The Student Activities Committee (SAC) is a joint committee under VA AWWA and VWEA and welcomes members of all disciplines and tenure in the water fields (engineers, scientists, operators, faculty, students, etc.).

Mission

Enhance students’ knowledge of the water environment and encourage student membership and participation in Association Activities

Goals

  • Promote education, training, and technology exchange programs related to water fields
  • Provide leadership and learning opportunities by promoting participation in VA AWWA and VWEA events and other communities activities

 

Did you know that college students are eligible for FREE memberships? 

Current undergraduates or graduates at a Virginia college/university are eligible for FREE membership in both organizations, VA AWWA and/or VWEA.

  • VA AWWA   To obtain your free VA AWWA membership, click "Free Student Membership" below.
  • VWEA   To obtain your free membership with WEF/VWEA, visit WEF's website here and use coupon code LBVWEA23STU at checkout to cover the cost of your membership. 

If you have questions, contact:

VA AWWA:  geneva.hudgins@vaawwa.org

VWEA:  kathy.rabalais@vwea.org

Student Chapters
VA AWWA and VWEA have student chapters at universities throughout Virginia. If you are interested in starting a student chapter at your college or university, please contact the SAC Chair. They would love to meet with you to discuss all the benefits!
 
Current Student Chapters:
 
 
  • School    Old Dominion University
    Adviser   Gary Schafran    gschafra@odu.edu
    Student Contact    Dave Kibbie / Environmental Engineering Students' Association    odu.eesa@gmail.com 
    SAC Point of Contact    Jessica Hou    jhou@gfnet.com
 
 
There are many great resources for starting your Chapter.  Please go to each association's website for more information.
Need money for school?  Apply for a scholarship!
There are many scholarships available for college students and water operators.  
 
  • VA AWWA Scholarships
    • OneAWWA Operator Scholarship
    • Ray A. Jackson Undergraduate Scholarship
    • Robert C Hoehn Graduate Scholarship
  • VWEA Scholarships
    • Undergraduate Student Scholarship
    • Sonny Roden Memorial Graduate Student Scholarship
    • Operators Scholarship
    • Member Dependent Scholarship
    • Military Veteran or Dependent Scholarship
    • 5E Scholarship
  • AWWA Scholarships
    • Over 17 scholarships available through AWWA
WaterJAM 2024 Fresh Ideas Young Professional Poster Contest
Present your work and research to leading professionals in the water and environmental industries at WaterJAM 2024! Create a poster that showcases your innovative projects and research in the drinking water, wastewater, stormwater, and environmental fields. Young professionals and students are encouraged to participate!
 
The top poster in the drinking water category will win $1,000 💰 and be invited to present at the 2025 AWWA Annual Conference and Exposition in Denver, CO.
 
The top poster in the wastewater/stormwater/environmental category will win $1,000 💰.
 
Presenters will be invited to attend WaterJAM on Tuesday, September 10th to set up their poster boards and Wednesday, September 11th for judging. Submit your 125-word poster abstracts by email by DATE TBD.
 

VA AWWA Student Water Challenge

A design competition organized by the SAC is to be held at the annual Water Joint Annual Meeting (JAM) between teams from different universities across Virginia.

The VA AWWA Student Water Challenge will focus on using a combination of engineering and science to address a real-world water-related issue.  On the day of the competition, the student teams will be provided the specifics of the drinking water problem, allowed approximately five (5) hours to put together their response, and present it to a panel of judges.

Cash prizes & trophies will be awarded!
     1st place team:  $1,500 cash prize plus a traveling trophy and plaque
     2nd place team:  $750 cash prize and a plaque

Mark your calendars!
     Look out for registration materials in August
     Competition Day is on Wednesday of JAM

For more information, contact Carlos Mantilla Peña at mantillac@bv.com

VWEA Student Design Competition

Every year the SAC holds a design competition for our student chapters that feature a $1,500 first place grand prize along with a trip to WEFTEC to present at a national conference, as well as a $750 second place prize. The design competition is for teams of students to design and present a solution to a real-world problem in the wastewater or environmental field.
 

VA AWWA Model Water Tower Challenge

The Model Water Tower Competition is geared towards encouraging the next generation of engineers by getting middle school students interested in designing a working water tower. Teams are judged on the structural efficiency, hydraulic efficiency, cost efficiency, and design ingenuity. Awards are given for First Place (a $75.00 gift card will be given to each member of the team), Second Place (a $50.00 gift card will be given to each member of the team), and Third Place (a $25.00 gift card will be given to each member of the team).  Competitions are held in summer in western Virginia and in the fall for the Tidewater area.

VA AWWA Science Fair Awards

The VA AWWA award is presented to middle and high school students whose projects are selected by the VA AWWA judges. The criteria for the VA AWWA award is the project deals with some aspects of water, such as water resources, drinking water treatment, water quality, etc. The VA AWWA award consists of a monetary award and certificate of merit.

Volunteers are needed to participate as judges for the VA AWWA award. The responsibilities of the VA AWWA judges are to determine what science and engineering projects satisfy the criteria; evaluate the projects, including interviewing the student; and selection of the best project. Each fair needs a minimum of six (6) VA AWWA judges that serve as a team.

If you are interested in volunteering to serve as a judge or if there are any questions you or others in your organization might have about the VA AWWA Science Fair Award, judging, etc., please contact Sherry Williams at SWilliam@nnva.gov.

Committee Contacts
 
Priyanka Mohandoss | Chair
Brown and Caldwell
 
Holly Anne Matel | Vice-Chair
HRSD
 
 
Committee Meeting Schedule
 
Committee Meetings are conducted via Teams on the first Friday of each month.  Contact the chair or fill out the Request to Join Committee form to get the invite.
 
 
 
Upcoming Committee Events