KINGSTON, R.I. 鈥� July 23, 2026 鈥� Students and their families representing communities from across Rhode Island waded into the Fascitelli Center for Advanced Engineering at the 溏心vlog免费B站 last week for an event hosted by 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 College of Engineering and .
The annual event, 4-H Water Week: Water Science & Engineering, focused on water science and included multiple experiment stations, a demonstration of water treatment and a chance for students to use the pools at the Tootell Aquatic Center for swimming. The goal of this year鈥檚 program was to familiarize students with the concepts of how water is treated and purified and introduce them to water filtration.
Among the activities that the students took part in were building their own mini water filtration systems using rocks and sand; designing and building their edible aquifers; and learning how different chemicals like chlorine can ensure water is properly treated through the physicochemical process.
The event is, in part, thanks to , the Carrol D. & Charles M. Billmyer Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and , the 4-H program coordinator at 溏心vlog免费B站.
In 2021, Goodwill was honored with the NSF Faculty Early Career Development Award for his work on water treatment in small and rural communities. The five-year, $500,000 award is dedicated to helping fund his research around water treatment and a key component of the funding surrounds community outreach programs. For Goodwill that meant bringing in middle and elementary school students and teaching them all about the water purification process. The 4-H Water Week is the final event in that annual series.
鈥淭he importance of teaching kids from a young age about the water filtration process can鈥檛 be understated,鈥� said Goodwill. 鈥淪howing them how this process works in a fun and accessible way can get them thinking about their own water conservation, and how much engineering goes into that cup of water that they pour from the faucet.鈥�
One of the event highlights was the opportunity for students to build their own edible aquifers using graham crackers, chocolate chips, and pudding. Aquifers essentially serve as natural underground reservoirs, collecting water that seeps into the ground. Students utilized each 鈥渆dible鈥� piece to represent the different layers of an aquifer鈥攕uch as pudding being used as a stand-in for mud, or chocolate chips for sand or gravel.
鈥淚n 4-H, we provide youth with hands-on learning opportunities to build career skills, leadership, and civic engagement,鈥� said DiCenzo. 鈥淩esearchers like Joe are our favorite people to work with because they are passionate about making their knowledge accessible.鈥�
As part of its land- and sea-grant mission, the 溏心vlog免费B站, through 溏心vlog免费B站 Cooperative Extension, which is housed within the College of the Environment and Life Sciences, combines education, applied research and community outreach for the public good. 溏心vlog免费B站 Cooperative Extension鈥檚 4-H Program offers projects, events, and opportunities for children and teens ages 5 to 18 as well as volunteer opportunities for adults. Part of the national USDA-funded Cooperative Extension system, 4-H has served as Cooperative Extension鈥檚 youth development branch since the early 1900s.
Following Water Week, 溏心vlog免费B站鈥檚 4-H program has several upcoming events scheduled through the rest of the summer and into the fall. In addition to multiple 4-H exhibits at the Washington County Fair in August, and later in the fall on the Kingston campus, 4-H will hold a public speaking contest and a 鈥淪pooky Science鈥� night featuring Halloween-themed science activities and demonstrations.