HELPING SOLVE INTERNATIONAL WATER PROBLEMS: TO KNOW, YOU NEED TO GO; TO HELP, YOU NEED TO GO AGAIN (Invited Presentation)

A combination of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Student Originated Studies program (circa 1970) with the emphasis on local water solutions echoed by Charles Fishman in his book, The Big Thirst (2011), influenced several productive student projects and provided a blueprint for future work. Projects in Hacienda Baru, Costa Rica and Restoration Gateway, Uganda, serve as examples. The purposes for the original trips varied; common threads for success included repetition, developing local relationships, and student motivation. Although each trip included faculty-initiated assignments (conceived prior to trip departures), experience on-site culminated in problem-based research projects suggested by students. Hacienda Baru is a wildlife refuge and ecotourist location on the southwest Pacific coast of Costa Rica. A spring and two shallow wells provide limited water, and wastewater is treated on-site. An M.S. thesis developed a water budget with suggestions for disinfection, monitoring, and better wastewater treatment in the face of increasing ecotourism. Restoration Gateway is an orphanage in northern Uganda on the banks of the Nile River that started as raw land and now houses a hospital, dental clinic, and school. Water is supplied by two wells and wastewater is treated on-site. Research contributed to a PhD dissertation, led to a publication, and suggested changes to water management to account for continued development.

Any contribution to better water management starts with a visit, and a student visit can motivate student-led research. However, proposing a practical solution takes a series of visits to understand both the science and the local culture/politics. To know, you first need to go.