NSF-IRES: Water Quality, Sanitation, and Climate Change Research in Ghana
Project implemented 2024-2026
This project engages US undergraduate and graduate students across STEM disciplines, including geosciences, environmental sciences, social sciences, and engineering, in high-impact water quality, sanitation, and climate change research in Cape Coast, Ghana, West Africa.
Student research activities address three major themes:
- Onsite sanitation effects on coastal groundwater quality
- Effects of sea level rise on coastal groundwater quality\
- Citizen science.
The project is executed in collaboration with faculty and students from Shippensburg University, University of South Florida, and the University of Cape Coast, Ghana, as well as teachers and students in a local high school in Cape Coast, Ghana, giving US students important interdisciplinary, real-world problem-solving, and collaborative skills, as they experience first-hand the critical water and sanitation challenges in a developing country.
Through their interactions with local researchers and communities, the students gain further gain knowledge of the social-cultural underpinnings that complicate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) challenges in the developing world and how to propose solutions from a global context.
This project also targets to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in international STEM research and enhance their standing in STEM disciplines.
Additional Project Information
This project involves recruiting 15 motivated and high-achieving students (5 per year) over the 3-year project period and engaging them in international water and sanitation research in Ghana. Participants are recruited during the spring semester of each year following a rigorous selection process. Each cohort of participants will undergo four sets of activities: pre-departure online training (1 week), onsite pre-research activities in Cape coast, Ghana (3 days), 5 weeks of research activities in Ghana, and post-travel activities at USF (4 days).
Online training sessions will focus on the theories of in-situ and laboratory water quality investigations, onsite sanitation systems, climate change/sea level rise, and an orientation on matters related to students’ travel abroad. The pre-research activities in Ghana will include basic hands-on lab training so that the IRES participants get the basic skills needed for their field work. Post project activities will include report writing and presentation of their study findings, and reflections on their international experience. Students will be mentored by Ship, USF, and UCC faculty throughout their involvement in the project.
Financial Support
The program provides funding for US students’ international travel, local travel, and housing during their stay in Ghana. Selected students will each receive a food allowance and a $2,000 stipend.
Research
The IRES students will work collaboratively with UCC faculty and students to examine the effects of onsite sanitation and saltwater intrusion on groundwater quality. The team will also collaborate with teachers and their students at a local high school on citizen science activities.
Application
Applicants must submit a resume with the application. All applications and inquiries are handled through our website. Please direct all inquiries to the program administrator.
Mentors
Mentors include faculty from Shippensburg University, University of South Florida, and University of Cape Coast.
NSF-IRES Research FAQs
Please review the FAQ's before contacting the project leaders or mentors.