Scholars tackle project
POTSDAM — In just one week, a group of 18 high school students tried to figure out how to bring clean water to a village of 75 houses in Ecuador. And they came pretty close.
The students, none of whom has ever taken an engineering class, came to Clarkson University's Young Scholars program to design a system that would clean the contaminated river water and collect rainwater for the village, La Margarita. They were given a crash course when they arrived Monday and got to work that afternoon.
"We worked really slow at the beginning because we didn't really know what to do," said Parker G. Clemans, 15, Old Forge. "We can't necessarily build it because we don't have the time, but we can do everything up to that point."
After lots of arguing, the students broke up into two groups: one to deal with the river water and the other to collect and purify rainwater. People in La Margarita depend on water from a nearby river, which is highly contaminated. Clarkson's chapter of Engineers Without Borders has been trying to work with the villagers since 2008, according to Shane W. Rogers, the club's adviser and assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering.
"We've been discussing water treatment options, but the situation has changed. They're able to hook up to a water storage unit, but the plan is to fill these with river water, which is a terrible idea. It's full of fecal matter," Mr. Rogers said. "We're hoping we can take these ideas and integrate them into a plan."
Some of the students on campus last week may choose to continue the work they've started on the project with Engineers Without Borders. Of the 18 students in the program, six already have enrolled at Clarkson for the fall semester.
Others, after a week brainstorming system ideas, are no longer so sure that engineering is right for them.
"I was thinking about being an engineer before because my dad is one," said Meghan M. Trendowski, 17, Syracuse. "After this week, I really enjoyed it, but I don't know if I would be able to do it again."
