Water: Engineering, Economics, Science, Society Collaborative

Welcome

Water is the defining issue of this century and the University of Rhode Island is the place to study all aspects of water science, technology, economics and policies.

Faculty from four URI colleges (College of the Environment and Live Sciences, College of Engineering, College of Art and Sciences, and the Graduate School of Oceanography) collaborate in a strongly interdisciplinary research program known as “Water: Engineering, Economics, Science, and Society” or simply Water:E2S2. By bridging natural and social sciences, engineering, economic development and outreach activities, we have effectively integrated the theme of “water” into the URI curriculum and can offer attractive global collaboration and education opportunities for URI students and faculty.

The strong multi-disciplinary and global focus Water:E2S2 reflects the complex nature of environmental problems and the need for interdisciplinary collaboration to address global water problems via cost-effective and socially acceptable solutions. Our graduates profit from the exposure to science, engineering and economics by gaining competencies beyond conventional Water curricula. As a result, our graduates easily find employment in a wide variety of environmental professions.

Representative Research Topics:

Environmental Hydrogeology: Fate and Transport of Contaminants
Innovative groundwater treatment technologies
- Advanced in-situ oxidation
- Chemically enhanced flushing
International water supply and management
Stormwater quality and management
Water at the nexus of food and energy
Watershed quantity and quality modeling
Climate-Water-Health nexus in Megacities
Economics of water resources
Policies of water resources management
Water environment and endemic disease burden
Sustainable water treatment technologies
Remote sensing-based water quantity and quality monitoring
Pollution assessment in atmospheric and marine environments

EDUCATION – Focus Water

URI offers over 25 undergraduate/graduate courses related to the topic of “Water” and an about equal number of closely related courses. We also offer a Graduate Certificate in Hydrology which is intended for working professionals who seek to enhance their work skills and graduate students preparing for a future career in the field of “water”. For undergraduate students we offer the Global Water Studies minor which offers an opportunity for students to explore ecosystem interactions of water, remediation strategies of polluted water, policy and economics of water, and to better understand the linkages between water, landscape and climate. URI also offers an
Environmental Engineering minor which is open to all engineering students.

: Riverbank filtration well in Jordan

: Testing water in Jordan

: Monitoring well water quality

: Installing a drinking water well pump

: Searching for a field site along a river in Goa India