Mo(Wa)2TER

Modernizing Water and Wastewater Treatment through Data Science Education and Research

Data Science

Data science is a new field that combines mathematics, computer science, and statistics with the goal of answering questions and discovering new information from data. Joint with Colorado School of Mines, the National Science Foundation has funded the MoWaTER program, which contains two primary parts—a novel, introductory data science course and an undergraduate summer research program. These will be designed to motivate students early in their academic studies to pursue careers in data science by connecting them with authentic projects and stakeholders.

Industry of Water and Wastewater Treatment

The data-rich industry of water and wastewater treatment (W/WWT) will provide an extensive portfolio of tractable projects. Although data are easy to collect and abundant in the W/WWT industry, methods of monitoring, maintenance, and sensor calibration lag behind the state-of-the-art. This project will produce the next generation of data scientists who are ready to fill “mid-level” data science positions and will help W/WWT facility operators reduce costs and improve water quality by utilizing the information in their data.