AWWA/WEF Student Chapter

Erica Toren and Patrick Denning assisting with NWEA officers in fundraising at the 2005 NWEA Scholarship Golf Outing

Jared Wagner, Greg Perry, and Patrick Denning enjoy bowling at a joint social between AWWA/WEF and Chi Epsilon.

The American Water Works Association (AWWA) / Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a joint student chapter of two professional engineering societies. Students participating in AWWA/WEF attend to learn more about environmental engineering. This group was started in 1997. It was the first Big 12 School with a WEF chapter and is the third University west of the Mississippi with a chapter. The student chapter is supported by the two State associations of these organizations.

AWWA is dedicated to the improvement of drinking water quality and supply. WEF guides technological developments in water quality and provides its members and the pubic with the latest information on wastewater treatment and water quality protection. Members include: Biological System, Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineers, government officials, treatment plant operators and managers, laboratory technicians, college professors, researchers, students and equipment manufactures and distributors.

The purpose of the student chapter is:

• To promote student interest in the environment.
• To provide an avenue for the exchange of information and ideas through networking and mentoring between students, faculty and the professional organization members.
• To promote academic excellence and leadership in environmental science and engineering.

Each semester the organization has approximately two meetings on the Lincoln campus. One get-together is a chapter meeting at the Lincoln campus where the organization discusses the semester's events and has a professional speaker while the other consists of a field trip to an environmental-related facility. The group also attempts to have one or two social gatherings a semester. Meeting notices are posted in the Civil Engineering office in Nebraska Hall.