Alumni
Zoi Dokou, PhD
California State University, Sacramento
Outreach
Our outreach work is centered on communities in the Sacramento region in support of the Anchor University Initiative of Sacramento State University. As engineers, our team is dedicated to working in and with our local community by actively participating in outreach activities with local schools and community groups, through research projects, collaborations, and activities that raise public awareness on various water related environmental issues.
Assessing the benefits of permeable paver BMP installations in Dixieanne Neighborhood, Sacramento
Old North Sacramento is one of the most economically depressed neighborhoods in the City of Sacramento as well as California. The City of Sacramento is implementing the project “Dixieanne Neighborhood Clean & Green Alleys” which aims to clean and beautify residential alleys in the community of Old North Sacramento with permeable interlocking pavers, fencing repairs, shade trees, and public art, to allow them to also function as safe, low-stress corridors for pedestrians, bicyclists, and even play areas for kids.
In addition to the City of Sacramento, local community-based organizations such as the Sacramento Tree Foundation, the Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps, the Sierra Service Project, and the Del Paso Boulevard Partnership have committed to participate in the project with temporary labor, education, and outreach activities.
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Sacramento State University and the Civil Engineering Department, joins this effort as part of our outreach activities that support our Anchor University mission. We are providing technical expertise on the permeable pavement effectiveness which is designed to minimize localized flooding and augment recharge the local aquifer.
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Follow the water: Using three-dimensional physical groundwater models in classrooms to promote sustainability
The purpose of this project is to train graduate and undergraduate students from the Department of Civil Engineering at California State University, Sacramento on the use of three-dimensional physical groundwater models (sand tanks) so that they can conduct demonstrations and interactive activities with local middle and high schools students. Sand tank models are constructed with clear plexiglass, allowing viewers to watch how the water within aquifers of different materials travels. The models allow students to “see” groundwater in action and understand how it moves and how it can be contaminated by various sources.
Demonstrations show contaminant movement and dispersion into the model aquifer, how leakage from landfills can move into drinking water, how pumping from wells creates a cone of depression, how the saltwater intrusion process affects coastal aquifers and more. The flow paths of water and contaminants will be illustrated in tracer experiments using color dye.
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