|
Pilas, or outdoor
sinks are common in the highlands of Guatemala. This pila in Paxor II is
connected to a spring-based water supply, and IEAD students instrumented
it with a datalogger to collect water quality, water pressure, and water
use information.
IEAD (International
engineering and design) students participated in evaluating the
performance of Ecofiltros used in a canton (village) near Putzan. Field
analyses were performed for lead, arsenic, silver, and coliform.
Ecofiltros (locally
produced ceramic water filters) are distributed to communities with
unsafe water supplies, and water safety training is provided to the
filter’s users. WAGL (Women as global leaders) students learned about
this training, which used very easy to understand posters and other
visuals.
Fecal pathogens are
naturally-occurring drinking water contaminants which cause increased
infant mortality rates. IEAD and WAGL measured bacteria concentrations
before and after filtration to evaluate the filters’ effectiveness.
Sawdust is mixed
with clay to form small bacteria-trapping pores in the Ecofiltros. After
the green clay is fired in a kiln, colloidal silver is painted on the
filters to provide bactericidal properties. IEAD students use a basic
sieve to collect the appropriate-sized sawdust.
WAGL students
conduct fund-raising activities on-campus to buy school supplies to take
to Guatemala. During the school visits there are opportunities to
interact one-on-one with the children.
Ground water is a
viable source of high-quality drinking water in the highlands of
Guatemala. A Geological Engineering graduate student is collecting data
in the canton of Sacala San Martin Jilotepeque to find out the
feasibility of using solar or wind energy to reduce ground water pumping
costs.
The green Ecofiltros
are wood-fired in brick kilns at the Ecofiltro facility. IEAD students
instrumented the kilns with thermocouples to collect kiln performance
data.
WAGL students
frequently receive individual donations from faith-based and community
organizations. Toothbrushes and toothpaste were distributed to students
at the rural school called Caserio El Caman Chicaman, Patzun
Chimaltenango, Guatemala.
Springs called
naciemientos are important sources of domestic water for rural
residences in the Guatemala highlands. The water is piped via gravity
from the concrete naciemiento boxes to homes that are sometimes more
than 15 km away. IEAD students collected water quality data at
naciemientos near San Sebastian de Lemoa.
Local clay is used
in the manufacture of Ecofiltros. The clay has to be dried and broken
into small pieces by hand before the final milling and mixing with
sawdust. IEAD students help with the manual clay processing.
All over the world
there is a shortage of women in science, technology, engineering, and
math (STEM) professions. One the WAGL goals is to highlight the
usefulness of science and math in everyday life. Here they demonstrate
coliform testing during the Patzun school visit.
Photo Credits: Curt Elmore, Ernie
Gutierrez, Katrina Sommers, Kyle Te.
Travel funding credit: National Science
Foundation Grant No. 0623091 Missouri S&T .
|
