A group of environmental engineering students from Missouri University of Science and Technology is in New York City, competing in the national finals of the Metcalf and Eddy Academic Design Contest.

The students entered the competition as a part of a sanitary design class taught by the team’s academic adviser, Dr. Jianmin Wang, an assistant professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering.
The team has been working on ways to modify an existing waste water treatment facility in order to meet more stringent effluent standards by reducing total nitrogen content in waste water and reducing green house gas emissions.

A total of 13 university teams participated in the academic challenge this year. Four teams were chosen for a semifinal round based on an oral presentation and a design report. Missouri S&T and the University of Florida were chosen as the top two teams after semifinal presentations.

In New York, winning team members will share $2,500 and the winning team’s academic adviser will get $2,500. The second place team will receive the Metcalf and Eddy textbook, a highly valued resource in the environmental engineering field.

According to Wang, the S&T students were capable of getting so far in the competition because of the high level of education and training they receive.

The Missouri S&T team includes David Irons, a senior from Belleville, Ill.; Jenna McGregor, a senior from Ballwin, Mo.; and Sarah Shell, a senior from Barnhart, Mo.