For one AWWA student chapter, engagement starts with belonging

Many student chapters face a common challenge: how to keep students engaged beyond the first meeting.

At the University of South Alabama, the answer has been to think beyond events, incentives, and attendance counts — and instead, focus on creating a community. That approach has earned the chapter an engagement incentive award from AWWA.

The AWWA chapter — which includes undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students — has grown its engagement efforts by offering a mix of professional development, networking, outreach, and social activities. Members organize research presentations, workshops, and industry-focused events while also creating opportunities for students to connect on a more personal level.

“We want them to know this is not just an academic student chapter,” said Nidhi Purav, the chapter’s president and a Ph.D. student at the University of South Alabama. “It’s a place to grow, to learn about other cultures, and to talk about everything. That’s how we keep students engaged.”

That philosophy has led to a diverse range of activities, from cultural potlucks to creative campus events such as a treasure hunt hosted through the College of Engineering.

The goal, Purav said, is to spark curiosity about the water profession and help students build lasting connections.

The chapter’s engagement strategy extends beyond the university campus, too. Members regularly participate in outreach activities that introduce younger students to engineering and water-related careers. During one lab workshop, elementary students were so excited that they wanted to repeat the experiment and stayed long after the schedule to continue asking questions.

“I still remember it,” Purav said. “They were so enthusiastic. And it was a reminder of ‘Oh, this is why we do what we do.’”

One of their biggest — and Purav said, most successful — engagements is a collaboration with the Mobile Museum for an annual Holi celebration that marks the end of winter and start of spring. They incorporate water conservation education into the event, “making it personal and engaging for the community,” she said.

That sense of connection is something that chapter leaders try to instill throughout the year. Chapter leaders say they aim to augment the academic experiences students gain in the classroom with real-world connection and learning.

A more practical demonstration of this approach is the Alabama-Mississippi Water Joint Annual Conference. The chapter takes 50 students each year, so they can network with utility professionals, attend technical sessions, and learn about career opportunities firsthand. This year, seven of the students participated in technical presentations and two in poster competitions.

Chapter members also attended WEFTEC 2025 and participated in the Student Design Competition, where they highlighted wastewater treatment solutions in underserved areas.

“It’s important to connect theoretical knowledge with practical knowledge,” Purav said. “When students can talk directly with people working in the industry, it helps them understand what those careers really look like.”

The engagement incentive award from AWWA recognizes the chapter’s success, but members see it as motivation rather than a finish line. Purav said the recognition has energized both current and former leaders and reinforced the value of staying connected to students’ interests and needs.

“We always try to get feedback from students after events and ask what they liked and what they want to see next,” she said. “That helps students feel that their opinions matter and that they’re important to the chapter.”