Water UCI participates in the UCI School of Social Ecology Field Study Program by hosting undergraduate UCI Social Ecology students at the center where they connect with industry leaders and conduct interdisciplinary water research.  If you are a Social Ecology student interested in working with Water UCI for your Field Study, please contact Professor David Feldman (feldmand@uci.edu). Check out some of our student’s projects below!

Field Study is designed to provide students with the opportunity to:

• synthesize current and prior academic work to address an issue identified in the course of your fieldwork
• record and analyze field observations in relation to a theoretical question, professional pathway or social issue
• communicate your analysis orally and in writing

Other Notable Projects

PFAS Project

The PFAS project focuses on residential contributions of discharged PFAS compounds to wastewater, and this project was initiated by the Water UCI Industry-University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC). Dr. Adeyemi Adeleye, an assistant professor at UCI’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the project’s Principal Investigator, has been conducting water quality research responding to pressing needs in local communities in collaboration with four water agencies: Orange County Water District, Irvine Ranch Water District, Santa Margarita Water District, and Moulton Niguel Water District. 

Additional support is provided by other agencies in the Inland Empire Utilities Agency, and we greatly appreciate the substantial contribution from the Orange County Sanitation District, including wastewater samples. This research also involves the investigation of UCI faculty and student researchers.

Rachio Project

Description: UCI Social Ecology student will compile an initial list of factors for review by Rachio and MNWD.  Potential factors include: number of zones, or total square footage of all zone, types of sensors attached: flow, weather or rain, user zone settings, including when or if user uses default settings or actual data, the type of schedule used (Fixed, Seasonal Shift on/off, Flex Daily or Flex Monthly), time of day schedule is running,  level of manual intervention, actual location and relationship to each other or climate zone that could be impacting weather forecast inputs, and user profiles

“Anteaters in Water”

Description: This event marks the first gathering of the Water UCI Leadership Board, “Anteaters in Water,” and Dr. David L. Feldman, the Director of Water UCI. The purpose of this event is to enhance networking opportunities in providing the chance to interact with a diverse group of water experts, including researchers, scientists, engineers, local water district directors, managers, environmental consultants, and urban planners, all of whom are integral figures in the Southern California Water Industry.