CSI
The CSI AQUAS team is building an autonomous, unmanned sampling vehicle to measure and treat algae blooms. The vehicle is specifically designed for upcoming deployment in Morningside Park, which is located just steps from Columbi's campus. Like countless other ponds, lakes, and oceans globally, Morningside Park's pond has toxic algae blooms, which harm the rest of the ecosystem. The AQUAS vehicle autonomously measures water quality, with environmental sensors and a robotic water sampling system, and will deploy a natural substrate to treat and remove the harmful algae.
The project is in collaboration with the Goes-Gomes Lab at the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory, and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The vehicle autonomously executes a testing and treatment procedure that Dr. Joaquim Goes' lab currently performs by hand.
While AQUAS is a new project, launched in 2023, we've been lucky enough to gain significant community support, including recent articles from the Columbia Spectator and the New York Times. Next up: deployal in Morningside Pond!
Build an autonomous vehicle to monitor water quality and administer algae treatment
Provide the Goes-Gomes lab with data to inform algae management decisions
Incorporate community input and needs in all stages of the design process, and make all data available to the public
Clear up the water in Morningside Pond (and eventually, other NYC parks)!
Computer Science
Electrical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Environmental Science
