Krishna Chandrasekhara ('25), a Health and Societies major, conducted research on the public health benefits of rainwater harvesting. Krishna was mentored by Dr. John Kanbayashi (Department of History and Sociology of Science) and this project was supported by the Paul and Kathleen Barthmaier Award.
My research project looked at the public and community health impacts of rainwater harvesting in the Mexico City area. I focused on how increasing access to clean water has improved the resilience and well-being of these communities, as well as how other green initiatives in these communities have been inspired by these successes. Additionally, I looked at how these clean water projects had advanced water equity for these communities, and how they feel about the increasing affordability of water as a result. I was drawn to this topic by my previous volunteer experiences with the non-profit Isla Urbana, which installs rainwater harvesting systems. While working with this non-profit, I've seen first-hand the public health benefits that rainwater harvesting systems provide.
This research project reaffirmed my interest in public and global health, and helped me realized my passion for community-based research. I especially enjoyed the cultural learning aspect of conducting research abroad. The community members I interviewed were very welcoming and shared aspects of their family life and culture, including through delicious, home-cooked meals. While public health research comes in many formats, this experience of conducting research in collaboration with the non-profit and the communities they work with was gratifying.
My major methodology for this research was through long-format, ethnographic interviews. While I had some pre-set questions, the majority of the interview was open-ended, allowing the interviewee to freely discuss their experiences with water insecurity and the rainwater harvesting systems. This enabled me to learn more about their water situation, and provided more context to my research. I found this interview experience very rewarding, because I could engage in more of a conversation with community members, rather than just a structured interview. I hope to continue this format of interviewing throughout my future endeavors in public health research. Practicing the skill of research through conversation and dialogue was immensely beneficial, and promoted a stronger connection to the research topic. My research experience has also given me the opportunity to take ownership of my own learning in public health through designing my own project and engaging in community health interviews.
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