A team of NDSU civil engineering students won the recent Environmental Challenge Design Competition organized by Air and Waste Management Association - Upper Midwest Section and Central States Water Environment Association - Minnesota Section.
The team of Danielle Peltier, Hannah Patenaude, Kjersten Winkelman and Rachel Kawleski placed first for their futuristic design of a system to treat PFAS, an emerging environmental contaminate present in landfill leachate.
“We came up with the design of our PFAS treatment system through a combination of applying concepts we learned in our water and wastewater engineering class at NDSU and research we completed as a team on PFAS treatments that have been used and studied in the past,” Winkelman said. “I think this experience has helped me develop a more well-rounded approach to my future work as an engineer. In this challenge, we not only provided an engineering solution, but we also considered how this project may impact the surrounding community, the sustainability of the system and its adaptability in the future.”
“My favorite part about this project was being able to research a concept most of us never knew about,” Peltier said. “This project has allowed me to better understand how wastewater, and waste in general, are serious matters. I would like to work in a wastewater plant, so this really made me understand the process more in depth.”
Achintya Bezaruah and Syeed Md Iskander served as faculty mentors on the project. Brian Hiles from Ulteig Engineering was the team’s industry consultant.
Hands-on learning and opportunities for undergraduates to participate in research occur in every discipline in the College of Engineering. Students work on real-world projects that promote career development, critical thinking and problem-solving skills and provide opportunities for networking and public speaking.
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