• Who: Dr. Achintya Bezbaruah, Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering at NDSU along with a group of junior high students from West Fargo.

• What they are doing: Took first place out of more than 300 teams in the nationwide Waste Limitation Management and Recycling Design Challenge organized by NASA.

• The idea: To reduce future lunar settlers' dependence on the Earth. Currently it costs about $20,000 to transport one liter of water from the Earth to the Moon. So, lunar settlers' urine and grey water need to be recycled in a cost effective way to produce drinkable water.

• Time invested: The team devoted more than 800 research hours to come up with the winning design concept with Dr. Achintya Bezbaruah, as their advisor for the project. The project was sponsored by NDSU's College of Architecture and Engineering.

• The results: "They tested whether activated carbon, zeolites, ion-exchange resin, baking soda, vinegar, and simple storage can remove ammonia from water. Six students ran different systems in their own basements," said Bezbaruah. "They estimated that the wastewater treated using their system will cost $2,000 per liter as compared to the present $20,000 per liter."
  
• The prize: 
As the top design team in the country, the students and their advisor will receive an all-expense paid trip to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida where they will meet with NASA experts, enjoy VIP tours, and hopefully witness the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis to the International Space Station.

You can reach Dr. Bezbaruah at a.bezbaruah@ndsu.edu.