A Cornell team with students from six graduate programs received second place for their project titled Rain Delay in the EPA’s 10th Annual Campus RainWorks Challenge. With guidance from their advisor, CRP Professor Michael Tomlan, team members Adhish Parkar, Duxixi Shen, Jiaxuan Tang, Joseph Amsili, Junrong Shen, Manoj Pandian, Michael Snow, Nathan Baker, Sarah Stanzi, Swathi Suvarna, and Yuang Sun competed against 42 teams from across 24 states and 35 different academic institutions.
The Campus RainWorks Challenge is a green infrastructure design competition for American colleges and universities that seeks to engage with the next generation of environmental professionals, foster a dialogue about the need for innovative stormwater management techniques, and showcase the environmental, economic, and social benefits of green infrastructure practices.
The Cornell team participated in the Demonstration Project category which focused on how green infrastructure can address stormwater pollution at a specific site on campus. Taking advantage of Cornell’s plans to construct a new computer science facility, the team illustrated the potential benefits of green infrastructure on the site. They worked tireless hours and consulted with campus experts in architecture, engineering, facilities management, and ecology. The project examined solutions to provide multi-benefits across different sectors. It boasted protecting the water quality of Cayuga Lake, promoting resilience and biodiverstiy, and creating new recreational and educational opportunities for students and educators.
Swathi Suvarna (MRP ’23) is grateful for the new treasure trove of knowledge she gathered while working on the competition. She credits the large interdisciplinary team for being able to play to their strengths. The project involved dividing up historical research, GIS mapping, landscaping, planting scheme research, report writing, video shooting & editing, 3D modeling, rendering, and final presentation skills.
The tangibility of the project made it impactful and rewarding for Nathan Baker (MRP ’23). He valued learning how the role of a planner fits into real world projects. Baker relished the experience and looks forward to furthering his knowledge in water resource management.
“Admittedly, I did not know much about stormwater management before joining the RainWorks team. In part because of this experience, I will continue working on stormwater management and other water-related projects with the Cornell Water Resources Institute this summer.”