Study Visit to University of Western Ontario

本建议书旨在支持一次对西安大略大学的考察访问，与Ernest Yanful教授进行讨论。考察访问将集中在两个研究领域。其中第一个是开发克拉珀博士现有的模拟生物修复的工作，包括堆肥，这是一种与生物修复有关的现象，但不同的是，它包括更显着的变化，颗粒和孔隙大小和形状比土壤进行修复。这项合作将利用Yanful教授在岩土工程、流体力学和环境工程领域的丰富而独特的工作经验，进一步了解模拟堆肥，并将利用他的国际背景，集中研究堆肥作为一种低成本废物管理策略在发展中国家的潜在应用。这部分访问的成果将是该委员会同意未来研究的战略，将Crapper博士以前的生物修复模拟工作扩展到堆肥，考虑由于降解引起的材料特性变化，并专注于发展中国家的应用。商定的战略将包括试点模型运行测试的结论、确定的有待解决的研究问题和优先事项，访问的第二部分将重点关注克拉珀博士关于有效提供工程教育以增强发展中国家当地社区实施水和卫生解决方案的研究问题.据推测，传统的工程教育方法并不总是有效的，除了教授技术外，还需要更实用和面向商业的技能，以便当地人能够以经济可持续的方式更有效地处理他们的问题。在访问的这一部分，Crapper博士将与正在研究这一领域的博士生Alison Furber一起访问。与Yanful教授的合作将建立发达国家大学在解决水和卫生问题方面做出更有效的教育贡献的可能贡献。这部分访问的结果将是明确确定发达国家大学，如西安大略大学（UWO）和爱丁堡大学（UOE）在向发展中国家提供水和卫生工程教育方面可能发挥的作用，评估这些大学和其他发达国家大学提供远程教育的现状，以及如何优化这一现状，我们会就有关的申请进行研究，并检讨大学世界大学及英国教育大学现时的学科教学，以探讨其中哪些部分适合纳入教育研究试验计划。严富礼教授在国际发展问题方面有卓越的往绩、研究兴趣及背景，因此他提供一个独特的机会，在一次考察访问中集中进行这两项研究活动。

This proposal is to support a study visit to The University of Western Ontario to engage in discussions with Prof. Ernest Yanful.The study visit will focus on two areas of research. The first of these is to develop Dr Crapper's existing work on simulation of bioremediation to encompass composting, a phenomenon that is related to bioremediation, but different, in that it encompasses more significant changes in particle and pore size and shape than does a soil undergoing remediation. The collaboration will take advantage of Prof Yanful's extensive and unique experience working at the interface of geotechnical engineering, fluid mechanics and environmental engineering to further understanding of simulating composting, and will also exploit his international background to focus the research on the potential application of composting as a low cost waste management strategy in the developing world.The outcome of this part of the visit will be an agreed strategy for future research, extending Dr Crapper's previous work on simulation of bioremediation to composting, accounting for change in material properties due to degradation and focusing on applications in the developing world. The agreed strategy will include the conclusions of pilot model runs tests, identified research questions to be addressed, with priorities, a view of resources required to make progress and plans for funding and recruitment of researchers.The second part of the visit will focus on Dr Crapper's research on the effective provision of engineering education to empower local communities in the developing world to implement solutions to water and sanitation issues. It is postulated that a traditional approach to engineering education is not always effective, with there being a requirement, in addition to teaching the technologies, for more practical and business oriented skills to allow local people to deal more effectively with their problems in an economically sustainable way.During this part of the visit, Dr Crapper will be joined by PhD student Alison Furber, who is researching this area. Collaboration with Prof Yanful will take place to establish the likely contribution of developed world universities in making more effective educational contributions to solving water and sanitation problems. The outcome of this part of the visit will be a clear identification of the likely role of developed world universities such as The University of Western Ontario (UWO) and The University of Edinburgh (UoE) in the provision of engineering education on water and sanitation to the developing world, an assessment of the current state of distance learning provision in these and other developed world universities and how this might be optimized for the application in question, and a review of current subject teaching available in UWO and UoE, with a view as to how suitable parts of it might be for incorporation into a education research pilot programme.Prof Yanful provides a unique opportunity to focus these two research activities within a single study visit, given his outstanding track record, research interests and background in international development issues.