Very excited to be starting a new REU experience! This year, our group is composed of students from Rice and UTEP and includes engineering, biochemistry and social work majors.
2023 NEWT REU members: Lisette Gonzalez (UTEP), Juan Castorena (UTEP), Anabel Theriault (UTEP), Jorge Alvidrez (UTEP), Jorge Loyo (Rice), Leanh Nguyen (Rice), Silvia Chavez (UTEP), Naomi Fuentes (Rice), and Patricia Aguirre (UTEP)
During the program kickoff at UTEP, we learned about the water issues in a Colonia called Hueco Tanks and the research conducted by the UTEP social work students (Anabel, Juan, and Lisette) during the spring. This research will serve as the basis for a culturally-appropriate water purification system that the group will develop together during the summer.
Inspecting a water storage tank in Hueco Tanks.
We had the opportunity to visit some homes in Hueco Tanks and inspect their water storage systems. We also learned from some of the residents their main concerns with these systems.
We also heard from Caminos de Agua, an NGO based in Mexico working in water quality issues in Guanajuato, where arsenic is prevalent. We will also be working with them this summer to validate an arsenic-measurement method.
The REU team listening to the presentation by Caminos de Agua on water quality issues in Guanajuato, Mexico.
We toured the Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant and learned about El Paso’s water treatment systems.
Touring Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant in El Paso
Dr. Eva Deemer, an REU mentor at the Center for Inland Desalination Systems, gave us a tour of the water quality and engineering labs in CIDS.
Dr. Eva Deemer with the REUs in the CIDS lab.
It’ll be an exciting summer working with this awesome transdisciplinary team!
A special thank you to Dr. Eva Deemer and Dr. Silvia Chavez for co-mentoring the REU students, to the community in Hueco Tanks, Familias Triunfadoras and Maria Covernalli for allowing us to work with them in this project, and to Caminos de Agua for inviting us to work on their arsenic project.
And thank you to Dr. Chavez for hosting us at UTEP and for the pictures in this post!