Research Projects

The vision of the Wind-Powered Water Pump project is to develop a template for the development of long-range water transportation in areas where no other external energy sources are available.

In the developing world, the transportation of water from its source to an area of need can be troublesome. Many of the men and women in developing communities must exert strenuous amounts of effort to walk the miles to retrieve the few gallons of water that will be used over the following day(s). As representatives of the Honors Students Association, we propose a solution to this problem – a wind-powered water pump. This pump will eliminate the trek to get water, by efficiently and cheaply transporting the water to them.

Due to the lack of infrastructure and no external source of energy, the water pump must be powered with energy acquired by its own means. The project team will be conducting research into the efficiency and feasibility of multiple designs to accomplish this goal. The project will be divided into teams, each with a unique task deemed necessary to the completion of the project. Each team will be comprised of at least one, possibly two upperclassmen as leads and then primarily first-year students within the Honors Students Association. The team leads will be put into contact with a willing faculty advisor who will serve as a guide through the more challenging aspects of the project. Through this structure, teams will be able to accomplish their respective tasks while making progress toward accomplishing the project’s goal.