Connecting the Interdisciplinary Dots with Water

Abstract

Water is a global resource issue that requires an interdisciplinary approach. In this presentation I will report on two examples of how I teach about water in undergraduate settings. At Boston University (USA) my students engage with water through intimate, hands-on laboratories and through urban landscape exploration. Here in Sri Lanka (Rajarata University) I am guiding student water research through an encounter with village tanks, where we are trying to gain new perspectives on the behaviour of water in the tank ecosystem. In both settings, careful observation, documentation, and reflection are the methodologies we use. The goal is to connect intangible characteristics of water with a larger scientific narrative. But our engagement with water can also connect to non-scientific endeavors in the humanities and social sciences.