May 2013
3 posts
WHEN I HAVE A GOOD DAY IN LAB
whatshouldwecallgradschool:
credit: Sam
Right now, science and I are not BFFs. I need to have one of these days soon. Yogi Berra said “you can’t think and hit at the same time”. At some point, and in some ways I think this can be said of lab work, too.
April 2013
2 posts
2 tags
A path to smarter sanitation: Mathew Lippincott
tedx:
In an ever-changing world, the basic design of the toilet remains unchanged. Through a humorous critique of this “antique device”, Mathew Lippincott asks us to think a little harder about how society deals with the problems of sanitation. (Filmed at TEDxConcordiaUPortland)
Each week, we choose four of our favorite talks, highlighting just a few of the enlightening speakers from the...
October 2012
2 posts
4 tags
Green Latrine Wins Business Innovation Award →
Last night, our research team won first prize in the MinutePitch competition component of the UMass Innovation Challenge. We pitched our Green Latrine technology and sanitation-as-a-business model to a panel of judges, in competition with 33 other teams from the university. I am proud of our team for their hard work on this. I think I speak for all of them when I say that it...
5 tags
The Green Latrine treats waste, protects health,... →
September 2012
5 posts
3 tags
Bench-Scale Assessment of Ferrate Pre-Oxidation
Many small drinking water systems are at a comparative disadvantage due to their size (e.g., limited financial and human resources), and sometimes due to their remote location. The challenge in meeting emerging regulations can be a formidable one. The objective of this research is to test the ability of ferrate oxidation to solve a wide range of water quality and treatment problems faced by small...
3 tags
Green Latrine Promises Sanitation, Power →
3 tags
Regional Press Piece on UMass 'Green Latrine' →
June 2012
2 posts
2 tags
May 2012
10 posts
2 tags
2 tags
Sweating the Small Stuff
Our latrine structure is nearly complete. From the outsiders perspective we have finished. While the latrine itself is done there remains a significant amount of work related to the start-up of the microbial communities required for our fuel-cell.
For example, we need a critical mass of microbes in both the anode and cathode of the fuel cell prior to sending any waste to the system. So, we...
Pause Button
Our team has been working quite hard these past to weeks in Nyakrom and we have agreed to take a break this weekend. Friday was African Union Day, which gave us a nice long weekend.
This time off as afforded us the opprotunity to hit that important pause button, and temporarily halt the hectic and rigarous tempo of design and construction.
As is often the case, we have now begun to view...
1 tag
Mole National Park →
April 2012
4 posts
3 tags
From Fast Company: Putting Poop In Its Place →
My UMass research team is on the front lines of this challenge of reinventing the toilet. One advantage of our system is that it directly converts biomass into electrical power without the need for solar, or any other external power source. We will be taking our system out of the lab next month and into the field with a demonstration installation in rural Ghana.
4 tags
Break Out New Ideas: Water Resources Systems →
I really dig this post from my colleague on Water Resource Systems. Well done.
bernstea:
The use of water resources systems analysis has varies greatly depending on how developed a region is. Systems analysis involves a logical way of identifying and including known and potential constraints while generating and evaluating alternatives that will satisfy a single or multiple planning…
4 tags
Water is Water →
March 2012
5 posts
1 tag
From xkcd: Fun with Water Reuse →
My Green Self: Daily Bread →
mygreenself:
In light of my recent budget vs. green self dilemma, I decided that it was important to make guidelines for grocery shopping, lest the trying experience described in my post “It’s not easy being green” is repeated.
Here are two things I will commit to buying local:
Eggs
Milk
It’s a good…
From Fast Company: The Worlds Most Promising... →
I cannot say that I totally agree with this list. Some excellent companies with significant promise for growth have been left off. However, its very nice to see Fast Company continue its interest in the water sector.
1 tag
What the Water Community Can Learn from Foodies
I can’t pretend to be very into food. Take one look in my kitchen, quickly notice the only thing in there is Kashi boxes, and you’ll know that its true. However, I have been exposed just enough in food politics to realize the environmental implications of eating local. Its a pretty simple concept, which is why I can understand it; in general, the closer to you the food your eating...
February 2012
7 posts
#Pooptricity →
My graduate school friends sometimes kid me about this project. After all, it sounds kind of funny at first - turning human waste into electricity. This is also really important stuff that has a potential to be a game-changer right at the crucial nexus of water + sanitation + energy. We have a long way to go, no question; however, if we can pull this off, or at least be the shoulders that...
My (LinkedIn) CV →
5 tags
The Life You Can Save
Last night, I finally finished Peter Singer’s ‘The Life You Can Save’ after about 6 months of off-and-on reading. I am glad that I stuck to it, because Singer’s moral argument for giving to the world’s poor is bolstered in the final chapter as he lays out a (revised) giving plan that would enable the Millenium Development Goals (MGDs) to be easily met. In fact,...
5 tags
Stricter Regulations for New England WWTPs
Regulatory agencies throughout New England are promulgating regulations of increasing stringency on nutrient limits for wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Ultimately, total organic carbon (TOC) is beginning to be used as a regulated parameter in wastewater. This is a major paradigm shift, as TOC is previously only been used in a drinking water context. It is viewed by...
4 tags
UMass Water Resources and Environmental... →
I have been taking classes and doing research at UMass since September 2011. It is one of the premier water engineering programs in the US, and I feel fortunate to be a part of their excellent work.
3 tags
Water For People →
Water For People is a fantastic non-profit dedicated to empowering communities to break the cycle of water-poverty. I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to lead three different project teams to site in Malawi and West Bengal to monitor and assess work supported by Water For People.
