Transcript Slide 1

Water, Water….. Everywhere? Water Purification
Mary LeBoulanger
Emmett J. Conrad High School
Dallas ISD
Working with:
Dr. Bryan Boulanger
Environmental and Water Resources Division
Zachry Department of Civil Engineering
Texas A&M University
Enrichment Experiences in Engineering
for Secondary Math / Science Teachers and Preservice Teachers
Dr. Bryan Boulanger
Boulanger Research Group
Multidisciplinary, Cross-Scale
Research for Better Environmental
Science ©
Our group’s long-term collaborative vision is to
address community specific water and energy
needs by developing programs that couple
innovative education approaches and
appropriate technology based solutions needed
to improve communities and achieve
sustainability. We are currently focused on
three areas of research/outreach:
1. Risk management of environmental
contaminants
2. Sanitation & Water Treatment
Alternatives
3. Alternative fuels development
https://ceprofs.civil.tamu.edu/bboulanger/
Enrichment Experiences in Engineering
for Secondary Math / Science Teachers and Preservice Teachers
One of the
many reasons
that water
treatment is
important
Enrichment Experiences in Engineering
for Secondary Math / Science Teachers and Preservice Teachers
Children’s Safe Drinking Water
Dr. Greg Allgood,
Contaminated drinking water is a major problem.
More than one billion people do not have access to safe water.
Diarrhea caused by drinking contaminated water remains a leading cause
of illness and death among infants and children in the developing world.
About 1.8 million children die every year due to
diarrheal diseases.
More children die from diarrheal illnesses like cholera and dysentery than
from HIV/AIDS or malaria combined.
There is conclusive evidence that simple, low-cost interventions at the
community level can dramatically improve the quality of household stored
water and greatly reduce the risk of diarrheal disease and death.
It is well documented that simply providing safe,
clean, drinkable water can reduce deadly diarrhea
and other devastating diseases by about 50%.
Enrichment Experiences in Engineering
for Secondary Math / Science Teachers and Preservice Teachers
Risk management of environmental
contaminants
Characterization of societal sources of
pharmaceuticals and endocrine
disruptors to the environment
Treatment of pharmaceutical containing
wastewaters
Hormone cycling
Analytical methods development
Pranav Nagarnaik, Ph.D Student, Texas A&M, Environmental
Engineering Program
Education: M.S. Chemical Engineering, Syracuse University,
2007
B.S. Chemical Engineering, Nagpur University, 2005
Research Area: Environmental sources of pharmaceuticals
and EDCs, treatment of healthcare facility wastewaters
Anticipated Graduation: May 2010
Enrichment Experiences in Engineering
for Secondary Math / Science Teachers and Preservice Teachers
High Incidence of a MaleSpecific Genetic Marker in
Phenotypic Female Chinook
Salmon from the Columbia
River.
What did they find?
84% of phenotypic females in
the wild salmon tested positive
for the male genetic marker. In
contrast, none of the hatchery
raised females tested positive.
Offspring spawned by mating of real males with sex-reversed males would be
either XY or YY instead of all XY, the outcome of normal male to normal female
mating. YY would never happen normally. This would lead to a steady decrease
in the number of normal females in the population. The fact that only 16% of
females were normal (and some if not all of those may have been hatchery, not
wild), appears consistent with that prediction.
Enrichment Experiences in Engineering
for Secondary Math / Science Teachers and Preservice Teachers
Enrichment Experiences in Engineering
for Secondary Math / Science Teachers and Preservice Teachers
Ishan is researching the
use of a catalyst to
increase effectiveness of
the ceramic filter in the
removal of mercury from
water
Ishan Desai, M.S. Student, Texas A&M, Environmental
Engineering Program
Education: B.Tech. Chemical Engineering National Institute
of Technology of Surat, 2007
Research Area: Nano-metal oxide particle reactivity and
surface adsorptivity
Anticipated Graduation: May 2009
Enrichment Experiences in Engineering
for Secondary Math / Science Teachers and Preservice Teachers
Yousuf is researching the use of biofuels
from waste materials. This process
would decrease water pollution while
increasing fuel availability.
Yousuf Jamal, Fulbright Scholar, M.S. student, Texas A&M,
Environmental Engineering Program
Education: M.S. E-Business Hamdard University, Karachi, Pakistan,
2001
B.Sc. Chem Engg, Inst. of Chem Engg & Tech, University of the Punjab,
Lahore, Pakistan, 1998
Research Area: Biofuels from waste materials
Anticipated Graduation: M.S. May 2009
Enrichment Experiences in Engineering
for Secondary Math / Science Teachers and Preservice Teachers
Julianne Camacho- working with undergraduate students on a NASA
project:
NASA’s future plans for long-term spaceflight will require a constant
food and water supply. Consequently, a system must be developed
to recover water in order to make longterm spaceflight feasible. Prior
to collection, urine is pretreated in order to prevent clogging
of the small diameter collection tubes by biofilm formation and
solids precipitation.
Aries rocket----- The
next generation of
rockets
Enrichment Experiences in Engineering
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Urine Pretreatment for Biological
Water Recovery
Objective:
Identify a non-toxic
pretreatment alternative that
is compatible with a biological
water reclamation system.
Test stand for biological water
recovery (JSC)
But really, why are they doing
this?????
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/teacher
s_9-12.html
Enrichment Experiences in Engineering
for Secondary Math / Science Teachers and Preservice Teachers
Enrichment Experiences in Engineering
for Secondary Math / Science Teachers and Preservice Teachers
What am I doing here????
We have visited with our graduate students and Dr. Boulanger about all
the projects that they are working on. We have chosen to work on water
treatment for human use.
We will be working on the NASA project and on developing a filter that will
remove arsenic from water that has been run through the ceramic filter.
The ceramic filter will remove the biological contaminants and will remove
debris but has not been shown to remove the arsenic that is found in the
water of South Texas. We are working on a filter that will be located in
front of the spigot that will have a catalyst that will remove arsenic from
the drinking water.
I also have been privileged to go to East Texas and tag along while a
group of students from Eastfield College in Dallas did environmental
research. I met people that work in the area of my high school that are
interested in collaborating with us to create an outdoor classroom and to
help me in other areas with my students.
Enrichment Experiences in Engineering
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Acknowledgements include:
Dr. Bryan Bolanger
Pranav Naganaik
Ishan Desai
Yousuf Jamal
Julianne Camacho
Kamilah Warren
Each of the E3 participants
All of the faculty and staff that are working so hard to make this
program a success
And NSF for providing funds for this adventure
http://www.epa.gov/safewater/kids/teacher
s_9-12.html
Enrichment Experiences in Engineering
for Secondary Math / Science Teachers and Preservice Teachers