Hello! My name is Leanh Nguyen, and I am a rising junior at Rice University. This summer, I have had the amazing opportunity to participate in Rice’s NEWT REU. Our group consists of various students from Rice University and the University of Texas at El Paso, ranging from engineering to social work majors.
During my time with my peers Lisette, Juan, Anabel, Jorge, Naomi, and Patricia Aguirre, I have learned a lot about social research, water treatment, and the culture in El Paso. I hope that I can see them again soon when they come to the Houston area later this summer.
2023 NEWT REU Members From Left to Right: 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); Image taken by Dr. Loyo
From my trip to the Heuco Tanks Colonia, I learned that water scarcity does not just only exist in other parts of the world but it also persists in many parts of the U.S. As a native Houstonian, it was hard to imagine life without piped water, but it was what the residents of Hueco Tanks had to deal with for the past decade. From this experience, it made me realize that issue of water scarcity and/or pollution is both a major problem existing here in the U.S. today and that a one-size-fits-all solution would not take into account each resident’s needs.
Hueco Tanks: A Resident’s Water Storage Tank; Image taken by Dr. Loyo
Additionally, during my time at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant, I was able to obtain firsthand observations of a state-of-the-art water treatment plant. Here, I had the chance to hear from a plant technician about the non-stop work around the clock to keep the plant operational for the city of El Paso.
Kay Bailey Hutchison Desalination Plant
Lastly, during our many group discussions, I got to hear many new insights and perspectives regarding the project for Hueco Tanks. Namely, the most important experience I had was during our group brainstorming session. Here, our group listed problems and possible solutions for the Hueco Tanks Community. However, once we came back together to discuss our ideas, we got to see that no idea was without its flaw. The discussion made us think about how to find a balance between engineering a solution and thinking about its application, usage, and acceptability by the residents of Hueco Tanks. Like Dr. Loyo and the people at Caminos de Agua, an NGO based in Guanajuato, Mexico, discussed, simply constructing a state-of-the-art filter would not magically erase the water problem in Hueco Tanks or in any other area facing water struggles. From this group activity, I began to see the importance of collaboration between engineers, scientists, and social workers to fully grasp the full socioeconomic picture in the Hueco Tanks Colonia and other regions of the world.
UTEP’s Interdisciplinary Research Building
All in all, I cannot wait to see what my group can achieve over the next few months. I want to thank Dr. Jorge Loyo, Dr. Silvia Chavez, and Dr. Eva Deemer for this amazing opportunity and for all of the guidance and knowledge they have given me. I have a lot more to learn from them and from my peers.
Thank you for sharing and for being part of this experience, Leanh!