Nonprofit introduces students to wastewater treatment

Engineering Tomorrow, a national STEM education nonprofit, held a virtual and in-person event on January 15, 2025, that introduced students across the country to wastewater treatment.

The event was a special lab event of Engineering Tomorrow’s “Clean water Filtration Systems & Water Conservation” lab. Students participated virtually via Zoom.

During the lab event, students applied the fundamentals of wastewater treatment to design, build, test and analyze a small water filtration system.

Testing included turbidity of their water system and determining the economics of their design.

The lab was led by guest presenters from Engineers Without Borders USA. Engineering Tomorrow partnered with Engineers Without Boarders USA to engage community college students to prepare them for humanitarian STEM paths.

The guest presenters included Natalie Celmo, senior program engineer, Melissa Montgomery, chief programs officer, and Brooke Poppe, program engineer.

“At Engineering Tomorrow, our goal is to inspire students to pursue engineering careers they may have not considered otherwise and create a larger, more diverse engineering workforce,” said Executive Director of Engineering Tomorrow Megan Barrett in a statement. “During today’s clean water lab, students were provided an in-depth introduction into the water treatment process and spoke with our guest presenters at Engineers Without Boarders USA, an organization moving the needle on access to clean water worldwide.”

Staff Engineer at Engineering Tomorrow Joanna Caudle joined students live at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart, an all-girls high school located in Bethesda, Maryland.

Presenters used the materials from Engineering Tomorrow’s “Clean Water Filtration Systems & Water Conservation” lab, which are free online, including the presentation.

All materials were shipped to schools for free.

Students also participated in a live Q&A session with the guest presenters.

“We hope this event sparks the curiosity of students across the country who participated,” Barrett said in a statement.