Through hands-on research and attentive faculty mentorship, two Slippery Rock University students are advancing their careers while also helping provide cleaner, more efficient systems for global water safety and the treatment of wastewater.
Rachell Lajara Flores, a junior civil engineering major from Philadelphia (First Philadelphia Prep HS), and Van Westbrook, a senior civil engineering major from Pittsburgh (Mount Lebanon HS), are conducting research into wastewater mixing, particularly how easily different disinfectants move through infected water. This research is being conducted under the close mentorship of Sajad Hamidi, associate professor of engineering. Funding for this research came from a $1,500 grant from SRU’s Student Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Grant Program.
The project, titled ‘Experimental Validation of Computational Models for Water and Wastewater Mixing,’ led Lajara Flores and Westbrook to devise a scaled-down model of a sewage treatment plant using small gravel as a disinfectant, seeing how well it mixes into the system and what speed is optimal to ensure sanitation in all circumstances.
“This work is important because of our need for clean water,” said Westbrook. “When you’re able to find the optimal mixing process, you can make sewage go faster, which means systems can take more wastewater during things like storms or instances of low electrical power without getting overloaded.”
Lajara Flores drew attention to the importance of wastewater treatment for public health and safety.
“Sewage treatment is something that is needed everywhere,” she explained. “In improving the systems we use, we can make the world safer and healthier for everyone.”
SRU civil engineering majors take classes on fluid mechanics and water management in their junior and senior years, while Westbrook is currently in a storm water management class that is helping him with the project. As a junior, Lajara Flores, hadn’t yet taken any classes of this nature when the project began, so she was able to use this experience to not only take advantage of what she’d learned in her engineering classes thus far, but also to get her feet wet in this new area of study.
This project also allowed Lajara Flores and Westbrook to begin to establish themselves in the world of water resource engineering, a discipline that they both intend to pursue after graduation.
“In engineering, hands-on experience like this is invaluable,” Lajara Flores said. “It gives you a solid practical knowledge base before you get on the job.”
Westbrook spoke to the importance of research projects like this for expanding upon what students learn in the classroom.
“Classes are a great way to learn about a really broad area of knowledge,” Westbrook said. “But you only have 15 weeks to learn about a topic. So, opportunities like this are great for more in-depth learning, especially if it’s a topic you’re interested in.”
More information about the civil engineering at SRU can be found on the program webpage.
