Texas A&M University Texas A&M University Enrichment Experiences in Engineering 2009Enrichment Experiences in Engineering 2009

Kamilah WarrenKamilah WarrenMacArthur High School MacArthur High School

Aldine ISDAldine ISD

*Dr. Bryan Boulanger**Dr. Bryan Boulanger*Texas A&M Civil Engineering DepartmentTexas A&M Civil Engineering Department

Overview of Projects

Two Projects

Filter Project: To create a water filter that will yield the cleanest water possible in order to sustain the life of a fish. (More for IPC students) Goal is for all fish to survive!

Book Project: To show mastery of your knowledge of how your water is treated to make it safe for you to drink by creating a book, brochure, or foldable for children. (More for Chemistry students)

Is There Something in the Water?

Activity Collect a sample of pond water

and look at it under the microscope.

What did you see?

Question?•Would you drink this

water?

•Why Not?

•Somebody had to clean your water who

did?

•How do you think it was cleaned?

Is the water on the left safer to drink than the water on the right? Why or why not?

Why is this important?

Background Information

Who’s water is it anyway?

Robin Autenrieth, Ph.D., P.E. Civil Engineering, TAMU andEnvironmental & Occupational Health, HSC

(Edited by Kamilah Warren, MacArthur High School, Aldine ISD)

"Water and air, the two essential fluids on

which all life depends,

have become global

garbage cans" -

Jacques Cousteau

Water –

• Essential for all life on this planet

– A person can live about a month without food, but only about a week without water.

Nearly 97% of the world’s water is salty or otherwise undrinkable. Another 2% is locked in ice

caps and glaciers. That leaves just 1% for all of humanity’s needs — all its agricultural, residential, manufacturing, community, and personal needs.

There is the same amount of water on Earth as there was when the Earth was formed. The

water from your faucet could contain molecules that dinosaurs drank.

Some 6,000 children die every day from disease associated with lack of access to safe drinking water,

inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene - equivalent to 20 jumbo jets crashing every day.

In the past 10 years, diarrhea has killed more children than all the people lost to armed conflict since World War II.

Your Water Needs

• Think of the many

ways you use water.

• In your groups make a list of all the ways you use water.

•How inconvenient is it to live without access to water?

SOLUTIONS: Humans

• Value water• Water conservation

– Appliances: dishwashers, washing machines, toilets, showers

– Target highest water demands

– Change landscaping• Drip irrigation, indigenous

plants, rain harvesting, rain barrels

• Reuse water• Fix the infrastructure

TAMU Water Research• Impact of hazardous wastes on waterways• Industrial process optimization• Petroleum salt waste technology development• Water purification technologies• GIS and modeling development• Sustainable urban development• Watershed management• Emergent contaminants• Biological processes• Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI)

– Funds research– Extension service role– USGS supported

TAMU Water Education

• Large community of students in science and engineering– Highly interdisciplinary– Undergraduate and graduate studies

• Degree Programs– Civil Engineering – Environmental & Water Resources

Engineering– Biological & Agricultural Engineering– Other Engineering Disciplines– Water Management & Hydrological Sciences– Ecosystems Science and Management– Other Science Disciplines

• Institute for Public Health and Water Research (IPWR)

Project 1

Objective:

To create a water filter that will yield the

cleanest water possible in order to sustain the

life of a fish.

SUBJECTSScience (Chemistry/IPC & Biology)

TEKS/TAKS:-Make wise choices in the use and conservation of resource and the disposal or recycling of materials.

-Analyze the flow of energy through various cycles including the water cycle.

-Compare variations, tolerance, and adaptations of plants and animals in different biomes.

-Evaluate the significance of water as a solvent in living organisms and the environment.

TIME:2 class periods

MaterialsSandHay

Activated CarbonBig & Small Rocks

Cheese ClothRubber BandsMake-Up Pads

Cotton BallsCoffee Filters2 Liter Bottles

Scissors

Day 1• 1.) Examine the list of materials.

• 2.) As a group do some research and see why I picked these materials and what you would use them for.

• 3.) Pick what you believe to be the best 5 or 6 materials to make your filter.

• 4.) Discuss and draw the design of your filter and what order you believe will yield the cleanest water and sustain the life of the fish.

Day 2

1.) Test your filter and re-design as needed.

2.) Once you have created your best water filter then attach the filter to the fish bowl and pour your dirty water in.

3.) Over the next week we will observe the fish.

How is Your Drinking Water Treated?

• The largest cities in the United States get their water from surface water - lakes, rivers and reservoirs

• Water taken from any surface source usually has some amount of debris (i.e., sticks, leaves, dirt) in it. It can also contain small amounts of pathogens (substances that can cause disease).

• Untreated water, called "raw water" is sent to a drinking water treatment facility to make it safe to drink, or potable.

• At the drinking water treatment facility, the water flows through many different processes to remove any contaminants.

Coagulation

Step 1: Coagulation

• In treating surface water is we add a powdery chemical to the water.

• The powdery chemicals cause the particles in the water to stick together in clumps.

• The chemical is mixed into the water very quickly so that it gets evenly spread around.

Flocculation

• Step 2: Flocculation

• The water is gently stirred so that the particles bump into each other and stick together.

• When particles stick together, they grow into clumps called flocs.

Sedimentation• Step 3: Sedimentation

• After the flocs begin to form, the water flows into a large basin so that the big clumps can settle to the bottom, where they are removed.

• This settling process, called sedimentation, removes most of the big particles from the water, but there may still be some small particles left in the water.

Filtration

• Step 4: Filtration

• To remove these remaining particles, the water flows through a filter.

• In most water treatment facilities, filters are made of a special kind of sand, and the filters actually look like big sandboxes.

Disinfection

• Step 5: Disinfection

• Since everyone needs to drink water, it is wise to be extra safe, so engineers in the United States disinfect the water.

• Disinfection is often performed by adding chlorine to the water to kill germs.

• Some water treatment facilities also use other processes to treat water, such as using carbon to remove chemicals in the water, or ultraviolet light for disinfection.

PUR Packet Demo

Project 2

• Objective: • To show mastery of

your knowledge of how your water is treated to make it safe for you to drink by creating a book, brochure, or foldable for children.

SUBJECTS:Science (Chemistry/IPC & Biology)

TEKS/TAKS:-Make wise choices in the use and conservation of resource and the disposal or recycling of materials.

-Analyze the flow of energy through various cycles including the water cycle.

-Compare variations, tolerance, and adaptations of plants and animals in different biomes.

-Evaluate the significance of water as a solvent in living organisms and the environment.

TIME:2 class periods

Day 1

• 1.) Students will review the surface water treatment process in their groups.

• 2.) Will decide as a group to do either a book, brochure, or foldable.

• 3.) Students will design their book, brochure, or foldable and assign a different task to each of their group members (team work).

Day 21.) Students will pick the materials that the teacher will supply to make their book, brochure, or foldable.

2.) Each student in the group will create their part of the project.

3.) Then all students in the group will put all their parts together and turn it in the final product at the end of class.

Making A Brochure : Water Treatment Brochure

Teacher Name: Mrs. Warren

Student Name:     ________________________________________

CATEGORY 4 3 2 1

Attractiveness & Organization

The brochure has exceptionally attractive formatting and well-organized information.

The brochure has attractive formatting and well-organized information.

The brochure has well-organized information.

The brochure's formatting and organization of material are confusing to the reader.

Writing - Vocabulary

The authors correctly use several new words and define words unfamiliar to the reader.

The authors correctly use a few new words and define words unfamiliar to the reader.

The authors try to use some new vocabulary, but may use 1-2 words incorrectly.

The authors do not incorporate new vocabulary.

Graphics/Pictures Graphics go well with the text and there is a good mix of text and graphics.

Graphics go well with the text, but there are so many that they distract from the text.

Graphics go well with the text, but there are too few and the brochure seems "text-heavy".

Graphics do not go with the accompanying text or appear to be randomly chosen.

Knowledge Gained All students in the group can accurately answer all questions related to facts in the brochure and to technical processes used to create the brochure.

All students in the group can accurately answer most questions related to facts in the brochure and to technical processes used to create the brochure.

Most students in the group can accurately answer most questions related to facts in the brochure and to technical processes used to create the brochure.

Several students in the group appear to have little knowledge about the facts or technical processes used in the brochure.

Spelling & Proofreading

No spelling errors remain after one person other than the typist reads and corrects the brochure.

No more than 1 spelling error remains after one person other than the typist reads and corrects the brochure.

No more than 3 spelling errors remain after one person other than the typist reads and corrects the brochure.

Several spelling errors in the brochure.

Sample of Pre/Post Test Questions

T or F 9.) If water is clear it is safe to drink.

1.) Water can exist as a solid, a liquid, or a gas.Which of the following lists the phases ofwater in order of increasing density?• A. solid, liquid, gas• B. gas, solid, liquid• C. liquid, gas, solid• D. gas, liquid, solid

Acknowledgements

• Dr. Boulanger

• Texas A&M University E3 program

• National Science Foundation

• Mary Leboulanger and all the E3 participants.