2019 Campus RainWorks Challenge Results

On April 29, 2020, EPA announced the winners and honorable mentions for the eighth annual Campus RainWorks Challenge. Fifty student teams from across 20 states submitted green infrastructure designs that address urban stormwater pollution and showcase the environmental, economic, and social benefits of green infrastructure. The breadth of multi-disciplinary expertise and innovation on display in these designs demonstrates that today's students are more than capable of solving the challenges of stormwater management and protecting public health and the environment in communities everywhere. Special thanks go to the Water Environment Federation, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the American Society of Landscape Architects, and all of the students, faculty, and judges that participated in this year's challenge.

Congratulations to the Winning Teams!

First Place, Master Plan Category: Florida International University

Titled Coastal Eco-Waters: Adapting for a Resilient Campus, this project redesigned the university’s Biscayne Bay campus to incorporate replicable green infrastructure practices that engage with the broader community to cultivate regional resiliency in an area that regularly experiences extreme weather events.

Project Narrative (pdf) | Design Board (pdf)

Student Team: Vivek Verma (Civil Engineering); Angeluz Lozada (Environmental Engineering); Linlong Bian (Hydraulic Engineering); Alain Carrazana, Rutusha Nagaraj (Landscape Architecture and Urban and Environmental Design); Sumit Zanje (Mechanical Engineering); Aditia Rojali (Ocean Engineering); Dogukan Ozecik (Water Resources Engineering); Ana-Maria Dimand (Public Policy and Administration)

Lead Faculty Advisors: Arturo S. Leon (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering); Ebru Ozer (Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental and Urban Design)

Additional Advisors: Stuart M. Grant (FIU Facilities Coordinator)

First Place, Demonstration Project Category: University of California at Los Angeles

The team’s project, titled Little Steps to a Sustainable Future, redesigned a local elementary school campus to incorporate a variety of green infrastructure practices. Extensive stakeholder engagement across the school district led to a realistic design capable of managing stormwater runoff onsite and providing hands-on environmental education that will connect students to their watershed.

Project Narrative (pdf) | Design Board (pdf)

Student Team: Allison Lee, Camille Ituralde, Samuel Hwang, Annika Melquist, Patience Olsen (Civil and Environmental Engineering); Joyce Lee, Kyle Willenborg (Environmental Science)

Lead Faculty Advisor: Sanjay K. Mohanty (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering)

Additional Advisors: Robert Laughton (LAUSD Maintenance and Operations Director)

Second Place, Master Plan Category: University of Arizona

The Against the Grain entry integrated multiple green infrastructure practices into a master plan design that revitalized key transportation and pedestrian corridors. This project sought to enhance flood protection through inclusion of bioretention facilities with native plants and trees and treat stormwater runoff as a resource by incorporating cisterns for irrigation.

Project Narrative (pdf) | Design Board (pdf)

Student Team: Tess Wagner, Jinqiao Deng, Isaac Palomo, Mario Nuño-Whelan, Peter Price (Landscape Architecture and Planning); Hannah Talkington (Biology); Joyce Chen Wang (Computer Science and Mathematics); Jesus Mulgado (Biosystems Engineering); Jesus De Los Reyes (Environmental and Water Resource Economics)

Lead Faculty Advisor: Dr. Bo Yang (College of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture)

Additional Advisors: Grant McCormick (MLA, AICP, Adjunct Professor of Environmental Science, Campus Planner); Dr. Tanya Quist (Associate Professor of Plant Sciences); Dr. Vanessa Buzzard, Dr. Laura Meredith (School of Natural Resources and the Environment)

Second Place, Demonstration Project Category: Arizona State University

In their project titled Ready! Set! Activate! this team worked with a local elementary school to reduce local flooding during Arizona’s monsoon season and create a resilient, multi-functional space that effectively manages stormwater runoff and yields educational and ecological benefits.

Project Narrative (pdf) | Design Board (pdf)

Student Team: Amanda Trakas, Elizabeth Ferguson, Kevin Scholfield (Landscape Architecture)

Lead Faculty Advisor: Dr. Chingwen Cheng (The Design School)

Additional Advisors: Dr. Paul Coseo (The Design School); Dr. Jennifer Vanos (Assistant Professor of Sustainability); Dr. Aaron Hess (Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Communication); Dr. Allison Ross (School of Community Resources and Development); Dr. Brian Winsor (Founder, Paideia Academy)

Honorable Mention, Master Plan Category: Michigan State University

In 2018 the Michigan State campus endured a major flood event when heavy rain caused the Red Cedar River to overflow its banks. The team's Blue Lines concept envisioned a future where green infrastructure mitigates the damage from extreme weather events.

Project Narrative (pdf) | Design Board (pdf)

Student Team: Amanda Wakefield, Mitchell Kreiner (Landscape Architecture and Horticulture); Angela Yuan (Environmental Studies, Sustainability, and Environmental Economics); Sam Linebaugh (Construction Management)

Lead Faculty Advisor: Dr. Jun-Hyun Kim

Additional Advisors: Dr. Wonmin Son (Landscape Architecture Program); Ruth Kline-Robach (MS, Institute of Water Research)

Honorable Mention, Demonstration Project Category: University of California at Berkeley

Titled Bank on It, this team's design demonstrates how green infrastructure can rehabilitate urban waterways to achieve both local and regional environmental benefits.

Project Narrative (pdf) | Design Board (pdf)

Student Team: Sarah Fitzgerald, Alex Broad, Juanita Ballesteros, Ramdane Bassaid, Alev Bilginsoy, Jessica Colvin, Terrence Ngu, Xiaoyue Wang, Ziyun Yuan (Landscape Architecture)

Lead Faculty Advisor: Dr. Kristina Hill (Department of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning)

Additional Advisors: Tim Pine (UC Berkeley Environmental Health and Safety); Wendy Hillis (Assistant Vice Chancellor and Campus Architect)

Instructors: Nate Kauffman (PhD Candidate, MLA); Joe Burg (MLA, MCE)