RET Site: UC Irvine Research Opportunities for Community College Teachers (ROCCT) in Fighting Drought with Innovation

University Of California-Irvine, Irvine CA

Investigators

Abstract

The worsening water crisis in California comes at a time when engineers are ill prepared to design and build civil infrastructure responsive to the challenges that lie ahead. In this Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) in Engineering and Computer Science Site at the University of California-Irvine (UCI), community college engineering teachers will be immersed in a multi-disciplinary research experience to identify and mitigate (through engineering design) human health concerns associated with capturing, treating, and reusing dry and wet weather urban runoff. This RET Site will: (1) contribute to the development, implementation, and monitoring of green technology for treating and reusing urban runoff; (2) forge new alliances between units within UCI (Engineering, Social Ecology, Undergraduate Education), and between UCI and local community colleges and government agencies; (3) catalyze educational innovation in community colleges that service students from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields; (4) generate new teaching modules on urban water sustainability that utilize cutting edge pedagogical techniques designed to create excitement about STEM education; and (5) bring UCI graduate students into the community college classroom where they can inspire a new generation of well-rounded engineers. Over three years, 30 community college teachers (Research Opportunities for Community College Teachers (ROCCT) Fellows) will take part in a nine-week summer experience at UCI that integrates hands-on research with team-based curriculum development. ROCCT Fellows will be recruited from four local community colleges (Cypress College, Fullerton College, Irvine Valley College, and Saddleback College) ROCCT Fellows will conduct research in three topic areas: (1) engineering design of natural treatment systems to remove contaminants (particles, pathogens, and nitrogen) from urban runoff; (2) microbiological testing of urban runoff water quality before and after treatment, including culture-based and molecular-based assays; and (3) governance, economic, and attitudinal barriers to the harvest and use of urban runoff for non-potable purposes in the home. These research activities will leverage two major external resources: (1) an NSF Partnership for International Research and Education (PIRE) funded undergraduate boot-camp on urban water sustainability; and (2) equipment and staff at a local field facility run by a government partner (Orange County Watersheds). The ROCCT Fellows will translate their research experience into context-based learning approaches that emphasize learning-by-trying activities and everyday life applications. During one academic quarter (three months) following the summer program, UCI graduate students will team with former ROCCT Fellows to deliver lectures and lead field trips for community college students. The ROCCT Fellows will present their research and curricular innovations at one or more national conferences (American Society of Engineering Education, Frontiers of Engineering Education Conference, and National Science Teachers Association). All aspects of the UCI ROCCT program will undergo formative and summative evaluation.