Water Resource Outreach Center (Massachusetts) - IQP

Current Director(s)
Corey Dehner
Paul Mathisen
Active Program Term(s)
D-Term during spring
Project Opportunities
Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP)
PROJECT CENTER WEBSITE GET STARTED

Established in 2015, WPI’s Water Resources Outreach Center (WROC) is a theme-based project center, focused on the theme of water resources protection.  Topic areas include drinking water supply, storm water management, wastewater management, and climate change mitigation.

The WROC is dedicated to assisting watershed stakeholders on projects that help them address their water resources challenges, and also providing opportunities for WPI undergraduate students to learn about how they can make a difference for these communities.  These projects also assist the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MA DEP) expand their capacity and help the watershed associations and coalitions as they tackle challenging water resources issues.

 

 

Students will have the opportunity to work on groundbreaking water issues such as storm water management, climate change mitigation, and drinking water infrastructure. WROC students will be partnered with a Massachusetts municipality or water resources organization and a water resources expert. WROC students will receive water related training from the WROC co-directors and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection employees.

We have numerous community and governmental partners that work with our students and faculty to tackle water issues. Some of our partners include the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP), the Central Massachusetts Regional Stormwater Coalition, the Massachusetts Statewide Stormwater Coalition, the Massachusetts Watershed Coalition, the City of Worcester,and a number of cities and towns throughout Massachusetts..

Previous WROC student projects have::

  • worked with MA DEP and MA DOT to help the Town of Boxborough MA identify safe drinking water options 
  • Developed stormwater curricula for 5th graders to advance the stormwater awareness throughout communities in MA
  • Analyzed potential improvements to meet drinking water quality standards and supply demands in Leicester, MA
  • Assisted the City of Worcester in development of  guidelines for monitoring for cyanobacteria, a significant health concern in urban water bodies
  • Assisted a number of local municipalities with challenges associated with management of stormwater runoff
  • Evaluated public buildings in Chelsea, MA to determine their risks for coastal flood events, as well as their sensitivity to current and future flooding