From a floating learning center designed to teach K-12 students sustainable practices to sophisticated energy monitoring systems for Charlottesville-area homes, the first-ever Student Sustainability Project Competition held last week in the Dome Room of the Rotunda showcased 24 projects aimed at creating a more sustainable future.

The competition, organized by the President's Committee on Sustainability, featured projects from students in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, McIntire School of Commerce, School of Architecture, College of Arts & Sciences and the Darden School of Business, among others.

"Our goal for the U.Va. Sustainability Project Competition was three-fold," said Andrew Greene, sustainability planner in the University Architect's office and an organizer of the competition. "One, to help further these great projects; two, to foster collaboration among students from across the University, and three, to set up a successful event model that can be replicated and expanded in the future.

"The quality of entries at our first competition bodes well for the future of this event."

The top three projects identified by a panel of U.Va. faculty judges were "UVA Bikes" by students from the Commerce School, "Learning Barge" by students from the Architecture and Engineering schools and "Management and Reuse of Salt-Contaminated Stormwater Runoff" from the Engineering School.

Each winning project team will be awarded $750.

The "Learning Barge" details the creation and benefits of a 32- by 120-foot floating classroom and environmental field station that will educate K-12 students about sustainability with interactive, hands-on lessons. Beginning as soon as this summer, the barge will move every few months to different locations on the Elizabeth River to teach visitors about the tidal estuary ecosystem, wetland and oyster restoration, sediment remediation efforts and the Elizabeth River's economic and transportation significance. Other lessons will include how to adapt the rainwater collection and renewable energy systems found on the barge into homes.

The project team, which consists of engineering students Whitney Newton and Farhad Omar and architecture graduate assistant Danielle Willkens, is working to help make the Elizabeth River fishable and swimmable by 2020, and the group estimates that more than 19,000 students and adults will visit the barge annually.

[for complete article, follow link]