Four civil and environmental engineering majors won first prize in the national competition, “Engineering for People Design Challenge.” Hosted by Engineers Without Borders UK, students were challenged to use project-based learning to design sustainable solutions in a real-world scenario.

Noah Mahlon, Alexi Martinez, Ethan O’Campo, and Peyton Phillips integrated solutions for food, water, and energy resources in the small village of Pu Ngaol in Cambodia. The team designed a renewable green house with water storage and renewable electricity.

The students completed the project as part of their coursework for CIVE 103: Engineering Graphics and Computing taught by CEE Professors Becki Atadero and Ken Carlson.

“We are excited to use the EWB Engineering for People Design Challenge in our class because the project requires student teams to dig into the societal context of their engineering solutions, and that is a great way to begin their engineering studies,” said Atadero.

“This project gave us a good preview into what our lives could look like past graduation in the workforce, and gave us the chance to see what we have to look forward to in our upper-level classes,” shared Peyton on behalf of the team. “We think future students should take advantage of the opportunity this project gives to network, practice soft skills, and learn about real-world challenges. We are so glad we got to participate in this design challenge and look forward to how seeing how future students make it their own!”

View the team’s winning submission.