International: Sustainable Water Management Research Experience in Bolivia: Influence of a Dynamic World on Technological and Societal Solutions

University Of South Florida, Tampa FL

Investigators

Abstract

Water management is fundamental to human societies, and requires scientists and engineers who can integrate cultural, institutional, and international dimensions of water resources with sophisticated technologies and solutions. This International Research Experiences for Students (IRES) project engages U.S. students in water management research in Cochabamba, Bolivia. Undergraduate and Ph.D. students with engineering and anthropology backgrounds will collect field data to: 1) assess the treatment performance and carbon neutrality of sanitation technology and 2) develop mathematical models to estimate the sustainability of water supplies from natural springs and rainwater under scenarios of population growth, urbanization, development, agricultural land use, and climate change. Students will partner with an engineer from the community-based nongovernmental organization Aqueous Solutions, and will also work with students and faculty from the Universidad Tecnológica Boliviana, under the mentorship of faculty member Dr. Santiago Morales. Graduate students will integrate their research with participation in a new 16-credit Graduate Certificate in Water, Health, and Sustainability. Undergraduates will return to campus to continue research via the USF Honors College or other undergraduate research initiatives. Undergraduates will also participate the following year in a 6-credit International Capstone Design course. Three of the course credits will take place in Bolivia through an established partnership with the civil engineering at the Universidad Privada del Valle (Cochabamba). This project is co-funded by the Office of International Science and Engineering (OISE) and the Division of Chemical, Bioengineering, Environmental, and Transport Systems (CBET).