Heriot-Watt University's Dubai Campus announced a partnership with EPIC Green Solutions to provide students with a 360 degree educational process and encourage further innovation in water management.
The Middle East is becoming increasingly focused on advanced conservation methods to deal with an inevitable water scarcity crisis. As a result, educational bodies and industry leaders are currently taking the necessary steps to utilise shared resources.
Dr. Olisanwendu Ogwuda, Academic Head & Director of Studies of the School of the Built Environment, said: "It is through collaborative efforts with companies such as EPIC Green Solutions, that we are able to bring reality into the classroom and allow students to apply their knowledge - an essential component of their education."
Launched in September 2011, Heriot-Watt 's water resources programme - part of the Dubai Campus' School of the Built Environment - aims to address the increasingly prevalent water shortage problem in the region. The programme has already proven to be highly popular with students within the faculty, providing both taught and research modules that cover topic across the board from drainage and water treatment, to conservation and irrigation.
Over the last two months, in addition to providing guest lectures to students, EPIC Green Solutions has facilitated a site visit to their demonstration plot installed on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. Students learnt how the Environmental Passive Integrated Chamber (EPIC) system can save 50-80% more water than traditional irrigation systems. As a result, many students have requested the opportunity to further study the EPIC technology as part of their final research projects.
Bart Rehbein, Managing Director of EPIC Green Solutions, said: "We recognise that these students are the great minds of tomorrow, who will potentially be the key players delivering viable solutions to alleviate the current water shortage problem, both in the Middle East and across the globe. By joining forces with Universities in the region, we have the opportunity to contribute to this evolution by providing a practical means of carrying out relevant tests that go beyond what is available to them in the lecture room."