Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science

News

October 28, 2010

Chemical engineering student team places second at
Water Environment Federation competition

 
From left: Water Environment Federation past president Jim Clark, Ryerson students Kirill Cheiko and Nancy Afonso, faculty advisor Manuel Alvarez Cuenca, and Ryerson students Ruston Bedasie and Andrew Iammatteo.

A team of Ryerson chemical engineering students has achieved the best-ever result by a Canadian engineering team at the Water Environment Federation Technical Conference (WEFTEC) in New Orleans earlier this month. Competing against teams from leading American universities, the Ryerson team placed second in the Student Plant Design Competition.

Comprised of chemical engineering students Nancy Afonso, Ruston Bedasie, Kirill Cheiko, and Andrew Iammatteo, with faculty advisor Dr. Manuel Alvarez Cuenca, the team presented the full design of an advanced wastewater treatment plant expansion, with a total construction cost of $39 million. The team's design was judged by an all-American panel of industry professionals, government officials and civil engineering professors.

In April of this year, the team won first place in the Student Design Competition at the Water Environment Association of Ontario's annual symposium held in London, Ontario. This win entitled them to participate in the WEFTEC competition.

Water Environment Federation (WEF) is the global leader in technical training with respect to processes, techologies, and the social management of drinking water and water purification. Its technical conference (WEFTEC) is the premier water quality event in the world, and is attended each year by scientists, engineers, politicans and industry leaders.