PhD Candidate, University of British Columbia Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences

Olenka’s Question: How can scientific research be used to improve environmental policy and its implementation?

Keystone Title: An investigation of the Millennium development Goal Definition of an “Improved” Drinking Water Source: Examining Water Quality in Belize

Abstract: A pilot study which tests the effectiveness of the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) for Water Supply and Sanitation, which was co-developed by the WHO and United Nations Children’s Fund. The study uses rigorous water quality testing parameters to determine if water sources in the Belizean districts of Cayo and Belize, determined by the JMP to be “improved,” do in fact provide safe, clean, and sustainable sources of drinking water. The results of this pilot show that the JMP definition and parameters for “improved” water sources were misleading, with 58% of “improved” sources containing bacterial contamination above the WHO limit.

What were your Concentration Courses?

Health, Environment, and Risk (Life Sciences)
Environmental Engineering (Physical Sciences)
Hydrological Cycle (Physical Sciences)
Organic Chemistry (Physical Sciences)
Soil Chemistry (Physical Sciences)
Physics (Physical Sciences)
Belize: Developmental Economics (Social Sciences)
Religion and Culture (Arts & Humanities)