P ER S PECTIVES / NE WS IN BR I EF
O F N OTE
SUN POWERS WATER WORK Environmental scientists use solar panels to evaluate southeast Ohio water quality tudents, staff, and faculty at Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs have been developing a technology allowing for simpler, longer-term water quality testing in the field since 2013. Now, that technology is seeing its first real-world application. The goal of the new technology has been to utilize solar panels to power instruments that analyze water quality. The use of solar panels represents an advance from traditional, battery-powered systems that have a shorter life. In addition, the instruments use a new communications network that can transfer data wirelessly in remote areas. This improves both the frequency and efficiency of data collection, compared to conventional manual processes. “Using solar panels allows us to keep the technology in the field for longer periods,” says Sebastian Teas, a recent graduate of the Master of Science in Environmental Studies program who worked on the technology for most of his time at the Voinovich School. “In contrast to the other technologies that are available, we can collect the data digitally, rather than bringing the equipment back to campus.” Nora Sullivan, an environment specialist with the Voinovich School, hopes that the technology, which allows for continual water monitoring, will eventually be capable of remote data transmission such that it will require very little maintenance in the field. This would allow it to alert people very quickly when water quality declines, as well as allowing for the system’s practical application in inaccessible or remote locations. The project—which has received support from the
.04 / PE R S P E C T IV E S
THE PROJECT HAS RECEIVED SUPPORT FROM THE STATE AND THE UNIVERSITY’S
1804 FUND + INNOVATION STRATEGY PROGRAM
university’s 1804 Fund and Innovation Strategy program, as well as state funding—is still in its early stages. Two monitoring devices are in use within southeast Ohio, with two additional devices awaiting deployment. The collected data could contribute to a broad array of future research, but is currently supplementing another project, funded by the Sugar Bush Foundation, on injection wells. The study seeks to assess the impact of hydraulic fracturing wastewater injection on water quality near Torch, Ohio. Working with community organizations, researchers share the results of the study with residents and community members. They simultaneously facilitate trainings and workshops designed to help the community understand and communicate scientific information while navigating
TESTING, TESTING
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Sebastian Teas, a recent graduate of the Master of Science in Environmental Studies program, uses a creek on the Ohio University campus to test a new system designed to improve water quality monitoring.