Many poor areas of the world have a critical need of clean water. At a free public lecture at Science City on Wednesday evening, December 19, geology professor Frank Simpson will discuss his decades-long dedication and research into meeting such need.

Frank Simpson.

To provide a year-round water supply to the rural poor in a dry area of Maharashtra, India, Dr. Simpson has combined ancient technologies dating from thousands of years ago with modern science.

His work with a non-governmental organization led to a year-round water supply and improved agricultural production. Public-health problems related to water shortage disappeared, while hygiene and sanitation gained new importance in the villages. Soil erosion was reduced, and vegetation and wildlife began to return.

The results were also useful to projects with related aims in China, Nigeria and Ukraine. Such technologies can reverse land degradation in areas under threat from global climate change.

Simpson has 30 years’ experience as a professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, finding innovative applications of his research in soil and water conservation to international development.

Wednesday’s lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. and is part of the Science Café series—free discussions of important science research for the general public— sponsored by the UWindsor Faculty of Science. Canada South Science City is located at 930 Marion Avenue.