Colorado, Florida Students Win WEF Design Contest
The University of Colorado-Boulder and the University of Florida won the 2009 Student Design Competition, according to The Water Environment Federation.
The University of Colorado-Boulder team’s project, “Robert W. Hite Treatment Facility: South Complex Secondary Treatment Upgrade, Denver, CO” won in wastewater design category and the University of Florida (UF) team's project, "Green Infrastructure and LID Design for a Florida Constructed Environs Subject to Rainfall-Runoff Loadings” won in the environmental design category. This was the first entry and win for the University of Colorado-Boulder and the fourth win for the University of Florida in eight years.
A program of the WEF Students & Young Professionals Committee (SYPC), the competition promotes “real world” design experience for students interested in pursuing an education and/or career in water/wastewater engineering and sciences. It tasks individuals or teams of students within a WEF student chapter to prepare a design to help solve a local water quality issue. Teams evaluate alternatives, perform calculations, and recommend the most feasible solution based on experience, economics, and feasibility.
Members of the University of Colorado-Boulder team included Leanne Miller, Sean Aronson, Rishabh Iyer, John Craven, Bradley Short, Jayson Ellis and their faculty adviser, Angela Bielefeldt, Ph.D. Members of the University of Florida team included Ruben Kertesz, Kerrilynn Maccarone, Saurabh Raje, Karl Seltzer, Michele Siminari, Peter Simms, Brandon Wood, and their faculty adviser, John Sansalone, Ph.D., Both teams received certificates and a $2,500 award from WEF Past President Jim Clark during a ceremony at WEFTEC.09 in Orlando earlier this month.
Sponsored by MWH, Black & Veatch, CDM, CH2M Hill, Greeley and Hansen, Malcolm Pirnie, and Parsons Water & Infrastructure, this year’s competition was organized by SYPC Chair Michelle Hatcher with assistance from Design Competition Co-Chair Lauren Zuravnsky, SYPC members Rebecca McLarty and Haley Falconer, and WEF staff liaison Dianne Crilley.