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

这个IRES项目旨在为美国学生提供变革性的国际经验，因为他们参与了马拉维严格和迫切需要的地面水、环境卫生和个人卫生（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，他们将接触到跨学科的思维，解决问题的能力和前沿的，基于WaSH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当地社区环境的理解，不仅在马拉维和美国，而且在全世界都是至关重要的，这对他们设想有效和创新的解决方案至关重要。讲卫生问题直接影响到公众健康和环境；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设施服务，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的大学合作伙伴的实地研究课题范围，加强了马拉维的研究能力。该计划最大限度地扩大了我们与Mzuzu大学（MZUNI）和马拉维科技大学（MUST）的WaSH研究人员的长期合作伙伴关系和合作研究。该项目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历（每年6-7名北卡罗来纳州立大学和1名路易斯维尔大学的学生）。在马拉维的深度研究为8周，但每个学生在国际体验之前和之后都将参与IRES项目，共计16个月。学生（来自工程、环境科学、自然资源和经济学）之间以及马拉维导师和学生之间充满活力的跨学科合作将通过联合研究、文化和服务活动来确保。这个IRES项目的总体研究目标是通过基于实地的学生研究经验，超越水和卫生方面的传统（主流）研究课题，合作解决马拉维的WaSH研究差距。解决这些差距将增加马拉维的WaSH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。这项研究还将推动马拉维以外地区关于有效讲卫生方法的全球思维和议程。总体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，导致毕业生谁：(1)将从事跨学科的思考，解决问题，并在WaSH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实地经验，制定适合具体情况的解决方案；(4)将从整体角度看待这些解决方案，考虑其研究的公平性、可持续性以及长期利益和影响。我们将通过以下方式实现这些目标：(1)共同设计研究活动（重点是马拉维的实地和实验室研究），最大限度地发挥合作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，强调学习成果；(3)与马拉维的同龄人合作，为IRES学生举办文化活动和服务学习项目；(4)提供总结性和形成性评估的持续监测和评估计划。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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.