Clean Water for India and Beyond

Natasha Wright SM ’14 wants to solve the salty water problem in India—where the salinity of 60% of the groundwater is too high for drinking or agriculture—and across the developing world. A PhD candidate in mechanical engineering working with assistant professor Amos Winter in the Global Engineering and Research (GEAR) Laboratory, Wright is designing a solar-powered electrodialysis desalination system that can be scaled to provide safe water for entire off-grid rural villages. She is a frequent traveler to India, meeting with manufacturers, end users, and government to make sure the technology “can have the impact we expect it to.”