Linking a Senior Civil Engineering Water Analysis Laboratory to Public Education

Water quality engineering requires young engineers to be able to clearly communicate complex topics to the public at a level appropriate to people's education regarding water issues.To help students acquire this skill the senior level water analysis laboratory curriculum of the Water Treatment Engineering course was designed to include a pilot research study.The students learned how much Cal Poly Pomona residents know about water issues and linked the results to the impact of the engineering practices.In addition to the traditional technical laboratory requirements, students enrolled in two lab sections were tasked with developing, implementing, and analyzing a survey of Cal Poly Pomona residents regarding their knowledge of water issues.Educational gaps were identified and instruments were developed for public education.By the end of the quarter, engineering students became aware of the impact of the professional engineers in society, and acknowledged that contact with the community would support the development of the best engineering solutions.The video products of student work were shared with lower level engineering classes and with other non-engineering communities at on-campus events that promoted environmental sustainability and awareness of California water challenges.