From the rice fields of Vietnam to irrigation canals in Arizona, Briana Scharlat ’27 and Siena Gambino ’27 recently presented their research investigating food and water insecurity and solutions to address these challenges, completed through the Tom Main Liberal Arts Fellowship. Each year, the fellowship, which includes a $1,500 travel stipend, is awarded to a team of two outstanding sophomore students who, working with a faculty mentor, research, write, and present a paper on a liberal arts topic of major global interest.

“When I was in elementary school, we learned a lot about the impacts food and water have on the world,” said Siena, who entered King in Grade 2. “I felt that this project was a way to bring awareness to such an important global topic.”

When planning their project, Briana and Siena sought to visit communities directly affected by water scarcity, to conduct field research, interview experts, and explore how local partnerships are helping to create sustainable solutions. The pair settled on Arizona and Vietnam, as both faced similar water-scarcity challenges.

In Vietnam, Briana explored the effects of rapid urbanization, agricultural dependence, and water pollution on communities throughout the Mekong Delta and Red River regions. She visited rice farms, fisheries, floating markets, and rural villages, where she observed both traditional and modern water collection systems firsthand. 

In Arizona, Siena studied water insecurity within the larger Colorado River Basin and the Gila River Indian Community, where she examined innovative irrigation infrastructure and sustainability efforts led by Indigenous communities. The students found that despite their geographic and cultural differences, both regions face mounting pressure from water overconsumption, climate change, and growing populations.

The fellowship's emphasis on the importance of firsthand experiences challenged many of the assumptions the students initially encountered through online research. 

While studying Arizona prior to her trip, Siena expected to find communities lacking infrastructure and resources, but instead witnessed extensive canal systems, aquifer recharge projects, and groundbreaking sustainability initiatives, including the first solar-over-canal project in the Western Hemisphere. 

“When coming back to Connecticut to write my research paper, I wanted to incorporate the things I witnessed during my trip, but to do so, I needed more sources to corroborate what I saw,” she said. “Despite already having done research and notes on at least 20 sources, I had to continue to find new sources well into the writing process.”

Briana similarly observed how communities in Vietnam are adapting to water scarcity through local agriculture and government-supported farming initiatives, including nonprofit cleanup efforts along the Mekong Delta.

“I was fortunate to gain so much information while there from my tour guides, the farmers I had the chance to work with, and local community members, but this also made it difficult to select key pieces of information from the large span of knowledge I now possessed,” she said.

Both thanked Director of Global Education Laura Bowe for her support in guiding and honing their research throughout the process.

“She was there from the beginning, when our thoughts and research were all over the place, and our final paper, as well as the King Talk, seemed like a distant matter,” noted Briana. “She has been our biggest support system and has believed in us since the beginning of this project, and I can't thank her enough for everything she has helped me with on this project!”

Reflecting on the experience, the pair emphasized that their work ultimately left them hopeful. They concluded that water insecurity is a solvable problem, noting that partnerships, innovation, and local leadership play a critical role in addressing global challenges. 

Beyond their research findings, the students also developed valuable professional skills, including conducting interviews with experts, communicating with researchers and United Nations representatives, and synthesizing complex global issues into meaningful conclusions. Their work demonstrated the importance of empathy, inquiry, and global citizenship in solving the world’s most pressing issues.