Water: Systems, Science, and Society (WSSS) Program

Water is something many people don't really think about. Most of the time, we turn the faucet, showerhead, or washing machine on and off and blissfully go about our day. Ana Martha Fernandes, a civil and environmental engineering graduate student, is not one of these people.

As a graduate student, Fernandes spent last summer in Jamaica researching septage disposal and treatment procedures and currently serves as the research assistant for Tufts University's new Water: Systems, Science, and Society (WSSS) program. WSSS addresses the depth of water-related issues through a series of core classes, interdisciplinary, problem-focused research projects, crosscutting seminars, field research opportunities, interdisciplinary professional experiences, and skill workshops.

The program is a collaborative effort involving the Tufts School of Engineering, School of Arts and Sciences, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Medical School, Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and the School of Veterinary Medicine, and students like Fernandes earn degrees through their graduate departments while fulfilling their WSSS requirements. Commenting on the interdisciplinary approach of the program, School of Medicine Assistant Professor Beth Rosenberg says, "There are too many aspects of water for one school or one discipline to tackle. Public health, medicine, engineering, international relations as well as agricultural, environmental, and industrial policies all involve water. WSSS gives graduate students the broad perspectives necessary to deal with the complex water problems of tomorrow."

The four WSSS core courses, in particular, help students understand the reach of water-related issues. These classes include: water resources planning and policy, the biological aspects of water, health and nutrition, systems analysis, and water science. Additionally, these courses help individuals from different disciplines communicate more effectively, a point Dr. Paul Kirshen, co-chair of WSSS and research professor in the Tufts Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, commented on in the February 2004 edition of the Tufts Journal. "One of the biggest challenges in interdisciplinary research is to speak the same language. We thought the core courses would help," said Kirshen.

Ana Martha Fernandes experienced the benefits of these classes while she was in Jamaica. During her summer research, which was supported by the Tufts Institute of the Environment (TIE) and the Boston Society of Civil Engineers's John R. Freeman Fund, she gathered information on the types of septage disposal and treatment systems used in one of the 14 parishes in the country as well as the community's interest in and willingness to be part of a new regional option for wastewater solids disposal. From the outset of this research (which she plans to continue in Jamaica this winter), Fernandes has relied on what she learned in class. For example, the course she took in integrated water resources management broadened her understanding of the environmental, economic, and political influences surrounding her work. "Having a background in integrated water resources management has helped me to stop and consider all sides of the wastewater problem in Jamaica. "It's easy, as an engineer, to overlook many of the social and political facets of a problem, but considering the proximity of the system to local schools and hospitals is just as important as choosing an appropriate engineering treatment system," says Fernandes.

Richard Vogel, a civil and environmental engineering professor and WSSS faculty member, recognizes the real world applications of the program as well, adding that it is "responding to a real societal need to provide a broad education for future leaders in the field of water. Students become aware of issues such as the increasing number of wars and conflicts that arise due to water, the health implications of what is often considered to be a 'clean' water supply, and the challenges facing developing and developed countries in managing their water resources."

To learn more about the Water: Systems, Science, and Society (WSSS) Ph.D. and MA/MS programs, go to www.tufts.edu/water or contact either Dr. Paul Kirshen (Co-Chair) at paul.kirshen@tufts.edu, 617-627-5589 or Dr. Beatrice Rogers (Co-Chair) of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at beatrice.rogers@tufts.edu, 617-636-3703.