A water sustainability course offered through the University of Iowa’s India Winterim—a three-week, field-based program for undergraduate and graduate students—will expand its reach thanks to a U.S.-India 21st Century Knowledge Initiative Award granted through the United States-India Educational Foundation.

The two-year, $100,000 grant will allow UI students to work closely with students from the Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee to conduct research and find solutions to long-standing water sustainability issues in India, especially in poor regions of the country. The grant will also provide more international research opportunities to UI undergraduate and graduate students, including those enrolled in the new Sustainable Water Development graduate program.

Existing partnerships with the Sehgal Foundation, which works in India to empower rural Indians, and IIT Roorkee helped win the competitive grant award, said Downing A. Thomas, associate provost and dean of UI International Programs, which oversees the India Winterim. Thomas congratulated  College of Engineering professors Craig Just, Marian Muste, and Allen Bradley for winning the prestigious award.