A team of BCIT Civil Engineering students has earned top honours in the 2026 BC Water and Waste Association (BCWWA) Student Design Competition.
Competing as BioWise Solutions, students Brian Castillo, Prabhkirat Singh, Alexander Reis, Benjamin Mendoza, and Gianmarco Urbano developed an innovative strategy to improve water quality in the Fishtrap Creek watershed in Abbotsford. Their proposal combined green and grey infrastructure to support a more resilient approach to stormwater management and watershed health.
Hosted annually by BCWWA, the Student Design Competition challenges senior post-secondary students to solve real-world water and wastewater issues while developing the technical, communication, and teamwork skills required in industry. The winning team was recognized at the BCWWA Annual Conference and qualified to advance to the Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC) Student Design Competition.
“Winning the BCWWA Student Design Competition was an amazing experience, and we are incredibly grateful to the BCIT Civil Engineering faculty for providing their continuous support,” says Gianmarco Urbano, on behalf of BioWise Solutions. “The competition gave us a unique opportunity to connect and learn from industry professionals. We would highly recommend it to any student passionate about the environment and water, as it allows you to take on real-world local engineering problems.”
“The students worked incredibly hard to develop a solution to a complex, multidisciplinary problem while balancing the demands of their regular coursework throughout the term,” says Colleen Chan, Faculty, Department of Civil Engineering at BCIT. “They had to rapidly learn and integrate concepts from several civil and environmental engineering subdisciplines. Their teamwork was outstanding.”
Congratulations to Brian, Prabhkirat, Alexander, Benjamin, and Gianmarco on this outstanding achievement. Their success highlights the strength of the BCIT Civil Engineering applied learning model, and the dedication students bring to solving real-world infrastructure and environmental challenges.
Congratulations, team!