Engineering Mentorship Supports First-Place Capstone Team

This spring, Bolton & Menk’s Water/Wastewater team in Ames, Iowa provided engineering mentorship for Iowa State University seniors competing in the Midwest Student Design Competition. The semester-long capstone project challenged students to design a wastewater collection and treatment system for San Rafael de Guatuso in Costa Rica as part of the Global Water Stewardship category.

Fourteen teams from universities across the country participated, each paired with an industry mentor. Our Ames team worked closely with one Iowa State University group, providing technical guidance as the students navigated a complex, open-ended design challenge.

Under the leadership of Ames intern Emma Miller, the team of Matthew Flores, Carter Ross, and Angela Knight earned first place overall at the competition. Derek Ten Pas coordinated Bolton & Menk’s mentorship effort, with support from Tori Smiley, Gunnar Kern, Andrew Sindt, and Katie Sterk.

As a result of their first-place finish, the students will receive a $4,000 stipend to travel to Costa Rica and present their design to the community it was created to serve, with additional opportunities for national-level competition and industry publication.

Congratulations to the students and mentors on a well‑earned win and a meaningful design achievement!