water Resource Rivalry in World Politics. I was very proud to see my former student play such a major role in such a complex and large scale event as this year’s Forum, and he’s only just graduated. I have no doubt we’ll see big things from him in the years to come.”

Official delegations, headed by their respective Prime Ministers, participated in an open dialogue at the event, including Dmitry Medvedev, the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, and his counterpart from the People’s Republic of China.

The Forum is held under the auspices of the Government of the Russian Federation with the assistance of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, the Government of Moscow and Russian development institutes.

Before settling in Doha, Dr. Wirsing was previously a faculty of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, Honolulu, Hawaii, and of the Department of Government & International Studies, University of South Carolina. A specialist on South Asian politics and international relations, he has made over forty research trips to the South Asian region since 1965.