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This dataset comprises anonymized transcripts from 20 semi-structured interviews with engineers, program managers, service providers, and researchers engaged in water infrastructure work in rural Alaska. Interviewees represented tribal, federal, and state agencies; private companies; nonprofit organizations; and academic institutions involved in the design, management, operation, or study of community drinking water systems across Alaska. Interviews were conducted in 2020 and 2021 and focused on identifying factors that contribute to the success or failure of rural Alaska drinking water projects. These projects face a range of persistent challenges that threaten reliable access to clean drinking water for community members. Interviews supported the following publication: Thelemaque, N., Cotherman, A., Pearson, R., Eichelberger, L., Neumann, R. B., & Kaminsky, J. A. (2022). Identifying the Built, Natural, and Social Factors of Successful and Failed Rural Alaskan Water Projects: Perspectives from State and Regional Professionals. Academic Chemical Society (ACS) Environmental Science and Technology (EST) Water. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsestwater.2c00201 File names for interview transcripts include the date of the interview, the professional role of the interviewee, and the number of years of experience they had at the time of the interview in rural Alaska water systems. Professional role categories included: - Geophysicist - Water pump service provider (abbreviated as 'pump' in file name) - Researcher in engineering, Alaskan rural water, or arctic research (abbreviated as 'researcher' in file name) - Engineer/project manager/construction manager (abbreviated as 'engineer' in file name) - Director/program manager for environmental health, drinking water, facilities, operator certification, and/or remote maintenance (abbreviated as 'director' in file name) 

Abstract BackgroundCivil engineers design systems that have the potential to impact existing oppressive societal conditions. Critical action—the ability to recognize and act against oppressive conditions—is an obligation for civil engineers committed to building a more just world. Purpose/HypothesisHistory reveals that civil engineers often do not take critical action and accrediting bodies (e.g., ABET) have responded by creating requirements to consider social factors and contexts. Considering these endeavors, we ask: To what extent do civil engineering students demonstrate critical action attitudes when prompted by engineering problem‐solving? In what ways does culturally relevant problem‐solving influence critical action attitudes? Design/MethodEmploying transformative action as a theoretical framework, we assessed students' responses to a design question on three levels that perpetuate or disrupt oppression (avoidant, destructive, and critical action). The empirical study used qualitative and quantitative analysis to examine survey responses of 375 civil engineering undergraduate students across 12 US universities. ResultsThe results showed that engineering students largely avoided discussing taking critical action, remaining focused on technical and nontechnical factors that evaded acknowledgement of sociopolitical factors. Nevertheless, when exposed to culturally relevant problem‐solving, students showed a statistically significant increase in both critical and destructive action responses. ConclusionsWe posit that students' exposure to culturally relevant problem‐solving can enhance students' critical action attitudes. The results call on the need for civil engineering educators to cultivate culturally relevant problem‐solving in civil engineering curriculum. 

This dataset includes anonymized interview data about the provision of water services in rural Alaska, focused on holistically understanding water service challenges using a systems approach. Eighteen semi-structured interviews with 19 stakeholders involved in the provision of water services in rural Alaska are included. These interviews were conducted from January 25th to June 28th, 2021. Interviews were conducted via teleconferencing or phone and were recorded (with permission), transcribed, checked for quality, and anonymized. Interview data was analyzed using a deductive-inductive qualitative content analysis. The data supported the following research objectives: 1) identify challenges within the financial, human, natural, and technical systems involved in the provision of water services in rural Alaska, and 2) use a systems thinking approach to identify interdependencies between systems.