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West African Technology, Education and Reciprocity (WATER) for Benin
EPA Grant Number: SU833541Title: West African Technology, Education and Reciprocity (WATER) for Benin
Investigators: Striebig, Bradley A. , Appel, Philip , Garrity, Dan , Gieber, Terry , Jeannot, Mary , Norwood, Susan
Current Investigators: Striebig, Bradley A. , Appel, Philip , Benegar, Meghan , Brown, Elaine , Cain, Laura , Dooley, Sandra , Dougal, Renae , Fagnant, Christa , Flanery, Jessica , Gieber, Terry , Gilliland, John , Hannafious, Dustin , Hayes, Jamie , Humphreys, Crystal , Jeannot, Mary , Krupski, Paul , Latimer, Kayla , Longinotti, Pia , Luu, Annie , Maxwell, Alex , McPherson, Mathew , Meeks, Justin , Nalelia, Gilbert , Norwood, Susan , Oddo, Jessica , Panasewicz, Lauren , Parrish, Ashley , Pavese, Christopher , Remick, Kim , Scarsella, Maleena , Smeija, Joanne , Tang, Alice , Vacanti, Sarah , Warren, Nadia
Institution: Gonzaga University
EPA Project Officer: Nolt-Helms, Cynthia
Project Period: August 31, 2007 through April 30, 2008
Project Amount: $10,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity, and the Planet (2007)
Research Category: P3 Challenge Area - Water , Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development
Description:
Objective:Sub-Saharan Africa faces severe shortages of potable water currently and in the coming decades. The lack of access to potable water is exacerbated by extreme poverty. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals set forth realistic goals to improve access to water, sanitation and education and simultaneously reduce the number of people living below the poverty line. Appropriate technologies for water supply must synergistically address the three pillars of sustainable design: Solutions must be economical, environmentally benign and socially acceptable.
Approach:This proposal seeks to improve the production process for drinking water filters at the Songhai Center for Sustainable Development in Porto-Novo, Benin. A manufacturing process to produce ceramic drinking water filters will be implemented during part of a Gonzaga University course taught at the Songhai Center. As part of this course, students will study the economic, engineering and social variables that make access to potable water challenging in Benin. Students will analyze the results of the data collected to make improvements to the drinking water manufacturing and marketing process during the academic 2007-2008 academic year. For example, students in civil and mechanical engineering will design a solid bio-fuel feed system to fire the drying kiln for the ceramics and activated carbon used in the drinking water filters. Students in the language, education and nursing programs will develop socially responsible educational materials to help market affordable point-of-use water filters in Benin.
Health assessments, educational materials and technical data will be used as metrics to measure the success of the project. As part of the on-going collaboration between the Songhai Center and Gonzaga University, a multi-year health assessment and epidemiological study will be started with this program and continued in future years to access the implementation process.
Publications and Presentations:Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 1 publications for this project
Journal Articles:Journal Articles have been submitted on this project: View all 1 journal articles for this project
Supplemental Keywords:community based, human health, drinking water, bio-fuel,
Progress and Final Reports:
Final Report