Students at NIS, participated in an exclusive Water Treatment and Management workshop, hosted by NIS in collaboration with the faculty of engineering from University of New South Wales (UNSW) on Tuesday, March 24, 2026 at the multipurpose room D108 in the Voyager Building. Students participated in a design challenge focused on designing low-cost, yet most effective water treatment systems for remote communities.
The activity required the NIS students, grouped in 3-4 students per group, to design a household filtration system using limited materials and a maximum budget of $5. The goal was to remove kaolin clay particles from water while balancing cost, efficiency and practicality.
Working with a 1 liter column, participants were given a range of filtration media to use, including multiple grades of sand and activated carbon. Participants were then tasked with determining how to layer these materials to optimize performance. The task highlighted important engineering principles, such as depth filtration, sedimentation, and absorption.
The challenge also required participants to consider the long-term use. Groups evaluated how their filters would perform overtime, with inevitable cases such as clogging might occur and how the filter would be cleaned or reset.
The workshop ended with brief “Shark Tank” style presentations, where groups pitched their designs to everyone. Each group presented their outline, explained the mechanisms of their design, and justified their design compared to alternatives.
According to the head organizer and UNSW professor Piere Le-Clech, the activity was designed to simulate real engineering scenarios. When asked about the workshop, professor Le-Clech had the following to say :