Participating in AguaClara for Course Credit

The research, developmentinvention, and design project courses specific to AguaClara are focused on developing technology that can be used to improve the drinking water quality of surface water sources in Hondurasthe Global South. The project program is structured to allow students with different levels of expertise to collaborate, share knowledge, and create new knowledge. Because the need for clean water is urgent and the cost of implementing the technology is minimal, the development effort includes multiple tracks.

The project tasks evolve from semester to semester as we develop sustainable water treatment technologies. We maintain a wiki as an active repository of what we are learning to help transfer knowledge from semester to semester. We also encourage students to participate in the project program for multiple semesters so there is enough continuity of team members to aid in the transfer of knowledge from semester to semester. Following graduation, students also have the ability to become involved directly in implementation as an AguaClara Engineer

CEE 255

Instructor: M.L. Weber-Shirk
No prerequisite
co-meeting with CEE 455

CEE 255 is available to all undergraduate students and can be used as an advisor-approved elective, or as an extra course.

Student teams conduct research, build working models, design full scale prototypes, create design algorithms, and create educational materials for technology transfer to improve drinking water quality in Honduras.

Students are required to attend two 50-minute meetings per week that are used to present project information, organize teams, present bi-weekly reports, meet with the instructor, and work on the team project.

Students in CEE 255 will participate in an apprenticeship role on teams led by students in CEE 455 or 501/502. They are expected to help with reporting and documentation, but will not be required to take on a leadership role. They are required to write a 2 page report assessing their contribution to the team project and reflecting critically on their service experience.

The first two weeks of the course are spent defining tasks and organizing teams. Students participate in problem definition, solution strategy, team formation, and task scheduling. Student teams write a project proposal early in the semester describing their approach to solving the research or design challenge. Teams present biweekly progress reports in the form of PowerPoint presentations.

CEE 309 Special Topics in Civil and Environmental Engineering (var cr.)

Instructor: M.L. Weber-Shirk
No prerequisite

CEE 309 allows students to work on the AguaClara project during the summer. Individual expectations and coursework will be decided on with faculty at the beginning of the summer. Depending on the student's previous involvement with AguaClara, CEE 309 will be similar to either CEE 255 or CEE 455.

CEE 455 Sustainable Water Supply Project (3 cr.)

Instructor: M.L. Weber-Shirk
Prerequisites CEE 453 or CEE 454
co-meeting with CEE 255

CEE 455 is available to third and fourth-year undergraduates and graduate students, and can be used as a Major Approved Elective or as a Design Course. (CEE 255 cannot.) Students can take both courses multiple semesters, but can only receive design credit and Major Approved Elective credit once for CEE 455.

Student teams conduct research, build working models, design full scale prototypes, create design algorithms, and create educational materials for technology transfer to improve drinking water quality in Honduras.

Students are required to attend two 50-minute meetings per week that are used to present project information, organize teams, present bi-weekly reports, meet with the instructor, and work on the team project.

The first two weeks of the course are spent defining tasks and organizing teams. Students participate in problem definition, solution strategy, team formation, and task scheduling. Student teams write a project proposal early in the semester describing their approach to solving the research or design challenge. Teams present biweekly progress reports in the form of PowerPoint presentations.

Midterm interviews with each student are required to discuss his/her contribution to the project. Final reports summarizing semester progress will be submitted by teams or individuals as drafts, and then resubmitted after revisions. The content of the final report is also presented to the class as an oral report using PowerPoint.

• Content: Summary of semester research and design work

• Length: Approximately 12 pages

• Format: Research and development tasks are to be ready for submission to the journal Water Research. Design tasks must include appropriate design documentation such as design basis, specifications, and CAD drawings.

CEE 454 Small-Scale Sustainable Water Supplies (3 cr.)

Instructor: M.L. Weber-Shirk
Prerequisite CEE 331 or permission of instructor

This course involves the design and analysis of small-scale systems that are appropriate for providing safe drinking water to the one billion underserved people. Students will work in teams to design sustainable supply and treatment systems. This will require an understanding of the major threats to public health as well as the constraints of implementing technologies in the Global South.

One of the goals of the course is to encourage creative thinking about solutions to the enormous challenge of providing everyone on the planet with safe drinking water. We will challenge the myth that this task can be accomplished by applying existing technologies and identify major technology gaps where better solutions are needed. Engineers are integral to challenge the existing assumptions and to create and document new sustainable solutions.

For more information, refer to the CEE 454 Course Website.

CEE 501/502

CEE 501/502 are open to graduate students looking to fulfill design course requirements in the CEE department. Please contact Professor Weber-Shirk with any questions about this option.
Graduate Opportunities

Other Relevant Courses at Cornell

In the department of City and Regional Planning

Environmental Aspects of International Planning
Concrete Manifestations: The Political Ecology of Infra-structure in Developing Countries
Latin American Cities
Urban Transformations in the Global South
International Institutions

In the department of Development Sociology

International Development

In the department of Communication

AguaClara Course Options

CEE 2550: AguaClara: Sustainable Water Supply Project

• CEE 2550 is normally the first AguaClara course taken and is open to all students who do not meet the prerequisites for 4550. CEE 2550 is also the course for students who are working on the Outreach team. You will not be expected to fill a leadership role and are not required to enroll in the technical theory class.

CEE 4540: Sustainable Municipal Drinking Water Treatment

• CEE 4540 is a pre/corequisite for the main AguaClara project course, CEE 4550. It is the technical, theory course that develops the base of water treatment knowledge used in our research and design. CEE 4540 is also a capstone design course for Environmental Engineering.

CEE 4550: AguaClara: Sustainable Water Supply Project

• CEE 4550 is the main AguaClara project course and must be taken for 3 credits. It fulfills the requirements for a design course. You must (be enrolled in or have taken CEE 4540 to enroll in CEE 4550) . You may be requested to have a leadership role within the team.

CEE 5051-5052: AguaClara: Sustainable Water Supply Project

• CEE 5051-5052 are the graduate level versions of CEE 4550.

CEE 3090

• CEE 3090 is a special topics course. It can be taken by students who are continuing on with AguaClara work after CEE 4550 as a major approved elective (with petition).

CEE 4010 Experience in Undergraduate Education: Section on Agile Leadership for Innovation

• CEE 4010 is for AguaClara team leaders and research advisors.

Technical Communications Credit

• A limited number of students can petition Monroe to receive credit for technical communications through the AguaClara program. To be eligible the student must select a writing or communication project that is in addition to the requirements for the AguaClara project course. Examples of projects include writing EPA P3 proposals, publishing a paper based on team research, creating a brochure, or crafting a slide deck for a pitch to supporters.
• Students must write a proposal for the technical communications credit and include 2 draft submissions prior to delivering the final work. Most projects can be completed in the normal semester timeframe. EPA P3 proposals must comply with EPA requirements for submission deadlines.

Class Conflict Policy

If you are a new member on the AguaClara team, you will not be permitted to enroll in the course unless you can attend the lecture and laboratory sections.

Preference during recruitment and team sort will be given to those students who are able to attend lecture and laboratory sections.

The expectation is that all students will be putting in 10 hours a week.

International Student Research Internships

The PIRIP program allows qualified non-degree undergraduate and graduate students from abroad to conduct research on campus for periods up to six months with their tuition covered by a Provost's Fellowship. An administrative fee is charged.

Other Relevant Courses

Many of these courses fulfill engineering liberal arts requirements.

• Latin American Studies Program
• Department of City and Regional Planning
• Department of Developmental Sociology
• Department of Communications
• Applied Economics and Management 
• International Agriculture and Rural Development
  

 Communications in Developing Nations