IRES: Sustainable development of water and sanitation systems in rural Honduras

Lafayette College, Easton PA

Investigators

Abstract

This International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) project, funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5), provides an intensive summer experience for US undergraduate engineering students to develop improved methods to assess the sustainability of rural water and sanitation systems. This project involves active collaboration between Lafayette College and the international staff of Water for People (WFP), located in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. The student research projects include data collection of sustainability indicators, comparison of the data sources and measurement techniques, and development of sustainable solutions to difficult water and sanitation problems. This project also includes an assessment of several direct student-learning outcomes. In Honduras, the Lafayette students will be joined by two civil engineering students from the National Autonomous University of Honduras (Sula Valley Region) (UNAH-VS). The four-week immersion will be supervised and mentored by Diana Betancourt of the WFP Central America Regional office in Honduras, along with Honduran engineers with extensive rural infrastructure experience. The Lafayette College students will return to the Lafayette campus for a final four weeks of reflection, data processing, data analysis, and preparation of presentations for external groups. The work will be completed jointly with the UNAH-VS students via weekly videoconference meetings. The project will actively recruit minority students (from Lafayette?s POSSE Scholars Program for urban students, and the Minority Scientists and Engineers Student Chapter) for the cohort groups. Outreach activities will also target a pre-engineering program at a high school with a sizable, diverse population.