{"id":1248,"date":"2019-03-27T11:44:46","date_gmt":"2019-03-27T21:44:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hawaii.edu\/epscor\/index.php\/2019\/03\/27\/uh-student-developed-sensor-could-revolutionize-well-water-monitoring\/"},"modified":"2019-03-27T11:44:46","modified_gmt":"2019-03-27T21:44:46","slug":"uh-student-developed-sensor-could-revolutionize-well-water-monitoring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaii.edu\/epscor\/uh-student-developed-sensor-could-revolutionize-well-water-monitoring\/","title":{"rendered":"UH student-developed sensor could revolutionize well-water monitoring"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
From left, Jie Zhou and Tamra Oyama<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Students in the University of Hawai\u02bbi at M\u0101noa College of Engineering<\/a> have developed a small, four-sensor, solar-powered device that could transform well-water monitoring throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Tamra Oyama<\/strong>, a graduate scholar and graduate engineering student in the \u02bbIke Wai project<\/a> is leading the effort to develop the Downwell Remote Operating Platform (DROP<\/abbr>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"water
DROP module chassis<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe DROP<\/abbr> module has potential to be a useful tool for well owners to monitor their water and track trends. It can be used as an alert system when the DROP<\/abbr> module detects an abnormality and can prompt a quick water test in the lab,\u201d said Oyama. \u201cAdditionally, since the DROP<\/abbr> module is robust and low-cost, it can be adapted to different environments such as rivers or reservoirs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By cost-effectively measuring four critical aspects of water quality\u2013temperature, flow direction, salinity and biocontaminants\u2013the DROP<\/abbr> module provides a rapid, simple and environmentally sustainable way to remotely and wirelessly monitor well water within the islands. Currently, the DROP<\/abbr> module is being tested in its prototype phase in wells at the Natural Energy Laboratory on Hawai\u02bbi Island. Long-term goals are to expand the DROP<\/abbr> module\u2019s use to the other islands and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u02bbIke Wai<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u02bbIke Wai, funded by National Science Foundation\u2019s Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR<\/abbr>), seeks to better understand Hawai\u02bbi\u02bbs aquifers. The information collected from the DROP<\/abbr> sensors helps the project\u2019s researchers and community members with valuable data for decision-making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working with David Garmire<\/strong>, \u02bbIke Wai researcher and associate professor of electrical engineering at UH<\/abbr>M\u0101noa, Oyama joined the project in fall 2017 when she worked on one of the device\u2019s sensors as an undergraduate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assisted by fellow engineering graduate student Jie Zhou<\/strong>, Oyama oversees DROP<\/abbr> module development in the UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Fabrication Lab (FabLab<\/abbr>), where more than 15 undergraduates work cooperatively within the lab space. The FabLab<\/abbr> provides a collaborative learning environment for students to create, design and fabricate sensor modules and other engineering projects using 3D printers and other advanced technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reducing water monitoring costs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Oyama sees her team\u2019s efforts and hard work benefiting Hawai\u02bbi\u2019s long-term water future. With the low-cost, self-sustaining water DROP<\/abbr> monitoring system, she and her team hope to reduce costs and the need for manual labor, so that well-water monitoring will become safer, more accessible and easier to conduct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe DROP<\/abbr> module\u2019s ability to cost-effectively monitor water quality will give scientists and the general public knowledge of our water like never before,\u201d said Zhou.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oyama and Zhou stress that the device can be upgraded easily, so other water quality indicators could be added on later, as needed. During its development, a new way to make electronic polyvinyl chloride chips using 3D printers was discovered, and Oyama will be publishing a paper on those findings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This work was supported by National Science Foundation EPSCoR<\/abbr> funded project (award #1557349).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Students in the University of Hawai\u02bbi at M\u0101noa College of Engineering have developed a small, four-sensor, solar-powered device that could transform well-water monitoring throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Tamra Oyama, a graduate scholar and graduate engineering student in the \u02bbIke Wai project is leading the effort to develop the Downwell Remote Operating Platform (DROP). \u201cThe DROP module has potential to be a useful tool for well […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1250,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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in the University of Hawai\u02bbi at M\u0101noa College of Engineering have developed a small, four-sensor, solar-powered device that could transform well-water monitoring throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Tamra Oyama, a graduate scholar and graduate engineering student in the \u02bbIke Wai project is leading the effort to develop the Downwell Remote Operating Platform (DROP). \u201cThe DROP module has potential to be a useful tool for 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