WEF Presents the 2013 Student Design Competition Winners

Student teams from the University of South Florida (Tampa) and University of British Columbia (Vancouver) won the Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) 2013 Student Design Competition. The 12th annual competition, held at WEFTEC^® 2013 in Chicago, recognized team projects presenting a design that helps solve a local water quality issue.

Wastewater Design Category Winner	Environmental Design Category Winner
The University of South Florida team placed first in the student design competition’s wastewater design category. Team members, from left, Nicole Smith, Margaret Cone, Melissa Butcher, Matthew Woodham, George Dick, and advisor Sarina Ergas, stand with Jeanette Brown, Water Environment Federation (WEF; Alexandria, Va.) past president.	The University of British Columbia team placed first in the student design competition’s environmental design category. Jeanette Brown, WEF past president, (fourth from left), stands with team members, from left, Christopher Lawson, Laith Furatian, Michal Simhon, Connor Wilson, and Rony Das.

This program, led by the WEF Students and Young Professionals Committee, provides real-world design experience for students interested in pursuing an education and/or career in water or wastewater engineering and sciences. For the competition, teams evaluated alternatives, performed calculations, and recommended the most feasible solution based on experience, economics, and feasibility.

University of South Florida took home its third win in the competition’s 12-year history. The team’s project, “City of St. Petersburg Biogas Utilization Project,” won the wastewater design category. Team members included Nicole Smith, George Dick, Melissa Butcher, Matthew Woodham, and Margaret Cone, as well as faculty advisor Sarina Ergas.

University of British Columbia won for the first time. The team’s project, “Microalgae Cultivation and Harvesting: Design of Pilot Facilities at the Annacis Wastewater Academy,” won in the environmental design category. Team members included Michal Simhon, Christopher Lawson, Connor Wilson, Laith Furatian, and Rony Das, as well as faculty advisor Don Mavinic.

Both teams received certificates and $2500 awards.

Black & Veatch (Overland Park, Kan.), CDM Smith (Cambridge, Mass.), Greeley and Hansen (Chicago), HDR Inc. (Omaha, Neb.), and Parsons Brinckerhoff (New York) sponsored the program.