AWWA Water Science Author Spotlight

Abstract

Having recently published an article in AWWA Water Science, Rain Richard answered questions from the publication's editor-in-chief, Kenneth L. Mercer, about the research. Pre- and Post-Flushing of Three Schools in Arizona Due to COVID-19 Shutdown Rain Richard and Trevor H. Boyer I currently work at NCS Engineers as a consultant, and my focus is on wastewater treatment design. My goal has always been to bridge the gap between research and industry. I use my research and analytical skills to model treatment plant options for clients and solve issues that occur at wastewater treatment plants, and I am slowly moving into direct potable reuse. Each wastewater treatment plant design for a client is like its own research project. There are so many factors and limitations associated with a design, from policies to budgets. Having patience, thinking outside the box, and presenting the atypical are what make me successful at my job. During the early part of my PhD work, I had been struggling for a week with cross-contamination of my cell cultures, and I couldn’t figure out why. I was really frustrated. The best thing I ever heard was when a professor told me, “Science does not have emotion. Therefore, you should not show it any emotion.” That changed everything for me. A light turned on and I felt like I gained control of my situation again. After that, regardless of how difficult a task was in the lab, I wasn’t bothered by failures or outcomes I wasn’t expecting. It is all a part of science. Rain and her family have just finished a mountain-bike ride in the Phoenix Mountain Preserve. Rain is measuring dissolved oxygen in the various reactors at a wastewater treatment facility. In my opinion, getting direct potable reuse (DPR) to be accepted and practiced in the United States is a major hurdle that we should be implementing right now. The biggest challenge we face will be if we try to implement DPR when it is too little, too late. There are two major areas of resistance that I come across often: public acceptance and cost of implementation, and I think cost outweighs public acceptance. Maybe we aren’t thirsty enough yet, but I really hope we don’t get to that point before we begin to implement DPR. It is an area in which everyone should band together instead of working in silos. Rain takes a leisurely horseback ride at MacDonald's Ranch in Scottsdale, Ariz. I was born in Afghanistan but moved to the United States as a refugee when I was a toddler. Afghanistan is a country that does not have a reliable source of clean water. I think about how fortunate I am to live in such a wonderful country. There are so many opportunities in the United States. Rain is studying a retrofit of a wastewater treatment plant and reading a permit to confirm that the treatment plant can begin construction on a new phase of design. I enjoy the small things. Every night we sit as a family and eat dinner. My kids are active in sports, and I love attending their events. I really enjoy being on the trails near my house. The sunsets are gorgeous, and I enjoy walking my rambunctious dogs. I like to crochet every night before bed to turn my mind off. And of course, I love our family vacations. To learn more about Rain's research, visit the article, available online at https://doi.org/10.1002/aws2.1239.