Personal Narrative: My Ceramic Filter

I felt like I was doing something wrong as I was going to the basement of the Ocean and Meteorology in the dark to dose my bio-sand filter and check on my ceramic filter. Weeks were spent talking, planning and designing two point of use water filtration systems that would feasible in a developing country. I was spending my Friday night inspecting, dosing, and hoping my handmade bio-sand would form a microbial layer necessary for the filter to work and checking on the flow rate of my ceramic filter. My excitement could not be contained as trial tests were done and the e-coli and coliform bacteria counts came out as undetectable after the water went through the filtration system. This was the first time in college I had the opportunity to do
I had the privilege of taking a small research based class with Dr. Jepson that focused on environmental justice. A part of this course we took a field trip to areas around Houston where petroleum oil industry was negatively effecting the health of citizens in low income neighborhoods. My class was able to talk to local leaders in the communities who were fighting for the health of their neighborhoods. I wrote my research paper of a high school that was a quarter mile from two factories and the students experienced significant health problems because of the proximity. As a part of the class Dr. Jepson talked about how culture can impact public health. She would also talk about how her research in water crisis along the Texas-Mexico border. She inspired me and helped shape my interest on how environmental policy can affect public health and how culture can negatively affect public health. As a part of my research project comparing water filtration systems. I sought external help and ended up working with Dr. Boulanger in the Environmental Engineering department. He taught me how to make ceramic filters using clay and organic material. I learned from him and was inspired by his work of taking ceramic filter to Haiti. Dr. Boulanger helped shaped my interest in technology that can provide clean water to at risk
It has been interesting to work with farmers in Mills River to protect their drinking water from sediment run off, erosion and other environmental pollutants. I knew the regulatory side of public drinking water, but it has been good to understand the community perspective as well. Combining this experience with my time at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, I feel like I have learned both sides of caring for a community’s drinking water