EEE Students (Left to Right) Nikki Zavodny, Paula Coelho, Samuel Spears, Shantanu Sonawane, EEE Alumnus Kristofer Isaacson, Ph.D., and EEE/CE Professor Andrew Whelton pose outside the AWWA Annual Conference in Anaheim, CA.

Samuel “Sam” Spears, a EEE Senior, recently received the Raftelis Leadership Scholarship through the American Water Works Association (AWWA). Raftelis offers two Leadership Scholarships to undergraduate or graduate students interested in a consulting career. The Raftelis Leadership Scholarships were established with the goal of supporting and growing relationships with promising students who have an interest in becoming problem solvers for local governments and municipal water utilities.

Sam will receive a $5,000 award toward college education, a match with a mentor from a Raftelis office, and potential for an internship in a Raftelis office. Earlier this month, he traveled to the AWWA annual conference in Anaheim, CA to accept the award at the Water Industry Luncheon.

Sam has been participating in undergraduate research at Purdue under the guidance of EEE/CE Professor Andy Welton focusing on water quality and disaster remediation. This summer, he then landed an internship at Burns and McDonnell, an engineering consulting firm based in Chicago.

Why did you choose EEE?

“Before college, I knew I wanted to go into engineering, even though I didn't understand what engineering entailed. I just knew I wanted to start my education down that path. After looking at all the different disciplines within engineering, I was a little overwhelmed. There were so many things that sounded interesting and cool. I ultimately ended up with environmental because it felt just like the best fit. I really value the environment. There are a lot of things that I feel other people after me, in 50 or 100 years, should have access to. Everything from drinking water to the clean air that we breathe, there's just so many crucial ecosystem services that it provides that I want to help protect.”

What leadership activities do you engage in?

“I’ve gained a leadership role in my research at Purdue. After the graduation of my mentor Pritee, I took more ownership over our projects and helped push them through spring semester. I’ve been able to lead different presentations of our research and I’ve most recently worked with our new graduate student to get him acclimated into our lab and projects.

“I’ve also held leadership positions with the service-based fraternity Alpha Phi Omega. I’ve served as the professional development co-chair, inventory co-chair, and several other opportunities where I've gained responsibility. It’s given me experience working with and achieving goals with a team.”

What are your career goals?

“That's a very difficult question because I'm open and excited to try everything new that I can. I’ve touched a little bit on disaster and chemical spill remediation in my research with the Norfolk Southern derailment. But jumping into my current internship, the remediation is vastly different but also really engaging. I enjoy the work that I'm doing. I always get swayed when I'm introduced to a new experience.

“I feel like my end goal is just to make an impact in the industry, no matter where I'm at. The research that I've done at my internship is having an impact in potable water infrastructure, ensuring these technologies are safe and available to municipalities that have aging infrastructure systems that might not necessarily be able to afford the time or cost of doing more traditional trench rehabilitation of underground pipes. It makes me excited to make this kind of impact.”

How are you feeling about receiving the Raftelis Leadership Scholarship?

“Receiving this scholarship is helping me move forward towards my goal of making an impact, whether it be in the water industry or other environments. It makes me excited about and proud of the work that I've done. It's exciting that my work and dedication into these projects produced results that I can feel proud of. This scholarship makes me want to do more, throw myself into new issues, and get involved in the solutions.”