Pitt Student Project Places Second in EPA’s 9th Annual Campus RainWorks Challenge
A cross-disciplinary group of Pitt undergraduate students won 2nd in the U.S. EPA’s RainWorks Challenge, Master Plan Category.
A Pitt student group project earned second place in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ninth annual Campus RainWorks Challenge. The Campus RainWorks Challenge is a national competition engaging college students in the design of on-campus green infrastructure solutions to address stormwater pollution, which is a complex across the country, but especially in the region, due to local combined sewer overflow issues.
The winning PreciPITTation team members include the following cross-disciplinary team of undergraduate students:
* Brandon Brewster (Environmental Science, Team Lead)
* Aaron Carr (Environmental Science)
* Maria Doku (Architecture)
* Maggie Lincoln (Ecology Evolution and Physics)
* Harisa Martinos (Architecture)
* Kelly McQueston (Geology)
* Lou Tierno (Environmental Studies)
* Nicole Thompson (Civil Engineering)
The students were challenged to apply green infrastructure design principles, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and increase the use of green infrastructure on the nation’s college campuses. The team received faculty support from Dr. Dan Bain, Department of Geology, and Dr. Carla Ng, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering,
As part of the RainWorks Challenge Master Plan category, the PreciPITTation project utilized multiple green infrastructure practices to create a master plan design focusing on eliminating combined sewer overflows. Students engaged with internal and external stakeholders to create a design that would manage stormwater runoff and reduce flooding while creating safe, multi-functional spaces accessible to the Pitt campus and greater Pittsburgh communities.
With support from the University’s Offices of Facilities Management and Sustainability, aspects of PreciPITTation’s plan are being integrated into implementation of the University’s campus master plan, including green roofs, and increasing tree canopy across campus. The team’s concepts are also reflected in the upcoming campus stormwater projects, which includes a cross-campus rainwater reuse system and aboveground green stormwater infrastructure like that predicated in the team’s designs.