Some members of the CCNY NYWEA chapter honored by the association. From left: Anais Ortega (treasurer), JK Goongoon (president), Prof. Krish Ramalingam (advisor), Abbie Cheong (secretary), and Emely Nunez Rodriguez (vice President).
Since 1929, the New York Water Environment Association (NYWEA), an organization of water quality professionals, has served the public by promoting sustainable water quality management through science, education, and training. This year, it’s awarded its City College of New York student chapter first place for outstanding performance among NYWEA college affiliates.
Comprising some 40 undergraduate and graduate students in CCNY’s Grove School of Engineering, the chapter was recognized at NYWEA’s 97th annual meeting in mid-Manhattan for its unrivaled approach to promoting knowledge about sustainable water quality management.
“We organize trips, seminars, workshops, and various events throughout the year,” said Krish Ramalingam, research director in the CCNY-NYCDEP Applied Research Program in the Grove School’s Department of Civil Engineering, and a chapter advisor. “Additionally, we engage in activities hosted by the NYWEA Metropolitan Chapter; offering CCNY students to network, continuing education, professional growth, leadership development, and connection to the professional water environment community. We are active on social media platforms also.”
Examples of CCNY-NYWEA Chapter trips include an outing to Governors Island in fall 2024, where they toured the Billion Oyster Project work site. They learned about the organization’s mission to restore New York Harbor and its water quality initiatives.
Also, in exploring broader water-related sustainability efforts, the chapter toured the Sunset Park Materials Recovery Facility, a solid waste recycling center, and The Solaire, a LEED-certified residential building featuring its own wastewater treatment system and green roof.
In addition to field trips, the chapter provides professional development opportunities for students. Last December, professionals from Hazen and Sawyer led a resume workshop with CCNY-NYWEA to help students prepare for the oncoming job application season. More recently, the chapter hosted an alumni panel. It informed students about various career paths within the water and environmental fields, as well as how to strengthen their professional networks.
“Our chapter’s primary goal is to bring awareness of the immense potential that is available in the field of environmental engineering as it caters to students with multiple backgrounds including chemical, mechanical and bio-medical,” said Ramalingam. “Working in this field addresses questions and help innovate solutions that are existential in nature for our planet.”
About The City College of New York
Since 1847, The City College of New York has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. CCNY embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at CCNY can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks CCNY #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places CCNY in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm Lightcast puts at $3.2 billion CCNY’s annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the “for dollar” return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 15,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. In 2023, CCNY launched its most expansive fundraising campaign, ever. The campaign, titled “Doing Remarkable Things Together” seeks to bring the College’s Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College mission. CCNY is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View CCNY Media Kit.
Jay Mwamba
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jmwamba@ccny.cuny.edu