Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2013RI114B

Drinking Water Outreach in Rhode Island

Institute: Rhode Island
Year Established: 2013 Start Date: 2013-03-01 End Date: 2014-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $10,421 Total Non-Federal Funds: $17,256

Principal Investigators: Harold Knickle, Geoffrey Bothun

Project Summary: There are two thrusts to this project. They both involve outreach to the Rhode Island community. The first is to create and continue annual conferences to provide background and knowledge for working professionals in the clean water fields and to educate graduate and undergraduate students in the scope of the clean water field. This ongoing Rhode Island conference series on clean drinking water will be promoted and held at the University of Rhode Island. The conference will focus on both policy and technical aspects associated with providing clean water in the state of Rhode Island. Included in the conference will be conservation of our water resources. For students the conference will promote interest in professions associated with clean water and also meet the needs of water professionals in Rhode Island. Previous conferences have been very successful with more than 70 people in attendance. The second major activity of this project is the hosting of a summer workshop at the University of Rhode Island for middle and high school students to introduce them to clean water concepts using lectures, laboratories, and field trips to promote interest in clean water careers. Students from at least two high schools will be recruited for this week long laboratory oriented engineering and science activity. Previous high school programs have been very successful with about 30 high school students attending and participating in a lecture/laboratory sequence involving water science. Two major objectives have been set for this project. The first is to advance the awareness and knowledge of the importance of clean water in Rhode Island and provide insight into the various factors affecting the ability to obtain clean water for multiple uses in Rhode Island by hosting a major Clean Water Conference. The creation of the conference will provide background and knowledge for the work of professionals in the clean water fields. Graduate students will be encouraged to take courses in environmental areas and undergraduates will be encouraged to consider pursuing degrees related to the clean water profession. The second major activity is the hosting of a summer workshop at the University of Rhode Island for middle and high school students. The summer workshop will introduce them to clean water concepts with a goal of promoting interest in clean water STEM disciplines and clean water careers.