Meet the Water Environment Federation Design Competition Winners

The non-profit technical and education organization Water Environment Federation (WEF) has announced the winners of the 2014 WEF Student Design Competition. The winning teams represented the University of South Florida (USF) and the University of British Columbia (UBC). Each team was awarded with certificates and a $2500 award.

The WEF student and young professionals committee runs the competition. The event is designed to promote education and careers in water and wastewater engineering and science. The goal of each team is to design a solution to a local water quality issue. Through the design process, teams determine alternatives and recommend a solution based on feasibility, funding and experience.

The Team from USF presented a project titled “South/Central Hillsborough County Service Area Capital Improvements Project.” This project earned the team a win in the wastewater design category. This makes the fourth WEF win for the university. This year’s team included students Lauren Davis, Michael Esteban, Jared Faniel, Andrew Filippi, Winsome Jackson, Herby Jean, Richard Johnson, and faculty advisor Dr. Sarina Ergas.

As for UBC, they’re project was titled "Scenario Evaluation for Maintaining Baseflows and Water Quality in Star Creek.” The assessment earned the team first place in the environmental design category. This marks the school’s second win at WEF. The Team was comprised of faculty advisor Noboru Yonemitsu and students Stephen Bertulli, Robert D’Amours, David Houghton, Davis Saabas, and Michael Thiessen.

What a great way for these young students to start an engineering or science career.