RUI: IRES: Canal, Chemistry & Community: Understanding chemical & microbiological water quality & biodiversity

About This Grant

This project prepares future scientists by providing an international research experience at a fascinating urban/rural water resource for undergraduate students from the Department of Natural Sciences of Pitzer and Scripps Colleges. Each summer, the undergraduate researchers spend 8-10 weeks studying the water quality and the variety of biological organisms living in the Bangkok, Thailand canals, which are used by the urban metropolis for transportation, water resources, and recreation. The canals are connected to the Chao Phraya River that moves through the center of the city to the Gulf of Thailand. Due to the urban, suburban, and rural areas surrounding the canals, the water contains a range of inputs, including run-off from rainstorms, agricultural pollutants, and industrial emissions. Residents along the canals want to use this resource for domestic and/or agricultural purposes, but the quality of the water is unclear, potentially affecting tens of thousands of people. Undergraduate researchers are mentored by Thai scientists using innovative scientific experiments and urban planning to connect the more rural, agricultural Bang Mod Canal community to urban Bangkok. In addition, each summer, the undergraduate researchers design and organize an activity-based workshop for local school children in the Canal Community to help them learn about water quality and the scientific process. The undergraduate researchers and Thai mentors meet with local government and residents to explain how their scientific findings impact farming and domestic use of water in the area. The environmental issues found in the Bangkok Canals are similar to other locations around the world. The framework of scientific discovery and community participation in research and decision making could be used in other places with similar environmental problems. This project investigates how water microbiology and chemistry changes over time in the canals around the Bang Mod area of Bangkok, Thailand to assess if the water can be used for agriculture and domestic purposes. In addition, the species distribution and community composition in and along the canal is studied to understand changes based on water quality. Undergraduate student researchers build and use continuous water quality samplers, develop innovative paper-based sensors for water chemistry and microbial pathogen detection, and examine the impact of water quality on the microbial, plant, insect, and animal life found within the canal. Research questions are centered on the observation that the water has become increasingly salty over the past decade. It is unclear if this results from water management practices by the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority or intrusion of salt water from Gulf of Thailand. Questions also remain about whether this resource is safe to use as a water resource, as certain microbes can harm crops, people who live near the canal, or plant and animal life in and along the canal. Student researchers conduct four weeks of research each summer in the scientific laboratories at King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) in Bangkok, with field research at sites along the canals. The undergraduate research students work closely with their international Thai mentors on a variety of experiments to understand the microbial community, water quality, and water chemistry of the Bangkok canals. They use innovative low-cost continuous monitors and paper sensors created and built by the students. They also use DNA sequencing and analysis, and conduct field surveys to identify the species present in and along the canal. After their summer field studies in Bangkok, the undergraduate researchers work on data analysis, interpretation, and presentation of results in collaboration with their international mentors while back on campus at Pitzer and Scripps Colleges. Undergraduate students are involved in the project the semester before they travel to Thailand and for the academic year after the field studies to continue analyzing data taken throughout the year, write manuscripts, present their findings at scientific conferences, and mentor a new cohort of students. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.