Rowan University - Waterworks: Developing the New Generation of
Workforce for Water and Wastewater Utilities
INTRODUCTION
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) authorized the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to award grants
to nonprofit professional or service organizations,
nonprofit labor organizations, nonprofit community
colleges, institutions of higher education, or other
nonprofit training and educational institutions to (1)
assist in the development and use of innovative activities
relating to water workforce development and career
opportunities in the drinking water and wastewater utility
sector, and (2) expand public awareness about drinking
water and wastewater utilities and to connect individuals
to careers in the drinking water and wastewater utility
sector.
A total of 10 organizations were recently selected by EPA
to receive grant funding under this program. EPA has
developed Fact Sheets on each of these projects that
includes the language from the grant submission.
To learn more about the range of activities EPA is
undertaking to support our Nation's water workforce,
please go to Sustainable Water Infrastructure-Water
Sector Workforce.
PROJECT OBJECTIVES
The primary goal of the Waterworks proposal is to
foster awareness about employment opportunities in
the drinking water and wastewater utilities workforce
via K-12 educational programming. In addition to
developing, piloting, and implementing both hands-on
and virtual educational activities to inform students
and educators about the critical roles that members
of the water and wastewater workforce have in their
communities, the proposed project will provide linkages
to employment opportunities in the water and wastewater
utility workforces. We strive to cultivate and construct an
everlasting pipeline connecting diverse members of our
nation's youth to employment opportunities. Inside the
confines of the classroom, K-12 students receive little to
no exposure to what comprises the water and wastewater
workforce and what these essential workers do on a
daily basis. At secondary and higher education levels,
students often struggle to translate concepts from their
coursework to real-life practice. Our current generation of
youth is the most technologically savvy to date; as such,
they have much to contribute to the drinking water and
wastewater utilities sectors given the greater likelihood
of integration of technology in the optimization of various
processes.
MAJOR ACTIVITIES
A series of educational modules that comprise
Waterworks; each module provides capacity to students
to explore various career opportunities within the water
workforce. Waterworks is comprised of 1)WaterM0BILE,
2)WaterPAL, 3)WaterTALK, and 4)WaterCAVE.
0 WaterMOBILE provides an experience for students
to receive hands-on experience about the engineering
and science behind water utilities via interaction with a
4-wheeled bin that is easily steered into classrooms.
0 WaterPAL is an innovative mobile app that provides
educators with access to learning modules and
students with access to learning modules and students
with access to a game in which they can virtually live
through a day in a water worker's shoes
0 WaterTALK consists of activities that integrate
remote sensing technology and teach the core
principles of data collection ad analytics.
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https://www. rowan, edu/
0 Finally, WaterCAVE immerses students
in a virtually reality experience in which they
can walk through simulated water utilities
and learn how they are endangered by
extreme weather events, such as storms and
floods, that are predicted to be exacerbated
by the looming climate crisis. Collectively,
Waterworks provides K-12 students
and educators structured educational
programming that will increase awareness
and knowledge of opportunities in the water
and wastewater utilities sector.
PARTNERS
201 Mullica Hill Rd,
Glassboro, NJ 08028
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££3
KauserJahan
Program Manager
Jahan@rowan.edu
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OUTCOMES
Hana Abate
EPA Project Officer
abate.hana@epa.gov
0 Engage K-12 students (Grades 5-12) via
innovative educational programming about
opportunities in the water and wastewater
utilities sectors
0 Increase awareness and knowledge about
the water workforce among K-12 students
0 Support teachers and students in
exploring and understanding the crucial role
members of the water workforce play in the
daily lives of their communities
0 integrate Waterworks programming into
K-12 curricula at the LEAP Academy High
School and Camden Charter High School as
well as recruit other interested K-12 schools
0 Develop digital and print multimedia
to ensure transferability of programming
for implementation in other geographically
diverse areas of the U.S.
0 Serve as a national model for other
undergraduate institutions in integrating
Waterworks programming in K-12 education
0 Increase the participation of students
from underrepresented populations in the
water and wastewater utilities sectors
Waterworks marks an innovative partnership
between Rowan University, Camden City School
District (CCSD), and other established organiza-
tions in Camden to educate posterity about their
future opportunities so that they are empowered
to take responsibility for the well-being of not only
themselves but also their community members
Partners include:
0 CCSD
0 American Water
0 The Camden County Municipal Utilities
Authority (CCMUA)
0 The South Jersey Land & Water Trust
(SJLWT).
0 The Atlantic City Utilities Authority (ACUA)
has also been selected as an
external partner to test the transferability of
the Waterworks programming.
Rowan O
University
American Water
Atlantic County Utilities Authority
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