The WEF Student Design Competition promotes real-world design experience for students interested in pursuing education and careers in water and wastewater engineering and science. The competition tasks individuals or teams of students to prepare and present a design that helps solve a water quality issue. Teams evaluate alternative ideas, perform calculations, and recommend solutions in the form of an engineering report and presentation. The competition is available at the undergraduate student level. University teams must be from member universities in the WEF.
The Student Design Competition begins at the Member Association (MA) level. Each MA develops their own Student Design Competition based on the chosen design problem. The winner of MA competitions are invited to compete at WEFTEC in the coming year.
Competition Process
Prepare and present a design that helps solve a water quality issue. In either of two areas:- Wastewater Design: The Wastewater Design Competition is intended to include design projects that traditionally address a challenge within a water resource recovery facility, e.g. hydraulic capacity design, upgrades to existing treatment systems, biosolids handling, etc.
- Environmental Design: The Environmental Design Competition is intended to include design projects that address challenges within the broader water environment, e.g. water reuse, stormwater management, wetland construction, etc.
Judging Criteria
Designs are first reviewed on the local or regional level from affiliated Member Associations in the WEF. Top teams from each Member Association are then invited to participate in the final competition at the WEFTEC each year. See the competition website for exact review rubrics.Participate
Website: https://wef.org/membership/students-and-young-professionals2/student-design/
Managing Organization: Water Environment Federation
TO BE ELIGIBLE, each presenter must be a WEF® student member who: (1) has been selected by his/her student chapter to participate, and/or (2) has been certified by the individual member association as a WEF® student member in good standing. To be thus certified, a new WEF® student member must have filed an application and paid the required dues for membership before the first day of the month prior to the competition.