CREST Center for Water and the Environment, Phase II

科学和技术卓越研究中心方案通过建立有效整合教育和研究的中心，支持加强少数群体服务机构的研究能力。在国家科学基金会的支持下，新墨西哥大学将在第一阶段水与环境中心成果的基础上，通过新的研究问题、新的合作机构和强调招收和留住美洲原住民学生来扩大和重新引导与水相关的研究。水与环境中心第二阶段的目标是：(1)对水与环境问题的技术解决方案进行创新研究；(2)增加科学和工程专业中代表性不足群体的参与；(3)在新墨西哥大学建设与水相关研究的机构能力。二期中心将产生关于干旱环境中水的可获得性、管理和处理的知识。该中心有三个相互关联的分项目，侧重于流域的水文过程、水质和处理以及水-能量相互作用。将这些分项目联系起来的统一研究主题是保护和恢复下游和农村社区的水质。流域和野火分项目调查野火后流经分水岭的水量和水质在时间和空间上的变化。处理技术分项目调查使用生物膜和膜从天然水和废水中去除污染物，如营养物质和新出现的污染物，以及小型社区如何克服障碍进行再利用。水和能源子项目调查能源生产和消费对环境的影响，包括采矿遗产对美洲原住民社区的影响，水力压裂可能导致地下水污染的机制，以及能源开发、自然资源保护和社区发展之间的复杂动态。在继续关注拉美裔美国人的同时，水与环境中心将通过与几个以美洲原住民为重点的组织合作开展外联活动，增加美国原住民对科学和工程专业的参与。该中心将解决水和环境问题，这是影响公共健康和经济发展的广泛社会关切，特别是在干旱的美国西南部。该中心的研究将通过开发干旱地区的水资源管理技术和战略使全球社区受益。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology program supports the enhancement of research capabilities of minority-serving institutions through the establishment of centers that effectively integrate education and research. With National Science Foundation support, the University of New Mexico will build on the accomplishments of their Phase I Center for Water and the Environment by expanding and redirecting water-related research with new research questions, new partnership institutions, and an emphasis on recruiting and retaining Native American students. Objectives of the Phase II Center for Water and the Environment are to (1) conduct innovative research on technological solutions to problems with water and the environment, (2) increase the participation of underrepresented groups in science and engineering professions, and (3) build institutional capacity for water-related research at the University of New Mexico. The Phase II Center will generate knowledge about the availability, management, and treatment of water in arid environments. The Center has three interrelated subprojects that focus on hydrologic processes in watersheds, water quality and treatment, and coupled water-energy interactions. The unifying research theme that connects these subprojects is the protection and restoration of water quality for downstream and rural communities. The Watersheds and Wildfires subproject investigates the temporal and spatial variability in the quantity and quality of water as it moves through the watershed following a wildfire. The Treatment Technologies subproject investigates the removal of contaminants such as nutrients and emerging contaminants from natural waters and wastewaters using biofilms and membranes as well as how small communities can overcome barriers to reuse. The Water and Energy subproject investigates the environmental impacts of energy generation and consumption, including the effects of mining legacy on Native American communities, the mechanisms by which hydraulic fracturing can contribute to groundwater contamination, and the complex dynamics between energy development, natural resource protection, and community development.While retaining attention on Hispanic Americans, the Center for Water and the Environment will increase Native American participation in science and engineering professions by partnering with several Native American-focused organizations to conduct outreach. The Center will address problems with water and the environment, which are broad societal concerns that affect public health and economic development, particularly in the arid southwestern US. Center research will benefit communities across the globe by developing technologies and strategies for managing water in arid regions.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.