Dr. Tanju Karanfil (Environmental Engineering) and Dr. Kapil Chalil Madathil (Industrial Engineering) received an NSF grant to support water treatment operations. This collaborative project, titled Water DROPS (Developing Resources for Water Treatment Operators), consisting of stakeholders from the NSF Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center, Central Carolina Technical College, and partnering industry and two-year colleges, will design, develop and conduct evidence-based research to evaluate the effectiveness of mixed reality systems (virtual- and augmented-reality) to support water treatment operation and education. Empirical studies will determine the efficacy of mixed reality technology to support the training needs of water treatment technicians. This proposal will contribute to the NSF’s Big Ideas, including “The Future of Work at the Human-Technology Frontier” and “Growing Convergent Research,” by conducting fundamental research investigating the benefits and risks of integrating mixed reality technologies to support water treatment operation and education.
