Irvine Ranch Water District has teamed up with students from El Toro High School for the sixth consecutive year in the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California’s 9^th annual Solar Cup solar boat competition.  Participation in this exciting program encourages students to consider careers in science and engineering while learning about environmental stewardship.

“We have a highly energized team this year,” said El Toro teacher and team adviser Doug Ford. “This is probably the best boat we’ve built yet.”

Each solar Cup teams designs a boat that runs on solar power to compete in two races - a sprint event and an endurance event. The different events test teams’ ability to design their solar boats for maximum energy efficiency as well as speed.

Boat building began in November and will culminate with the Solar Cup race at Lake Skinner in Riverside County the weekend of May 13-15. El Toro will compete against more than 30 teams from all over Southern California.

For more information on the IRWD student education programs, please visit our website.

Irvine Ranch Water District will host the 2011 Metropolitan Water District of Southern California Student Art Exhibit March 2-14. The “Water is Life” exhibit will be featured at the IRWD Sand Canyon office lobby at 15600 Sand Canyon Avenue and showcase 38 framed pieces of artwork.  The winning posters will be available for public viewing during regular business hours: 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday.

“This insightful art exhibit provides a glimpse into the minds of children and how they view water conservation,” said IRWD General Manager Paul Jones. “We’re happy to host the art show. Not only does it encourage visitors to use water efficiently, but it also illustrates the District’s commitment to water education.”

Students from throughout the region submitted their water-themed art and 38 winners were selected to be published in the 2011 MWD calendar. The exhibit showcases the winning artwork of two IRWD service area students.  John David Choi, a former 4^th grade student at Canyon View Elementary School and John David, one of the five IRWD semi-finalists.

Contest winners and their parents were invited to a ceremony at the MWD Los Angeles office in December 2010. The traveling show can be seen at many water districts in Southern California. The exhibit began in January at the Rancho California Water District and will complete its journey at Western Municipal Water District in June.

Teachers teaching teachers was the theme of the day for the Project Wet (Water Education for Teachers) workshop held on February 23 at the Irvine Ranch Water District. These free education courses are offered to local teachers through a partnership between IRWD and the Water Education Foundation.

“IRWD is making a difference, for the pre-service teachers and for the children they will impact in their classrooms,” said Donna Bennett, professor to the student teachers.

The workshop featured hands-on, grade-specific instruction that teachers can eventually use with their students in the classroom.  Attendees were also treated to a tour of the IRWD San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary which gave them a first- hand appreciation for the important Natural Treatment System program.  Project WET, promotes awareness, appreciation, knowledge, and stewardship of water resources by providing classroom-ready training, teaching aids and curriculum to teachers. 

For more information on IRWD’s water education programs, the San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary and more, visit www.IRWD.com.

Water quality scientists at the Irvine Ranch Water District selected four water-related science fair projects as winners during the Irvine Unified School District Annual Science Fair on March 2. The four winners will be honored by the IRWD Board of Directors on May 23.

“IRWD operates a state of the art certified water quality laboratory and conducts over a quarter of a million tests per year,” said John Hills, IRWD Director of Water Quality. “Our scientists are well suited to help educate students on proper scientific research methods.”

IRWD science experts have helped judge local science fair projects since the 1980s as part of the District’s ongoing commitment to education and encouraging students to explore careers in science. 

The 2011 IRWD winners are:

• Jessica Wu-Woods, grade 10, Woodbridge High School for, “PCR, Antibody Ecoli in Water”
• Andrew Ko, grade 8, Vista Verde School for, “Potable H2O Growth of Bacteria”
• Divya Sripathy, grade 8, Lakeside Middle School for , “Conserve Water Easily”
• Gaby Katz, grade 6, Vista Verde School for, “Dynamics of Water Flow”

For more about the IRWD education programs, please visit www.irwd.com.