Auburn’s Water and Environmental Student Association finds success at AL/MS joint water conference
Published: Apr 25, 2024 2:30 PM
By Kat Bader
Auburn University’s Water and Environmental Student Association (WESA) traveled to Mobile in April to attend the Alabama/Mississippi Water Joint Annual Conference. They came back with hardware and scholarships.
WESA comprises students from several engineering departments, including the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Biosystems Engineering. The association sent 12 representatives to the Mobile Convention Center from April 7-9 to hear from water professionals from Alabama and Mississippi who want to collaborate, educate and lead in water management.
According to Shiqiang Zou, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering and WESA faculty advisor, the conference aims to foster innovation and improve water management.
WESA, a student association dedicated to connecting students across interdisciplinary backgrounds with a passion for the water and wastewater industry, seized this opportunity to make a profound impact.
“Participating in conferences like the Alabama/Mississippi Water Joint Annual Conference showcases the talents of Auburn’s WESA members and plays a crucial role in nurturing the next generation of water engineers,” Zou said. “Through our involvement, we are advancing the field of water and environmental engineering and empowering students to become future leaders in sustainability and water engineering.”
Among WESA’s contributors, David Ricardo Martínez Vargas, a postdoctoral researcher in civil and environmental engineering, delivered an oral presentation titled “Metal Recovery from Reverse Osmosis Concentrates,” showcasing approaches to achieving simultaneous water treatment and resource recovery.
Additionally, Wellington Arthur, a second-year doctoral student in biosystems engineering, won the Fresh Ideas Young Professional Poster Competition. Five other students, Jiagen Geng, Aline Christine Bernegossi, Najibullah Zulfeqar, Tamino Schöffer and Phoebe Judkins also participated in the event.
Arthur will represent Auburn University nationally during the American Water Works Association’s Annual Conference and Exposition in Anaheim, California, this June.
“I am incredibly grateful for the support we have received from the young professional committees of AWWA and AWEA to attend the AL/MS Joint Water Conference,” said Natalie Macaluso, the president of WESA. “Their guidance and encouragement have been invaluable as we prepared for the conference. I couldn’t be prouder of the strong team we have assembled to represent Auburn University.”
Several undergraduate students also received scholarships from the Alabama/Mississippi Section of the American Water Works Association and Alabama’s Water Environment Association. Those students included Lauren Flannelly, Kate Wilson and Avry Prewitt.
Several students in Auburn University’s Water and Environmental Student Association pose for a photo at the Alabama/Mississippi Water Joint Annual Conference.
