By Jackey Locke

Heidi Simspon received an honourable mention at the 2022 Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL Canada) Student of the Year Awards.

A nomination places a student at the very top of their institution since schools typically put forth only one nomination. To receive an honourable mention among the most elite students in all of Canada is an incredible achievement.

Ms. Simpson is a fourth-year mechanical engineering student. Last summer, she completed her work term at SEMiLLA Sanitation/Nijhuis Industries in the Netherlands, a company that focuses on circular water treatment solutions for disaster relief, humanitarian aid and lessoning the environmental impact of residential housing.

One of the main projects Ms. Simpson worked on was the Waste to Clean Air Project, which aims to use circular system design to improve the quality of life of residents of the Imvepi refugee settlement in Uganda.

"I was responsible for creating an impact report detailing the total potential impact of the project on the lives of refugees in the Imvepi settlement,” she said. “The Waste to Clean Air project aims to give refugees access to affordable renewable energy, safer sanitary systems, nutritious food, job training and stable employment, while contributing to local regreening efforts.”