Last fall, 2016 Stockholm Water Prize recipient Joan Rose, asked Michigan State University students to design a water fountain of the future.
Months later, nine teams of graduate and undergraduate students have advanced to the final round and are working to design a fountain in one of three categories: community fountain, school drinking fountain and emergency response. Three grand prizes will be awarded to student teams – first place will receive $15,000; second place, $7,000; and third, $5,000.
“Water fountains serve as a community gathering space, providing access to wholesome water in public spaces,” said Rose, MSU’s Homer Nowlin Endowed Chair in Water Research. “In the face of increasing concerns over water contaminants, a redesign of the modern drinking fountain can bring people together.”
Finalists in the contest will be highlighted during the Fate of the Earth Symposium at 4 p.m., April 12 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center.
“We know the answers to some of the most important questions – like maintaining clean drinking water in all situations – are right here on this campus,” Rose said. “Our students represent the next generation of problem solvers.”