DCDC featured in science and engineering festival

Arizona State University’s expertise on water sustainability was front and center in one of the largest science and engineering festivals in the U.S.

ASU’s Decision Center for a Desert City (DCDC) was a featured exhibit in the National Science Foundation’s section at the USA Science & Engineering Festival, the largest STEM education event in the U.S. The festival, which draws around 350,000 visitors, was recently held in Washington, D.C.

The USA Science & Engineering Festival attempts to inspire next generation inventors and innovators through more than 3,000 hands on exhibits, experiments and live performances. The goal is to draw people, especially youth, into the sciences and have them consider careers in science and engineering.

DCDC’s display featured WaterSim, a computer program that estimates water supply and demand for the Phoenix Metropolitan area. WaterSim encourages users to explore how various scenarios of regional growth, drought and climate change impact water management policies and influences water sustainability, said DCDC director Dave White.

“Along with NSF, we are committed to inspiring a new generation of students to be excited about STEM education, which is essential to sustainable water management. We are also focused on broadening the diversity of the science and engineering workforce by reaching out to communities that have been historically underrepresented. The USA Science and Engineering Festival is the perfect venue to showcase ASU as the nation’s most innovative university and inspire kids,” said White, who also is an associate professor in the School of Community Resources and Development in ASU’s College of Public Service and Community Solutions, and a senior sustainability scientist in the Julie A. Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability. 

Liz Marquez, Katie Peige, and graduate student Danielle Chipman represented ASU, the Wrigley Institute and DCDC at the festival.