1. Cover Page
1. Program Title Michigan Tech-UNISON Linkage: Training a Core of Water
Resources Experts
2. Proposed lead partner institution in Mexico Universidad de Sonora, Hermosillo,
Sonora
3. Proposed lead partner institution in the United States Michigan Technological
University, Houghton, Michigan
4. Proposed Mexican Partnership Co-Directors:
Name Ing. Jose Luis Garcia Ruiz
Title Program Coordinator for Mobility, Exchange and Academic Cooperation
Address Blvd. Luis Encinas y Rosales, Col. Centro, Hermosillo, Sonora C.P. 83000
Telephone 6622-592104 Fax 6622-139299 E-mail jgarcia@guaymas.uson.mx
Name Dr. Enrique Fernando Velazquez Contreras
Title Academic Secretary Address Blvd. Luis Encinas y Rosales, Col. Centro,
Hermosillo, Sonora C.P. 83000 Telephone 6622-592104 Fax 6622-139299 E-mail
evzquez@guaymas.uson.mx
5. Proposed U.S. Partnership Co-Directors:
Name Dr. Alex S. Mayer
Title Associate Professor Address Department of Geological Engineering and
Sciences, 1400 Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931 Telephone 906-487-3372 Fax
906-487-3371 E-mail asmayer@mtu.edu
Name Dr. Bruce Barna
Title Associate Professor Address Department of Chemical Engineering, 1400
Townsend Drive, Houghton, MI 49931 Telephone 906-487-2569 Fax 906-487-3213
E-mail bbarna@mtu.edu
6. Funds requested of USAID US$ 299,860
7. Matching funds from all non-USAID sources US$ 487,182
8. Other partners (e.g., NGOs, private sector, public sector, other university
programs, etc.)
9. Goal and objectives of the program The primary goal of the project is to train
professionals in water resources via MS degree programs. We will train at least four
MS students and place them in public and private positions in the state of Sonora that
are relevant to water resources decision-making. Michigan Tech will sustain the
program by offering PhD support for a minimum of one additional student from the
MS program. The PhD student will join the UNISON faculty upon completion of the
degree program.
10. Major Activities (1) Economic Development (2) Environmental Science and
Engineering (3) Information Technology (4) Agriculture
2. Summary Program Description
a. Statement of Development Problem to be Addressed
Rapid growth and development in arid and semi-arid lands in Mexico are placing a
strain on water resources. If water resources are mismanaged, water quality and quantity will
deteriorate to the point of limiting development. We are focusing on the state of Sonora,
where water quality and quantity are already compromised by a combination of agricultural
and municipal activities.
Agriculture has formed the traditional economic base of Sonora. However, in some
areas, most notably the Guaymas and Coste de Hermosillo basins, the rate of irrigation
greatly exceeds the natural recharge rate. The consequence of this imbalance is that seawater
has intruded tens of kilometers inland, rendering the overlying agricultural land useless. In
other areas, such as the Yaqui River Valley, excess water is available. Here, however,
application of agrochemicals has resulted in environmental degradation. High levels of
nitrates have been detected in groundwater and surface water. A recent, internationallyknown study suggests that the neurological development of children living in the Yaqui
River Valley has been impaired by exposure to pesticides.
In the last decade, the state of Sonora has encouraged development in other economic
bases, including mining and manufacturing. Water of appropriate quantity and quality must
be available for Sonora to attract a wide range of industries. Recently, however, several
manufacturing industries have chosen to not locate their plants in the region, due to the lack
of reliable water supplies. The city of Hermosillo has lost the potential for 140,000 jobs
associated with automotive and electronics production because of water supply problems.
Semiconductor production and other high-tech industries demand especially high purity
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water. In these cases, advanced water treatment systems must be designed, constructed and
operated.
Industrial development also carries with it the potential risk of drinking water
contamination by industrial chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, and waste materials. For
example, cyanide wastes from gold mining and extraction operations in the Sonoran
mountains threaten to severely impact the underlying groundwater. .In addition, personal
care and pharmaceutical products used by consumers can find their way into drinking water
sources. Reliable dilute, aqueous system data will be tremendously important for regulatory
support in Sonora so that allowable chemical concentration levels are set appropriately to
protect the environment without creating an unnecessary financial burden on chemical
manufacturers.
The state of Sonora also desires to expand ongoing fishing activities in the Sea of
Cortez and to further develop aquaculture industries, such as shrimp farming. To sustain
fishing, the water quality of the Sea of Cortez must be maintained, in addition to developing
forward-looking fisheries management policies. Wastewater emanating from coastal
communities must be carefully controlled. Aquaculture not only requires high water quality,
but the wastes resulting from these activities also must be carefully managed. Tourism in the
state of Sonora is almost exclusively focused on the coast of the Sea of Cortez. Sonora
enjoys a reputation for clean, swimmable beaches and a thriving deep sea-fishing business.
To sustain the touristic resources, water quality management along the coast is critical.
Management of Sonoran water resources is further complicated by U.S.-Mexico
border issues. The border between Sonora and Arizona is central to Mexico’s outstanding
maquiladora assembly-plant development. However, the extremely rapid growth of Sonoran
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border cities (San Luis Rio Colorado, Nogales, Sonora, and Agua Prieta) is straining river
and groundwater resources for local populations and industries. The maquiladoras need
supplies of pure water, but they are also in many cases significant water polluters, requiring
careful monitoring and management. The border itself presents complex scientific and
public policy water issues, since both surface and ground water cross the international
boundary; this is exemplified by the emerging binational management of the San Pedro river
which originates in Sonora (in an area of major mining industry) and flows into Arizona.
Water is stimulating important innovations in binational environmental management, as seen
in the project certification process of the Border Environmental Cooperation Commission,
including several major projects in Sonora; thus, although water is a development challenge
for Sonora, it is also an outstanding opportunity for innovation and progress.
b. Development Hypothesis
Our hypothesis is that training a new generation of bi-national, multi-disciplinary
water resources experts will result in sustainable water resources decision-making in
Sonora. The proposed training will take place in Master’s programs in Environmental,
Chemical, Geological and Civil Engineering; Environmental Policy; or Forestry at Michigan
Tech. We will offer a unique combination of technical and policy studies, so that graduates
will have a broad array of decision support skills, from design of engineered systems to
critical analysis of water policy. The training will include coursework and field experiences
in the U.S. and Mexico, through partnerships with private concerns and public agencies in
the two countries. In addition to the MS training, we will support a PhD candidate under this
program who will agree to return to the University of Sonora to educate additional students
in water resource engineering and issues. The partnership between Michigan Tech and
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UNISON builds on a decade-long relationship and established expertise in the engineering,
scientific, cultural, and political aspects of water resources management.
c. Program Goals and Objectives
The primary goal of the program is to train professionals in water resources via MS
degree programs. We will train at least four MS students and place them in public and
private positions in the state of Sonora that are relevant to water resources decision-making.
Michigan Tech will sustain the program by offering PhD support for a minimum of one
additional student from the MS program. The PhD student will join the UNISON faculty
upon completion of the degree. The development of the program will rely on state of the art
information technology, including advanced communications required for distance learning
and training in the use of geographic information systems (GIS).
Objective 1: Develop a curriculum for MS degrees with a focus on decision support and
engineering in water resources.
Objective 2: Recruit, admit, and graduate four MS students and one PhD student.
Objective 3: Place the MS students in positions in public and private concerns that are linked
to water resources development in Sonora. The PhD student is expected to join the faculty of
UNISON upon completion of the degree.
d. Program Activities or Components
Activity 1: Develop MS curriculum
We will form a bi-national committee consisting of Michigan Tech and UNISON
faculty and US and Mexican decision makers from public agencies and private concerns.
The committee will design curricula consisting of a common core of courses, set of elective
courses, and field activities. The MS curricula will fit into existing MS degree programs at
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Michigan Tech (Environmental Engineering, Geological Engineering, Chemical Engineering,
Environmental Policy, Forestry, etc.). This activity will be accompanied by coordination of
existing, advanced distance learning capabilities at Michigan Tech and UNISON.
Activity 2: Recruit, train, and place four MS students
Over the first year, we will recruit up to ten potential candidates from UNISON who
will apply to the program. The application and admission process will follow the usual
Michigan Tech graduate application procedures. We expect that out of ten recruits, we will
admit four with support under this program. UNISON agrees to seek CONACYT or other
scholarship support for those students that are accepted to the MS program but cannot be
supported with TIES funding. Upon admission, the MS students will be assigned a UNISON
and Michigan Tech advisor. The advisors will develop a coursework plan and research
project with the students. The MS coursework and research project is expected to take two
years. The UNISON program director and cooperating UNISON faculty will assist the MS
students in finding public or private concerns positions in water resources development in
Sonora. As demonstrated by our letters of support (please see appendix) a demand already
exists for these students.
Activity 3: Recruit, train, and place PhD student.
The bi-national committee described in Activity 2 will develop the PhD curriculum.
The committee, along with faculty cooperating in the program, will identify research projects
for the PhD student. The PhD curriculum will be designed to allow flexibility in residency,
such that the PhD student can conduct the majority of their work in either the US or Mexico.
We expect that this flexibility will allow students with families to participate in the program.
The Ph.D. will join the faculty of UNISON upon completion of the degree. There is a critical
need for faculty with advanced degrees at several departments at UNISON (e.g. Civil
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Engineering); the Mexican PROMEP agency has promised funding for new positions for
faculty with advanced degrees.
Activity 4: Monitoring and evaluation
Monitoring and evaluation will be provided by a bi-national committee formed
specifically for that purpose. Dr. Ronaldo Herrera U., program evaluator for CONACYT,
has agreed to serve on the committee and assist with its creation. Annual progress reports
and reviews will be conducted to guide and evaluate the progress of the project.
Activity 5: Sustaining the program beyond the project period.
Beyond the three-year project period, Michigan Tech will continue to recruit MS and
PhD students from UNISON to attend water resources-related, graduate degree programs.
The students will be funded through existing research projects at Michigan Tech and
CONACYT programs. Both UNISON and Michigan Tech will continue to interact with the
public and private concerns associated with water resources management in Sonora. The PhD
student funded in this program will be funded past the three-year project period with a
combination of assistance from the MTU graduate school and graduate research
assistantships from the cooperating departments. The PhD student will bring back to
UNISON a range of water resources technical skills that he or she can pass on to UNISION
students.
e. Rationale
The current and potential water resources problems in Sonora are serious and will
have a major impact upon future development of the State. We will generate the first wave
of professionals equipped to solve these problems by providing technical and policy support
to those responsible for making decisions on water resources. The expertise provided by
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these professionals will support decision making in the State that will affect both the city and
rural inhabitants including farmers, ranchers, industrial entrepreneurs, and tourism
developers.
f. Expected End of Program Status
A minimum of four professionals with MS degree training will be placed into positions
relevant to water resources decision making in Sonora. A PhD student will join the UNISON
faculty, where he or she will carry on the training of more MS students in water resources
decision making. Beyond the project, we also expect to continue training at Michigan Tech
for more MS students from Sonora. These students will be funded by bi-national research
programs developed during the project period.
3. Resources
a. Key Personnel
The co-directors of the program will be Dr. Alex Mayer and Dr. Bruce Barna at
Michigan Tech and Ing. Jose Luis Garcia Ruiz and Dr. Enrique Velazquez Contreras at
UNISON. Dr. Mayer has over 15 years of experience in water supply management and
cleanup of contaminated water resources. Over the last decade, Dr. Mayer has managed US
$1.8 million in research and educational projects funded by agencies such as the National
Science Foundation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S, Department of
Education. Dr. Mayer has been working with faculty and students at UNISON on saltwater
intrusion problems since 1994. Dr. Mayer played a key role in the development of
UNISON’s Master’s in Environmental Engineering program.
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Dr.Bruce Barna specializes in the design and optimization of process plants including
those for supplying high quality process water and those for waste minimization or treatment.
He has taught undergraduate and graduate level process design in chemical engineering for
over 20 years. Dr. Barna has been working with faculty and students at UNISON since 1990
on a variety of short courses, a sabbatical, research projects and equipment installations. He
is a registered professional engineer and certified wastewater treatment plant operator in the
State of Michigan.
Ing. Jose Luis Garcia R. is a Professor of Chemical Engineering at UNISON where he
has been teaching for over 20 years. He has been the Principal Investigator (Director) of two
student mobility projects supported by the Secretary of Education, SEP, (APEX 1 and
AQUA3.) Professor Garcia participated in the design and construction of the Water
Treatment Pilot Plant for the University of Sonora. . Professor Garcia has been working with
Michigan Tech since 1990 on a wide variety of projects. Most recently, he has been the
Principal Investigator (Director) of two student mobility projects supported by the Secretary
of Education, SEP, (APEX 1 and AQUA3.) These projects involved six universities, two
each from Mexico, Canada and the US. Professor Garcia participated in the design and
construction of the Water Treatment Pilot Plant for the University of Sonora. He is currently
serving as the Director of International Programs at UNISON
Dr. Enrique Velazquez C. has served as a professor in the Department of Biology at
UNISON and as a researcher in the postgraduate Department of Polymers. He has been the
Dean of Engineering and is now serving as the Academic Secretary of the University. He is
a member of the National System of Investigators of Mexico since 1998.
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In addition to Drs. Barna and Mayer, faculty from each of the cooperating
departments at Michigan Tech have been designated as coordinators and supporting faculty.
Table 1 lists the Michigan Tech faculty, their roles in the proposed in the program, and their
areas of expertise.
Table 1: Michigan Tech faculty involved in the program
Faculty
Program Role
Alex Mayer
Co-director,
Department
coordinator
Bruce Barna
Co-director,
Department
coordinator
Department
coordinator
Department
coordinator
Blair Orr
Josiah Heyman
C. Robert
Baillod
Supporting
faculty
David Watkins
Supporting
faculty
Tony Rogers
Supporting
faculty
Linda Nagel
Supporting
faculty
Mary Durfee
Supporting
faculty
Department/School
Geological
Engineering &
Sciences/Civil &
Environmental
Engineering
Chemical
Engineering
Areas of Expertise
Groundwater hydrology,
contamination and remediation,
water resources management
Process design and optimization,
waste minimization and treatment
Forestry and Wood Arid and semi-arid forestry,
Products
international program development
Social Sciences
U.S.-Mexico border relations,
Sonoran society and culture, border
industries
Civil &
Biological treatment processes,
Environmental
pollution prevention, engineering
Engineering
education
Civil &
Hydrologic modeling, water
Environmental
resources planning and management,
Engineering
decision support systems
Chemical
Environmental thermodynamics,
evaluation and prediction of
Engineering
thermophysical properties of
chemicals
Forestry and Wood Forest management, plant
Products
ecophysiology
Social Sciences
Pollution prevention policy, USCanada cooperation
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b. Key Institutions
Michigan Tech is the lead U.S. institution. MTU has four colleges: Engineering,
Business, Forestry and Arts and Sciences. The University has 44 graduate degree programs
with 20 of them offering the PhD. Total enrollment is typically around 6,600 students,
including 670 graduate students. MTU has extensive technical and sociological expertise in
water related issues. MTU also has invested heavily in distance learning facilities, remote
sensing and global mapping equipment that will be available to the project without additional
cost.
The cooperating departments listed in Table 1 offer expertise in a wide range of
technical and social aspects of water resources. Three faculty in the water resources area in
the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at Michigan Tech direct
externally funded research programs which support M.S. and Ph.D. students. Research
opportunities with Michigan Tech's water resources faculty include: application of decision
theory, optimization, and information technologies to the planning and management of water
resources systems; use of geographic information systems in hydrologic prediction and water
management; hydraulic and sediment transport modeling; characterization of multiscale
statistical properties of hydrologic variables such as rainfall and soil moisture; and the
development and use of coupled hydrologic-atmospheric models.
Faculty in the Department of Geological Engineering and Sciences (GES) conduct
research and teach in the areas of hydrology and the contamination and remediation of water
resources. Current research projects focus on new technologies for groundwater remediation,
optimization of groundwater remediation and water supply systems, watershed management,
saltwater intrusion, and groundwater flow in faulted systems.
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The Department of Chemical Engineering has managed AIChE’s DIPPR (Design
Institute for Physical Property Research) projects for over ten years and has developed the
most extensive database in the world on physical properties of dilute, aqueous systems. This
information has been crucial for numerous environmental design and policy projects related
to water. The Department also has a team of faculty investigating aqueous waste
minimization, aqueous waste treatment, pre-treatment of process water and design of high
purity water systems.
The School of Forestry and Wood Products will provide primary program support in
the area of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing, especially as they
relate to arid/semiarid lands and watersheds. These two technologies have become primary
natural resource tools in planning, analysis and decision making. This expertise can be used
in the analysis of broad watershed problems such as deforestation and land degradation,
infrastructure development, erosion and its impact on catchments, and spatial analysis of
statistical properties. Faculty within the School have worked on large watershed and
international transect projects involving multi-national teams. Expertise is available in water
relations and ecophysiology, remote sensing and GIS, landscape ecology, nutrient cycling,
impacts of pollution of vegetation, vegetation management.
MTU’s program in Environmental Policy, part of the Department of Social Sciences
(SS), involves a tightly interdisciplinary group of six faculty (political science, geography,
sociology, history, and anthropology are represented) who focus on the interface between
public participation and scientific-technical approaches to environmental issues. The
program stresses hands-on experience for students in public arenas. The program has
particular strength in binational water issues, based on our location in the Great Lakes basin.
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The University of Sonora is the lead Mexican University. UNISON is the largest
university in the State and offers 66 programs (31 undergraduate, 23 postgraduate, one
technical, seven language and four art programs) to around 30,000 students. The University
has Divisions of Engineering, Social Sciences, Biology and Health Sciences, and Earth
Sciences. UNISON also has extensive distance learning facilities that are available to the
project. One of the stated goals of the University of Sonora is to expand its offerings in
environmental and natural resources management and to increase interaction between the
various Divisions on these issues. This project has the potential to significantly contribute to
that goal. The University serves as a major resource to support regional development and is
poised to continue this role in the implementation of sustainable water resource planning and
utilization.
c. Program Budget
This project has a total budget for the three-year period of $787,042 with $299,860 of
this amount requested from USAID. This yields a cost share of 62 percent of the total or a
leverage ratio of 2.6 to 1 (total project funds to USAID investment.) To demonstrate its
strong support for the project, Michigan Tech has agreed to cost share all of the faculty time,
budgeted at 15 percent academic year (AY) release for the co-directors, 10 percent AY
release for department coordinators and 5 percent AY release for supporting faculty. A total
of four departments and nine faculty will be involved. Michigan Tech will also cost share
almost half of its indirect costs by reducing its overhead rate from the usual, approved value
of 51 percent to a value of 26 percent for this project.
Travel and supplies are budgeted at $13,900 for each of the institutions in year one to
allow for at least six person trips between the two universities. In year one, the curriculum
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will be designed and applicants to the program will be selected. Support for travel declines
in years two and three because fewer committee meetings will be required. Support for
supplies increases in years two and three, since the MS and PhD students will require
supplies related to their research projects.
Student support may begin in year one if the selection process goes as well as
expected but is actually budgeted in year two to be conservative. Support is requested for a
total of four MS candidates for years two and three including tuition at the MS rate that
applies to both resident and non-resident students at Michigan Tech. Michigan Tech also
agrees to cost share funding for a PhD student to be selected from the successful MS students
or from the faculty of UNISON. We expect this individual to return to UNISON as a faculty
member and to further expand the impact of this program.
A breakdown of the budget by activity is shown in the table below:
Activity
1: Develop MS
curriculum
2: Recruit, train, and
place four MS
students
3: Recruit, train, and
place PhD student
4: Monitoring and
evaluation**
5: Sustaining the
program beyond the
project period
Totals
USAID
funds to
MTU*
USAID
funds to
UNISON*
Michigan
Tech Cost
Share*
Total
USAID*
Total nonUSAID*
Grand
Total*
$0
$0
$251,611
$0
$251,611
$251,611
$191,756
$30,720
$0
$222,476
$0
$222,476
$21,500
$7,680
$45,970
$29,180
$45,970
$75,150
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
$0
NA
$213,256
NA
$38,400
NA
$297,581
NA
$251,656
NA
$297,581
NA
$549,237
*The costs in this table are direct costs only
**Monitoring and evaluation by binational committee will be conducted as in-kind cost share.
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4. Collaborative Partnership Approach
a. Rationale for Collaboration
The rationale for collaboration on this project stems from:
a. a history of interaction between the two institutions
b. a severe need, in the State of Sonora, for the technologists, educators and
infrastructure that will result from the project.
c. major strengths at Michigan Tech in the area of water utilization, treatment,
purification and management and a strong desire to assist with this project.
The University of Sonora, UNISON, and Michigan Technological University, MTU,
have been developing a strong relationship for several years now. Informal interactions
began in 1990 with collaboration between B. Barna at MTU and J. Garcia at UNISON. In
1992 the relationship was formalized with the negotiation of a cooperative agreement
between the two Universities. Modest support by FOMES ($9,000) provided for some
faculty exchange and several short courses taught at UNISON.
In 1995 the presidents of each University decided to increase the interactions between
the two universities and each provided $20,000 in seed money and negotiated a Joint
Agreement describing the types of joint ventures that they wanted to encourage. This
agreement fostered a wide variety of interactions including three sabbaticals (B. Barna and
A. Mayer to UNISON and J. Garcia R. to Michigan Tech) several student exchanges
(UNISON students to MTU for PhD and MS in chemical engineering, MTU graduate student
to UNISON to conduct MS research on pilot scale equipment and MTU undergraduate
student to UNISON to work on process simulation), several short courses taught by MTU
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faculty at UNISON, a visit of the president and provost of UNISON to MTU and several
visits to MTU by UNISON department heads and faculty. The universities also discovered a
common copper mining heritage, a similar proximity to ecologically important bodies of
water and a common interest in sustainable development. There was and continues to be a
sense of trust between the two universities and a strong interest at both universities in
maintaining the linkage that had been started
The Joint Agreement also set the stage for further interaction on several successful
proposals. MTU and UNISON coordinated a three-year FIPSE grant (1996-1999) entitled
APEX Program for North American Mobility that provided interaction among six
universities, Laval and Waterloo in Canada, Michigan Tech and New Mexico Tech in the
USA and the Universities of Sonora and Chihuahua in Mexico. This program provided for
extensive student exchange among the six universities and was considered to be very
successful with over 37 students (22 UNISON) spending 50 person semesters (34 UNISON)
at cooperating institutions in the other countries. In addition the APEX program sponsored
visits by 40 faculty to UNISON to interact with the mining industry of Sonora and more than
30 faculty exchanges and trips (22 from UNISON) to the cooperating institutions.
In 1996, UNISON and MTU faculty prepared and submitted a proposal to
CONACYT for a three-year project for investigating saltwater intrusion problems in the
Guaymas Valley of Sonora. The proposal was funded and the resulting project has produced
an extensive water quality data set and a numerical model of the groundwater system in the
Guaymas Valley. Two students from UNISON visited MTU in 1997 and 1999 to work on
the project. Two MTU students also worked on the project and visited UNISON in 1999
and 2000. MTU faculty have visited UNISON to work on the project at least once a year
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since 1997. The results of the project have been reported at professional conferences in the
U.S. and Mexico.
In 2000 UNISON and MTU spearheaded a three-year grant (2000-2003) entitled
AQUA3. This program also called for interaction among Canadian, Mexican and US
universities and extensive student exchange. The focus of the AQUA3 project is on water
resources management for undergraduate students. Students spend at least one semester at a
host university, taking courses and participating in internships related to water resources
management. In addition to the semester-long visits, intensive field studies are held once per
year in each country. Furthermore, the participating faculty are preparing a series of course
modules on water resources problem-solving approaches in each country. The AQUA3
program is still being conducted so the final tally is not available but to date the program has
supported about 16 student exchanges (11 UNISON) and four faculty visits (all UNISON).
In summary, Michigan Tech and the University of Sonora have been working very
hard for over 10 years to create a sustainable linkage between the two institutions. The initial
connections have been made and a strong trust and mutual respect has developed. This
project has the potential to expand and guarantee an active and sustainable linkage.
b. Role of Mexican Partner Institution
The University of Sonora (UNISON) will:
a. Provide the students for the training and internships
b. Interact with all of the stakeholders in the State of Sonora to help define the
problems and infrastructures necessary to resolve them
c. Carry on the technology transfer following successful completion of the project
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In its role as the major university in the State of Sonora, UNISON has the ability to
widely disseminate information and technology to both the urban and rural areas of the State.
In addition, many of the solutions to water related issues will require both technological and
sociological efforts. UNISON is well poised to serve all of these roles.
c. Role of the U.S. Partner Institution
Michigan Technological University (MTU) will:
a. Provide the graduate level education for the project at substantial cost share
b. Develop a special, common program for the students engaged in the project
c. Agrees to provide support beyond the MS degree to the PhD for at least one of the
students who are funded by this program.
d. Continue to interact with UNISON on this and a variety of other technological
and sociological issues.
Michigan Tech is one of the four major research universities in the State of Michigan.
The University has an extensive and widely varied history of research in water related issues
and is nicely poised to transfer this expertise to the University of Sonora and to work with
UNISON to develop the professionals that will be required as the State takes advantage of
further development possibilities.
5. Ultimate Beneficiaries
a.
Who are the ultimate Mexican beneficiaries?
Because Sonora is a highly arid state, the ultimate beneficiaries are widespread,
including urban and rural residential populations, manufacturing and mining industries, and
large and small agricultural and cattle producers. In a situation of increasing water stress,
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there is a danger of competition for scarce water resources, which would put the more
vulnerable and poorer residents and producers at particular risk. By developing water
specialists with strength in social and public as well as technical domains, this program will
especially benefit those vulnerable groups. This program will serve as a model for other
states in Mexico that are faced with similar water resource problems, since important states
in the Mexican north (Baja California Norte, Chihuahua, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, and Nuevo
Leon) are also arid and border the U.S., involving shared water issues. The program, with
its focus on decision-making, also can be extended to consider other areas of the environment
and to other areas of infrastructure, such as roads.
b.
How does this program reach out to them?
The program will reach out to beneficiaries in two ways. First, student training will
involve hands on work in environmental decision-making in social as well as technical
contexts, applicable specifically to the beneficiaries in Sonora. Second, students will be
placed in key public and private organizations in Sonora dealing with water. It is important
to recognize that Sonora (and northern Mexico generally) has good, even innovative water
and environmental management organizations (e.g., Mexican government and binational
agencies), but that a major constraint on such organizations is the shortage of well-qualified
staff. We will train staff that not only will have excellent technical skills but will be oriented
to working for and with diverse public constituencies (“beneficiaries”).
c.
What benefits and changes in their lives can they expect from the project?
The beneficiaries can expect water infrastructure planning and administration that is
more open and transparent, more user-friendly, and more knowledgeable of innovative
solutions to water issues (e.g., reuse or shared use, water efficiency, novel technologies for
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water remediation and purification, etc.). This will result in long-term resource stability,
adequate residential water supplies, uninterrupted water supplies to producers (agricultural,
industrial) and thus maintenance of employment, and more equitable handling of water
resource conflicts and trade-offs in this highly arid region. Because water is a fundamental
resource for human survival, this program will help maintain and improve (in cases of
polluted water supplies) fundamental public health.
6. Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
a. Specific Measurable Outcomes
The primary outcome of the project is the students that have received MS degrees
under the program. Their progress will be monitored and reported to a binational review
committee to be created for the project. A secondary outcome will be the creation of a
technical and scientific basis for making decisions, policies and investments in water related
issues in the State.
b. Post US-AID Funding Commitment and Actions
Michigan Technological University has agreed to provide PhD funding for a select
group of those who complete their MS education under this program. In addition MTU will
continue to provide the special curriculum to UNISON students so long as funding can be
found.
Both MTU and UNISON agree to continue to work closely with individuals,
communities, public and private entities and any others who turn to either institution for
assistance with issues related to the program. The universities also agree to continue to
interact on water related projects as they are identified.
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c. Who Will Monitor and Evaluate Process and Impact
A bi-national committee of two to four members will be created in the first year of the
project to monitor both progress and outcomes. Dr. Ronaldo Herrera Urbina, Researcher and
Professor in the postgraduate Metallurgy program at UNISON has agreed to serve on the
committee and to assist with selecting the other members from Mexico and the US. Dr.
Herrera is a member of the National System of Researchers (SNI) in Mexico. He has served
as a member of the evaluation committees for CONACYT for over six years.
The committee will be provided with an annual progress report on the project
including both student progress, special issues that have been identified under the project,
interactions with the public and private sector and any other activities under the project.
Feedback from the Committee will be used to guide and adjust the efforts under the
project. The Committee will also assist with the evaluation of the outcomes of the program.
7. Listing of Key Program Events
Key Event
Funding received from USAID
Form binational committee
First meeting of binational committee
Recruit 10 potential MS students and PhD student from UNISON
Ten potential MS students and PhD student from UNISON apply to MTU
Four MS and PhD students admitted to MTU
MTU supporting faculty visit UNISON
Four MS students and PhD student begin studies
Second meeting of binational committee
MTU supporting faculty visit UNISON
UNISON faculty visit MTU
MS Students and PhD student present results at technical meetings
Begin placement of MS students in Sonora
Four MS students graduate
Date
9/02
9/02
10/02
10/02 to 12/02
12/02
4/03
4/03
9/03
9/03
4/04
7/04
12/04 to 8/05
1/05
8/05
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