IRES: U.S.-India Collborative Research on the Impact of Conversion from Intermittent to Continuous Water Supply in Hubli-Dharwad, India

1031194纳尔逊加州大学伯克利分校：美国-印度合作研究在印度胡布里-达瓦德从间歇供水转换为连续供水的影响加州大学伯克利分校教授卡拉·纳尔逊将启动一个为期3年的学生国际研究经验项目，该项目建立在加州大学伯克利分校和印度多学科发展研究中心的印度研究人员现有研究成果的基础上，该中心是一个由印度社会科学研究理事会支持的国家研究所。每年，伯克利分校的四名理工科研究生和本科生将有机会与印度同行就一个影响数亿城市居民的重大环境问题进行跨学科研究，这些城市居民无法获得安全的水。这项研究的重点是向印度胡布里和达瓦德这两个孪生城市的城市家庭从间歇性管道供水转换为连续管道供水的好处。在印度的城市，自来水是断断续续地供应的，这使得管道容易受到污染，迫使家庭储存水。断断续续的供水对健康构成威胁，因为水质差和水量有限导致的疾病水平增加，以及疾病和应对费用造成的经济负担。持续供水有可能解决其中许多问题；然而，关于与转换相关的实际成本/收益的信息很少。总体研究目标是充分说明胡布里-达瓦德从间歇输送管道水到连续输送管道水的水质效益，胡布里-达瓦德是南亚首批实施这种转换的城市之一。IRES的学生将进行严格的跨学科研究，使用基于培养和分子的工具来检测微生物，使用传感器来测量水质的物理化学特征，以及家庭调查。在现场，学生们将获得提供安全水的挑战的第一手知识，以及一个与世界上许多其他城市一样的低收入城市的更广泛的背景和条件。拟议的研究将填补关于管道系统从间歇供水转换为连续供水的潜在好处的关键知识空白，将确定在这些系统中造成污染的机制，包括家庭行为在水污染中所起的作用，并将开发使用传感器网络监测水质的低成本、创新方法。该项目将使有动力的学生有机会从事有意义的研究，直接造福社会。他们将与外国对应机构的同行和导师以及将直接从这项研究中受益的当地人口建立网络。IRES的机会将提高学生在科学和工程方面的能力和知识，同时教授技能和理解力，使他们能够在日益全球化的世界中进行合作和竞争。

1031194Nelson University of California-Berkeley IRES: U.S.-India Collaborative Research on the Impact of Conversion from Intermittent to Continuous Water Supply in Hubli-Dharwad, India University of California-Berkeley Professor Kara Nelson will launch a 3-year International Research Experience for Students project that builds on an existing research effort between UC Berkeley and Indian researchers at the Centre for Multi-Disciplinary Development Research, a national institute supported by the Indian Council of Social Science Research. Each year, four Berkeley science and engineering graduate and undergraduate students will have the opportunity to conduct interdisciplinary research with Indian counterparts on a significant environmental problem affecting hundreds of millions of urban residents that are without access to safe water. This research focuses on the benefits of converting from intermittent to continuous piped water supply to urban households in the twin cities of Hubli and Dharwad, India. In Indian cities, piped water is supplied intermittently, leaving pipes vulnerable to contamination and forcing households to store water. Intermittent supply poses a health threat from increased levels of illnesses caused by poor water quality and limited quantity, as well as an economic burden from the costs of illness and coping. Providing water continuously has the potential to solve many of these problems; however, little information is available on the actual costs/benefits associated with conversion. The overall research goal is to fully characterize the water quality benefits of conversion from intermittent to continuous delivery of piped water in Hubli-Dharwad, which is one of the first cities in South Asia to implement such a conversion. IRES students will conduct rigorous interdisciplinary research using culture-based and molecular tools to detect microorganisms, sensors to measure physicochemical water quality characteristics, and household surveys. In the field, students will gain first-hand knowledge of the challenges of providing safe water as well as the broader context and conditions in one low-income city that is like many others around the world. The proposed research will fill critical knowledge gaps about the potential benefits of converting from intermittent to continuous water supply in piped systems, will identify the mechanism that cause contamination in these systems, including the role that household behaviors play in water contamination, and will develop low-cost, innovative methods to monitor water quality using sensor networks. The project will give motivated students the opportunity to engage in meaningful research for the direct benefit of society. They will develop networks with peers and mentors from the foreign counterpart institutions, and with local populations that will benefit directly from this research. The IRES opportunity will improve students abilities and knowledge in science and engineering while teaching the skills and understanding to enable them to both collaborate and compete in an increasingly globalized world.