Environmental Studies Fields Team in EPA Competition

A group of students from the Center for Environmental Studies was selected for the second year in a row to participate in the EPA’s P3 competition, which provides grants to college students to fund research on sustainable solutions to environmental challenges. The ultimate goal is to “encourage economic prosperity, protection of the natural systems of the planet, and a higher quality of life, as well as to highlight people, prosperity, and the planet- the three pillars of sustainability- as the next step beyond pollution prevention.”

Click a thumbnail image below to view a larger photo from the competition. Photos by Carly Hagins.

According to faculty member Eric Mauer, “the team’s project was focused on how to recover nutrients from wastewater in developing nations.” The idea expanded on last year’s project, which dealt with a “high tech” approach for removing phosphorus from wastewater. This year, students developed solutions for how to best provide wastewater treatment in developing nations, where the typical technology used for treatment is not available because of cost.

Although the group was not an overall winner, the judges spent considerable time with the team and saw a lot of promise in the project. They told faculty members Mauer and Cinnamon Carlane they were impressed with the students’ work.

Maurer says they plan to participate in the P3 competition again next year and have already submitted a grant proposal for a project involving safe drinking water supplies in developing nations. The innovative approach would introduce drinking water treatment at the household level as a sustainable solution that would acknowledge both cultural and economic concerns.

In addition to Maurer and Carlarne, the team included faculty member Dan Oerther; graduate student Regina Lamendella; and undergraduates Adam Bove, Billie Herman, Brett Lieberth, Hannah Lubbers, Christopher Luedeker, and Chris Zdinak.