Proposal No.: 0727247 PI Name: IRVINE, Kimberley N. PI's Institution: SUNY College at Buffalo State Proposal Title: Undergraduate Research Experience to Assess Sustainable Sanitation and Drinking Water Quality in Developing Countries
Over a two year period this International Research Experience for Students (IRES) project will annually provide six U.S. undergraduates with a six week international research experience pertaining to the scientific and social aspects of sustainable and technologically-appropriate wastewater treatment practices and assessment of drinking water quality in Cambodia and Thailand. The proposed research builds on existing research projects, and past and existing education and training initiatives developed collaboratively by the U.S. PIs from Buffalo State, State University of New York (Buffalo State) and Eastern Mennonite University (EMU) and the foreign PIs from the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT), Royal University of Phnom Penh (RUPP), and a Cambodian-based NGO, Resource Development International - Cambodia (RDIC). To achieve the research objectives three teams of two students will work at three research nodes, one in Thailand and two in Cambodia.
The team will explore the use of naturally existing wetlands to treat waste, water quality issues, and develop decision-making tools for water supply and waste water treatment in the context of developing countries. This project will provide U.S. undergraduates experience in addressing both the science and the social aspects of water supply and waste water treatment research within unfamiliar cultural settings. This setting will provide avenues to expand critical thinking skills, in particular the formation of assumptions.
This project will allow future U.S. scientists to experience how international collaborations are developed to address global issues in a global scientific context. The U.S. undergraduate students will also have an opportunity to form relationships with international scientists for future educational and research collaborations. Students will be exposed to options for continued international experiences including graduate work at AIT, a graduate exchange program between AIT and Buffalo State, and employment or volunteer work with local NGOs, such as RDIC. Recruitment of underrepresented groups will be enhanced through recruitment coordination with the McNair Scholars Program, the Educational Opportunity Program, and the Office of Equity and Diversity at Buffalo State.
