Students to Present Water Filtration Research

4/13/2010

Guatemala water project presentation headlines Undergraduate Research Symposium.

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Above, visitors to Engineering Open House explore biosand filtration technology as part of an Engineers Without Borders display.

Students working on an Engineers Without Borders project to bring clean drinking water to a remote community in Guatemala, will offer the featured presentation at the University’s third annual, campus-wide Undergraduate Research Symposium on Thursday, April 15, from 12:30-1:15 p.m. in Illini Room B at the Illini Union.

The students will present their research on iron-amended biosand filters. The group’s mentors—CEE Assistant Professor Thanh Helen Nguyen and Professor and Assistant Dean Bruce Elliot Litchfield—will be on hand to talk about how research opportunities can enhance the Illinois experience for undergraduates.

The group's award-winning Engineering Open House display.

About 20 engineering students are involved in the multi-disciplinary project, which has succeeded in researching and designing an innovative household water filtration system in Socorro, Guatemala.  The filters are different from others currently in use in that they are amended with iron, which allows them to remove from the water not just bacteria but also viruses.  Viruses contribute to the severe diarrhea suffered by an estimated 75 percent of the children of Socorro at the start of the rainy season.  Five CEE students traveled to Socorro over their 2009-2010 winter break to kick off the process of introducing the use of traditional biosand filters in each of Socorro’s 150 households.  As their research on their iron-amended filters progresses, and pending appropriate approvals for use, they will bring this new technology to Socorro as well.

Top billing at the Undergraduate Research Symposium is just one of a string of successes for this student research team.  The Guatemala Water Project won first place in the 2010 Central State Water Environment Association and Water Environment Federation (WEF) Student Design Competition held April 5 in Madison, Wis. The Student Design Competition is intended to promote “real-world and hands-on” design experience for students interested in pursuing an education and career in the water/wastewater engineering and sciences field. The team will now head to WEF TEC, the organization’s technical conference held October 2-6 in New Orleans, to compete in the national Environmental Design competition.  The project also won first place in the Real World category of the 2010 Engineering Open House at the University of Illinois in March.

Last year, the team was awarded a $10,000 grant through the Environmental Protection Agency’s People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) program.  This month, team representatives will travel to Washington, D.C., to compete at the 6th Annual National Sustainable Design Expo for Phase II of the P3 grant, which would result in an additional award of $75,000.

Members of the team have presented their research at several professional conferences.  Plans for upcoming events include a poster presentation at the National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges for the 21st Century Chicago Summit 2010 on April 21.  The group has also participated in community outreach and education activities, including presenting to Illinois science teachers and numerous student groups at elementary and high school levels.


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This story was published April 13, 2010.