DLA Faculty Research Sharing

Rhino-Hippo See-Saw, 6′ x 6′ x 2′, Stoneware and Mixed Media, 2006

Rhino and Oxpecker

Caracal, 2006, stoneware and mixed media, 32", 2006

 

Irwin Creek Community Center, Charlotte, NC

Pitcher plant for NCZP. 

Owens Daniels is creating five murals with images and words for Present Absence, an inclusive public art project commemorating Kate Bitting Reynolds Memorial Hospital. Nurses depicted in the murals include Jesse Watson (left) and Jacqueline Howell. Project Directed by Betsy Towns.

National Science Foundation Planning Grant to

Explore Public Awareness, Acceptance of

Sustainable Sanitation Solutions

Awardees TERC and UNCSA to assemble interdisciplinary teams to collect feedback on human

waste management

Fresh water flush toilets that rely on sewage treatment plants or septic systems are the norm in

the U.S. Yet challenges posed by aging infrastructure, climate change and resource availability

mean the U.S. may need to rethink the systems that allow people to flush and forget.

Leaders at TERC, a STEM education research and development non-profit, along with faculty

from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) and Pepperdine University,

will collaborate on a planning grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF- 2427679 )

Responsible Design, Development and Deployment of Technologies (NSF ReDDDoT)

program to explore preferences, patterns, and priorities related to the public acceptance of

sustainable systems for human waste management.

Nickolay Hristov, Senior Scientist at TERC and UNCSA Professor Betsy Towns have assembled

an interdisciplinary team including city officials, community organizers, scientists, environmental

experts, educators and communication designers to expand understanding of the challenges

and opportunities around waste and wastewater treatment.

Collectively, experts in sustainability, design, public service, communication, business and

STEM education will add to the scant research on the public’s acceptance of sustainable

sanitation solutions.

Martha Merson, a science communicator at TERC, said, “We seek to identify measures that will

increase trust and understanding among scientists and the public, foster engagement versus

repulsion with regard to the topic of human waste disposal, and understand concerns about

alternative waste technology.”

Towns pointed out that, “We can learn from the rural population and recreational river users in

North Carolina, who have had to make do with suboptimal sanitation solutions, as well as from

city officials in Winston Salem who work to sustain and improve traditional systems.”

Sustainable marketing expert and participating researcher Jolie Gutentag of Pepperdine

University will consult on methods. Gutentag notes, “The goal is to be inclusive of many

perspectives early stages in the design process.”

This sentiment is echoed by Tatiana Schreiber, Social Research Director at Rich Earth Institute

and project advisor, who has found conversations with scientists, regulators, and the public key

to understanding needs, ideas, and recommendations. Such conversations have helped their

organization implement urine capture for fertilizer on nearby farms.

  

“Our objective is to pinpoint the values and preferences of diverse North Carolina residents and

engage various members of the community in designing innovative approaches,” Gutentag said.

The research team will document its approach to introducing alternative technological solutions

to prospective users.

About NSF ReDDDoT

The NSF ReDDDoT program is a collaboration with philanthropic partners and

crosses all disciplines of science and engineering. The program seeks to ensure

ethical, legal, community and societal considerations are embedded in the lifecycle

of technology's creation and use. The program supports research, implementation

and education projects involving multi-sector teams that focus on the responsible

design, development or deployment of technologies. Learn more about ReDDDoT.

"I can see in the acorn the oak tree. I see the growth, the rebuilding, the restoring. I see that is the American psyche. There is so much we can draw understanding from. One of the lessons is the development of courage. Because without courage, you can't practice any of the other virtues consistently." May Angelou

“The night-soil men can see a bird walking in trees. It isn't a bird. It is a woman who has removed her skin and is on her way to drink the blood of her secret enemies. It is a woman who has left her skin i a corner of a house made out of wood. It is a woman who is reasonable and admires honeybees in the hibiscus.” ― Jamaica Kincaid, At the Bottom of the River