Tony Minich, Graduate Student - May 2018

As a graduate student in the Lyles School of Civil Engineering in 2017 and 2018, I participated in the interdisciplinary service-learning course, Water Resources in Developing Countries. During my time in the course, I wrote grants, designed hydraulics, collaborated, and fundraised for the project. Moreover, I traveled to locations near Santiago (in the D.R.) and worked with community members to install filtration, and both ultraviolet light and chlorine dosing treatment. During my involvement, I witnessed three drinking water systems successfully installed.

The course began in 2012 with intent to improve access to potable drinking water and has since then focused efforts in the Dominican Republic. Both the class as a whole and sub-groups meet at least once per week.  Class members come from engineering, agriculture, technology, food science, and nursing to collaborate on improving water problems.

In the class, I involved myself in three groups. I led the first design group of both graduate and undergraduate students for a single school project in El Mamey (near Santiago). I participated in a second group called Zimba, whereby we studied an inexpensive non-electric and non-mechanized chlorine-dosing unit for potential widespread access.  Lastly, I participated in a communications group to assist in the development a course website for public information and donor recognition. 

Designing two treatment systems presented challenges less likely to be understood in traditional classrooms. These included social concern and sustainability issues of design. For instance, only 23% of projects installed in The Dominican Republic are sustained (Schweitzer, 2009), and global efforts have failed at a rate as high as 90% (UNICEF and World Health Organization, 2011). Moreover, the design must integrate ideas and demands from many stakeholders. Realizing these concerns, our team designed for highly reliable and simultaneously simple systems in an environment where electricity and rainwater access are capricious in nature. Our team also committed itself to both follow-up work and the study of sustainability of the system's success.

While in the Dominican Republic, we had seven days to collaborate with the community, install, test, and implement a drinking water system. Each team member came with an element of expertise and planned design work. Professor Blatchley oversaw student work, but we all consulted with Dominicans for recommendations on how piping, plumbing, and tanks would best be integrated. Later, our team constructed and translated user manuals for the system.

Our class team not only presented its case to programs like Rotary International for support funds, but also integrated and learned from local Dominicans who assisted us in installation and on-site design decisions.  Collaborative and real-world design integral with service was a rare opportunity for me. Moreover, my participation in Water Resources in Developing Countries is one of the reasons I wanted to attend Purdue's Graduate Engineering Program. Having had the privilege of participating in it, I believe it is one of the most unique courses in the country. 

I consider this course and travel opportunity to be one of the best educational opportunities of my career. This would not have been possible without the support of the Lyles School of Civil Engineering, grants from Purdue Department of Service Learning, and Rotary International.

Works Cited

Schweitzer, R. W. (2009). Community managed rural water supply systems in the Dominican Republic: Assessment of sustainability of systems built by the National Institute of Potable Water and Peace Corps, Dominican Republic (Master’s thesis).

UNICEF and World Health Organization. (2011). Drinking water equity, safety and sustainability (JMP Thematic Report on Drinking Water. WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply and Sanitation.