IRES/US-Guatemala: International Experiential Learning in a Multi-Disciplinary Capstone Course

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This award will support a multi-disciplinary capstone design course developed by Dr. Andrew C. Elmore (PI) of the University of Missouri-Rolla, in collaboration with Dr. Fernando Cajas, of the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala-Centro Universitario del Occidente, Guatemala where twelve students per year will study practical methods of water disinfection in rural Guatemalan households. Forty percent of the student population of the CUNOC campus identify themselves as being of indigenous decent, therefore, the CUNOC collaborators have a good connection with the indigenous population of the rural study site. This international partnership between UMR and CUNOC is expected to achieve a mutually beneficial relationship that will continue into the future. The course will be conducted over two semesters and will include on campus experimentation at UMR and four weeks of field work in Guatemala. A multi-disciplinary group of UMR students enrolled in the capstone design course will study the water disinfection problem while others pursue other aspects of the project. For example, geological engineering and environmental engineering majors will address water quality characterization and monitoring issues; materials engineering students will design ceramic based technologies for purification; psychology students will characterize water use attitudes; and business students will evaluate the economic sustainability of household water treatment through micro-finance models and other means. The major scientific outcomes will be increased knowledge of geochemical water quality parameters, understanding of sustainable water treatment options, and characterization of economic and cultural factors that influence water use. The pedagogical outcomes will be a new model for international experiential learning courses and creation of a capstone design sequence that incorporates service learning.