ENVR 357 | Environmental Challenge

This course facilitates student teams competing in the Environmental Challenge (EC) program, a student competition to prepare and present an optimal solution to a complex "true to life" environmental problem. The EC is part of the conference hosted by the Pacific Northwest International Section (PNWIS) of the Air and Waste Management Association (AWMA), a professional organization of environmental professionals. The course requires teams of 3-5 students to submit a written proposal addressing the EC question, participation in the PNWIS three-day conference, and oral presentation and defense of the proposal at the conference. The proposals are evaluated by environmental professionals from industrial, regulatory, consulting, and academic fields. The EC problem is of current value, representative of the location of the conference, and requires a multidisciplinary approach for success. To be successful in the EC teams must seek technical and scientific analyses as well as solutions with appropriate regulatory compliance and resolution with political and community stakeholders. To be successful at the competition, student teams must research the problem background, as well as the technical, social, economic, and political aspects of the situation while staying apprised of ongoing current events related to the problem. A diversity of student backgrounds and majors are encouraged to enroll and often produce the most successful teams.