Project Description
To promote public awareness of water-related environmental issues and highlight career opportunities in the field, the Water Research Workshop was organized for high school students in the Central New York region. The program aimed to provide participants with foundational scientific and engineering knowledge as well as hands-on experience in water science and engineering. The workshop, held from May 16 to May 18, 2025, featured a series of activities led by the principal investigators (PIs), including:
(i) lectures on water quality, environmental challenges related to water contamination and scarcity, and advances in water purification technology as well as computational approaches;
(ii) hands-on laboratory sessions with purification, separation, and sensing in water;
(iii) a field trip to local facilities, including the Upstate Freshwater Institute; and
(iv) information about potential summer research internships in the PIs’ laboratories.
Participant recruitment and outreach were supported by the PIs’ publicly accessible website (https://sites.google.com/view/healthy-water-outreach/home), where updates and program outcomes are also shared. The workshop involved collaboration with Clarkson University, whose team joined in person at the SUNY ESF campus. The instructional team included four PIs, one postdoctoral fellow, and seven graduate students. All faculty and staff involved completed SUNY’s Child Protection Policy training prior to the event.
Six students from local high schools (Syracuse Academy of Science High School, Baker High School, Onondaga Central Junior/Senior High School, Nottingham High School) successfully completed the program. The curriculum comprised three laboratory sessions, one computational session, a field trip, and multiple lectures. All participants received a certificate of completion. Exit interviews indicated a high level of satisfaction, reflecting strong engagement and positive feedback from students. This outcome underscores the success of the workshop in raising awareness and fostering interest in water-related careers.