USU Partners with Egyptian Universities for Water Resources Training

Faculty at Utah State University are developing the latest educational tools to train the next generation of engineers in Egypt and the Middle East. 

USU was selected as a partner institution on an international initiative aimed at improving education and training for water resources engineering students. USU will receive $2.8 million over five years to develop innovative instructional tools and curricula focused on water. 

The effort is funded by the United States Agency for International Development, or USAID. Organizers at USAID and The American University in Cairo and Alexandria University finalized an agreement with USU on June 24 to create the Alexandria Water Resilience Center of Excellence. The goal of the center is to better prepare the region’s future engineers.

USU Professors Kurt Becker, Ryan Dupont, Mac McKee and David Stevens will lead the effort along with more than a dozen collaborators at the Utah Water Research Lab . The center also includes collaborators at the University of California, Santa Cruz, Washington State University and Temple University.

“This is a significant project in terms of potential impact in a region that needs improvement in educational tools,” said McKee. “Who better to participate in this than the Utah Water Research Lab? Our faculty have had experience all over the world including the Middle East.”

McKee says the improved training resources will better prepare a new generation of engineers who will address the most challenging water resources problems.

“When you look at global climate models and the population growth expected in major cities in this region, you start to see the need for improved training,” he added. “Delivering high quality instruction is one of the most significant moves we can make.”

As part of the five-year program, USU will invite Egyptian students and faculty to the Logan campus and will send its own researchers to collaborate in Cairo.