NSF IRES Track I: Filling the gaps in WaSH research through field-based student research experiences in Malawi

IRES项目旨在为美国学生提供变革性的国际体验，让他们在马拉维参与严格和急需的地面水、卫生和个人卫生(WASH)研究。这是一个互惠互利的项目，将为北卡罗来纳州立大学和路易斯维尔大学的学生提供宝贵的经验，他们将接触到WASH的跨学科思维、问题解决和前沿的实地研究。这些学生是未来科学、工程和政策领域的领导者。他们对水和卫生设施的全球挑战以及社区的当地环境的了解，对于他们设想有效和创新的解决方案至关重要，不仅在马拉维和美国，而且在世界各地。清洁问题直接影响公共健康和环境；变革性研究有可能提高数十亿因缺乏水和卫生设施而受到影响的人的生活质量。在马拉维，这项研究将在服务不足的社区增加安全饮用水和卫生服务，并帮助该国实现联合国可持续发展目标6。该项目还通过扩大我们大学合作伙伴的实地研究课题范围，加强马拉维的研究能力。该项目最大限度地利用了我们与Mzuzu大学(MZUNI)和马拉维科技大学(MASH)的WASH研究人员的长期合作伙伴关系和合作研究。该方案将在三年内支持总共23名本科生和研究生在马拉维的研究经验(每年有6-7名北卡罗来纳州立大学和1名路易斯维尔大学学生)。在马拉维的密集研究为期8周，但每个学生在国际体验之前和之后都将参与IRES项目，总共16个月。将通过联合研究、文化和服务活动确保学生(来自工程学、环境科学、自然资源和经济学)以及马拉维导师和他们的学生之间充满活力的跨学科合作。IRES项目的总体研究目标是通过实地的学生研究经验，超越水和卫生方面的传统(主流)研究主题，合作解决马拉维的清洁水研究空白。消除这些差距将增加马拉维的卫生和环境卫生研究，增加当前研究重点的维度，并有助于弥合公认的全国卫生和与水相关的人力能力差距。这项研究还将推动关于马拉维以外有效的清洁卫生行动办法的全球思考和议程。总的培训目标是为北卡罗来纳州立大学和路易斯维尔大学的学生提供变革性的研究经验，导致毕业生：(1)将参与WASH的跨学科思维、问题解决和研究；(2)具有全球意识和文化能力；(3)能够利用他们与不同社区合作的现场经验来开发适应背景的解决方案；以及(4)将从整体的角度看待这些解决方案，考虑其研究的公平性、可持续性和长期效益和影响。我们将通过以下方式实现这些目标：(1)共同设计研究活动(重点是在马拉维的实地和实验室研究)，最大限度地发挥伙伴大学和研究地点的优势和专业知识；(2)以个人和群体为基础的培训，重点是学习成果；(3)与马拉维的同龄人合作，为IRES学生开展文化活动和服务性学习项目；以及(4)将提供终结性和形成性评估的持续监测和评估计划。该奖项反映了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。

This IRES project aims to provide transformational international experiences to U.S. students as they participate in rigorous and critically needed on-the-ground water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) research in Malawi. This is a mutually beneficial project that will provide invaluable experiences for students from NC State University and University of Louisville, who will be exposed to interdisciplinary thinking, problem-solving, and leading-edge, field-based research in WaSH. These students are future leaders in science, engineering, and policy. Their understanding of the global challenge of water and sanitation and the local contexts of communities is crucial to their envisioning effective and innovative solutions not just in Malawi and the U.S., but all over the world. WaSH issues directly affect public health and the environment; transformative research has the potential to increase the quality of life of billions of people affected by lack of access to water and sanitation. In Malawi, this research would increase safe water and sanitation services in underserved communities, and help the country meet UN Sustainable Development Goal 6. This project also strengthens research capacity in Malawi by expanding our university partners’ range of field-based research topics. This program maximizes our long-standing partnership and collaborative research with WaSH researchers at Mzuzu University (MZUNI) and the Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST). The program will support the research experience in Malawi of a total of 23 undergraduate and graduate students over three years (6-7 NC State University and 1 University of Louisville student every year). The intensive research in Malawi is for 8 weeks, but each student will be engaged in the IRES program before and after the international experience, for a total of 16 months. Vibrant interdisciplinary collaborations among the students (coming from engineering, environmental science, natural resources, and economics) and among the Malawi mentors and their students will be ensured through joint research, cultural, and service activities. The overall research goal of this IRES project is to collaboratively address WaSH research gaps in Malawi, through field-based student research experiences, beyond traditional (mainstream) research topics in water and sanitation. Addressing these gaps will increase WaSH research in Malawi, add dimensions to current research foci, and help bridge the acknowledged countrywide gap in sanitation and water-related human capacity. This research will also advance the global thinking and agenda on effective WaSH approaches beyond Malawi. The overall training goal is to provide transformational research experiences to NC State University and University of Louisville students, leading to graduates who: (1) will engage in interdisciplinary thinking, problem-solving, and research in WaSH; (2) are globally aware and culturally competent; (3) can leverage their field experience working with diverse communities to develop context-adapted solutions; and (4) will view these solutions through a holistic lens, considering equity, sustainability, and long-term benefits and impacts of their research. We will achieve these goals through: (1) co-designed research activities (with an emphasis on both field- and lab-based research in Malawi) that maximize the strengths and expertise at the partner universities and research sites; (2) individual- and cohort-based training with emphasis on learning outcomes; (3) cultural activities and a service learning project for the IRES students in partnership with their peers in Malawi; and (4) a continuous monitoring and evaluation program that will provide summative and formative assessment.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.