WC143 JulyAug 2025 - Magazine - Page 36
DRINKING WATER
Group photo with Sustainable Urban Planning. Top row from left to right: Ellen Campbell, Ian Boland,
Jose Bernardo Gochoco III. Middle row from left to right: Ken Smith, Curtis Mei, Ashish Acharya. Bottom row
from left to right: Shivani Bharatkumar Dave, Alyssa Rae Tejada, Emerson Pardoe.
2. Who participated in this year’s competition,
and what kind of academic backgrounds did the
students bring?
Seven teams participated, with a total of 30 students
from schools across Canada, including Seneca Polytechnic, the University of Alberta, the University of
New Brunswick, the University of Toronto, and York
University.
Students came from a wide range of programs—everything from Computer Science and Engineering to
Urban Planning, Sustainability Management, Agricultural and Resource Economics, and even Biomedical
Sciences. That mix of backgrounds brought a lot of fresh
and varied perspectives to the challenge.
3. Did students receive any mentorship or guidance
from industry experts during the competition?
Yes, a mentorship workshop was held that connected
students with professionals from across the water and
environmental sectors. The goal was to help students
refine their ideas with real-world insights, and also to
highlight the many career paths that exist in the water
space—from engineering and planning to data science
and policy. It added a lot of value to the experience.
4. Who were the judges, and how did they evaluate the
teams’ proposals?
The panel of judges with expertise in stormwater management and environmental planning included:
Curtis Mei, C.E.T., ENV SP
Stormwater Systems Specialist, City of Peterborough
Ian Boland, C.E.T.
Manager of Water Resource Systems,
City of Peterborough
Dylan Radcliffe, MA, H.BSc, C.Tech
Senior Water Resources Technician at Engage Engineering and Chair of the Peterborough Environmental
Advisory Committee
Ken Smith, P.Eng.
Manager of Water Resources at D.M. Wills Associates
WAT E R C A N A D A . N E T
