Students interested in being involved with WaTER can do so in a number of ways:
The WaTER Center strives to educate the Norman and OU communities about the global need for improved drinking water security and sanitation through events such as the WaTER Symposium and the K-12 Clean Water Poster Contest.
We believe that an interdisciplinary approach is necessary to finding sustainable solutions to the global water crisis. Furthermore, traditional models do not always provide the best preparation for the challenges of working in the field.
Undergraduate students interested in the WaTER Center's work should:
The course is offered through the Price College of Business and uses water related and other local and international problems to teach students about social entrepreneurship. The course gives students an understanding of how social ventures work to blend often disparate goals; how and why entrepreneurs successfully combine purpose and personal passion in business; and how vision and values are embedded into organizational culture. Prerequisite: student must be approved for degree candidacy in Price College of Business.
Honors 2973 Honors Perspectives - WaTER for Health, Education, Development and Peace. This course brings together honors students from disciplines across campus to study the factors trapping the world's poorest people in "The Bottom Billion," the importance of water and sanitation to bringing health, education and development to "The Bottom Billion," and the social, cultural, economic and political challenges to doing so.
Prerequisite: permission of Honors College.
Additional courses teaching engineering principles related to water and sanitation are available through the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science at OU.
ENGR 4510G Sustainable Development in Emerging Regions: WaTER Field Methods. Many health problems can be ameliorated by simple drinking water and sanitation systems, making life more comfortable for millions of people across the globe. This course is a hands-on practicum covering skills necessary for construction and implementation of water and sanitation projects in developing countries. Course modules are chosen to reflect the typical projects and types of skills needed by development workers in organizations such as Peace Corps, USAID, Engineers Without Borders, and other NGO’s. The emphasis will be on technologies that are appropriate to and sustainable in emerging regions.
The course will meet 6 hours per day for a 3-week period (May Intersession) and will consist of both fieldwork (80-90%) and classroom time (10-20%). Open to all majors. Prerequisite: junior standing or permission of instructor.
This course is offered each fall for both graduate and undergraduate students. The course offers students knowledge about engineering solutions for water and sanitation issues in developing regions around the world. A practical field guide text book, case studies, journal articles, group discussions and hands-on projects are all utilized.
Prerequisite: 2223 or 2323 or equivalent or permission of instructor.
