Montana Tech Environmental Engineering Students Take 2nd Place at International Environmental Competition

Montana Tech’s Environmental Engineering students took second place in an International Environmental Competition organized by the Air & Waste Management Association’s (A&WMA) Environmental Challenge International (ECi) in Raleigh, North Carolina on June 22 -25, 2015. At the competition, the students were assigned an ECi, a comprehensive environmental problem, and they used principles of engineering, environmental sciences, economics, and social sciences to develop a solution that will best fulfill the problem.

This year’s challenge was on the issue of hydraulic fracturing in North Carolina and the environmental effects that come with it. Montana Tech’s Environmental team consisting of Shyla Allred, Nathan Burke, Ryan Cochran, Westley Lund and Clay Thomas prepared a paper, developed a poster presentation, and presented in front of judges and other professionals. Dr. Kumar Ganesan was the students’ advisor. The team competed against schools such as Michigan State, Cal Polytechnic, Louisiana State University, and University of Florida. Montana Tech’s Environmental students won the right to compete at this conference by taking first and third place at the 2014 Environmental Competition at the Pacific Northwest International Section (PNWIS) of A&WMA that was held in Spokane, Washington in the fall.