USF Students Lead Water, Sanitation, and Education Initiatives
The Ghana Project, now in its second year, is an innovative, NSF-funded research initiative that immerses students in real-world water and sanitation challenges in Cape Coast, Ghana. Over three years, the project recruits 15 motivated students (five per year) from STEM, STEM education, public health, and social sciences. They conduct multidisciplinary research alongside faculty from the 杏吧性世界 (USF), Shippensburg University (SU), and the University of Cape Coast (UCC).
Participants engage in a rigorous program: one week of pre-departure online training, three days of on-site preparation in Ghana, five weeks of field research, and post-travel reporting meetings and presentations. Research activities focus on developing, testing, and implementing solutions. Student research activities addressed three major themes:
- On-site sanitation effects on coastal groundwater quality
- Effects of sea level rise on coastal groundwater quality
- Citizen science
Furthermore, students worked directly with local schools, helping to educate pupils about the impacts of climate change鈥攑articularly saltwater intrusion鈥攐n water quality.
The project is co-led by Dr. Kebreab Ghebremichael, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Patel College of Global Sustainability and Professor of Instruction. His water and wastewater treatment expertise has been instrumental in designing the research framework. He works alongside USF and UCC faculty to mentor students through each project phase. The goal is to ensure they gain the technical skills and the cultural understanding needed to make a lasting impact.
鈥淥ur goal with the Ghana Project is not just to give students research experience, but to prepare them to become global problem-solvers,鈥� said Dr. Ghebremichael. 鈥淏y working in the field, engaging with local communities, and collaborating with international partners, students gain the skills, empathy, and perspective they need to address complex sustainability challenges anywhere in the world.鈥�
A Doctoral Student鈥檚 Perspective: Leading Through Education
One of this year鈥檚 participating doctoral students, Rachel Cacace, brought a unique perspective as an educator. Before departure, she shared her excitement:
I am excited to travel somewhere new and work with students in another country. We鈥檒l collect and analyze data in the field while working with local school students. I鈥檓 most excited to learn about Ghana's education system and connect with students through hands-on science activities.
Rachel Cacace
Rachel is pursuing a PhD in Curriculum and Instruction in Science Education and a graduate certificate in eLearning design and development at the University of South Florida. With a background in science education, curriculum design, and teacher training, she played a pivotal role in developing the instructional materials used in the project. She hoped to deepen her understanding of Ghana鈥檚 educational system and environmental concerns while gaining insights to inform future teacher training programs back in Florida.
Once in Ghana, her role evolved into leading the education initiative. She coordinated ten mentors鈥攗niversity graduates from science and engineering fields鈥攚ho each guided small groups of high school students through the research process. Her leadership involved organizing materials, briefing mentors before each session, ensuring smooth classroom activities, and adapting plans based on feedback from mentors.
Reflecting on the experience, she said:
鈥淭he project exceeded my expectations. While I didn鈥檛 have my own group of students, I strengthened my leadership skills by mentoring the mentors. I reminded them that, for many of the students, this was their first time conducting a research project. It was rewarding to see the students design experiments, write reports, and present their work with pride.鈥�
A Civil & Environmental Engineering Graduate Student鈥檚 Perspective: Learning from Infrastructure
Another participant, Camille Kima, a graduate student pursuing a PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering with a concentration in international development, joined the project with a longstanding interest in global sustainability.
I was inspired to apply for the Ghana IRES Fellowship because I wanted to gain hands-on experience doing water quality research internationally. On campus, my main area of research is drinking water treatment, so I hoped to better understand the challenges associated with drinking water treatment in developing countries.
Camille Kima
The experience offered him valuable insights into the intersection of infrastructure and society.
鈥淥ne big lesson was in seeing how certain kinds of infrastructure鈥攁nd at times, a lack thereof鈥攃an have far-reaching impacts on a society. For example, we saw how a lack of a centralized drainage network contributed to surface runoff of water and likely increased groundwater contamination. It was also great to learn how to validate experiments in a different context, with different kinds of equipment available for use. There really is no substitute for working in a very different context and trying to overcome very different challenges; one learns a lot in this process.鈥�
Building Global Problem-Solvers
By the project鈥檚 conclusion, the students in Ghana had not only learned the science behind saltwater intrusion but also gained valuable experience in research, teamwork, and presentation skills. The mentors, too, left with a deeper appreciation for the patience, adaptability, and encouragement that education requires.
The Ghana Project continues to be a powerful example of how international research partnerships can address urgent global challenges while fostering leadership, cross-cultural understanding, and the next generation of change-makers.
