Incoming graduate student Corinne Watson has made huge strides during her four years as an undergraduate student at Cal Poly.
Her dedication to environmental engineering — along with working closely alongside local water agencies and conducting research in nanotechnology — has put her on the path that earned her two prestigious awards: the Harold and Judy Cota Award and the Society of Women Engineers Outstanding Woman in Engineering Award.
The Harold and Judy Cota Award is presented to graduating environmental engineering students who have demonstrated an interest in community public health or industrial safety and hygiene. The award recipients are nominated by faculty based on leadership, extracurriculars and performance.
“Receiving this award was truly a humbling experience,” Watson shared. “The Cal Poly Civil and Environmental Engineering Department is one of a kind, and it’s all due to the amazing professors and staff.”
Harold Cota, founder of the environmental engineering program at Cal Poly, attended this year’s award ceremony to announce the recipients.
“Meeting the founder of this incredible program was a highlight of my academic career,” Watson said.
Recent environmental engineering graduates Mary Norman and Ramy Wahba were also recipients of the Harold and Judy Cota Award for the 2023-24 academic year.
Additionally, Watson received the Society of Women Engineers Outstanding Woman in Engineering Award, which is presented to five graduating women engineering students at the annual SWE Evening with Industry event.
“I’m truly honored to be a recipient of this award!” Watson said.
The incoming master’s student’s work ethic while at Cal Poly also gave her the necessary experience to excel in her field.
Watson worked with the Central Coast Water Quality Control Board as a student assistant in the Waste Discharge Requirements and National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System units.
She has also worked alongside civil and environmental engineering Professor Amro El Badawy conducting nanotechnology research since September 2020.
“The research focuses on developing eco-friendly, nanoscale molecular structures to capture carbon dioxide from point source emissions,” Watson explained.
As a sophomore, Watson taught one of El Badawy’s 400-level courses focused on environmental nanotechnology.
“What sets Corinne apart is her remarkable dedication, boundless curiosity and unwavering determination to contribute to a sustainable future,” El Badawy said, noting that her work ethic puts her at the level of Ph.D. students.
As Watson’s knowledge in nanotechnology grew, she began to share what she learned with the next generation of engineers, teaching a nanotechnology lab for Cal Poly’s EPIC summer program.
The Engineering Possibilities in College (EPIC) program hosts middle and high school students from around the country to participate in STEM Learn by Doing activities.
“As a lab lead, I taught an interactive nanotechnology lab to about 40 students,” she said. “As a group, we learned the fundamentals of nanotechnology, played nanotechnology- themed games and synthesized nanoparticles. It was such a fun process!”
Watson has a lot to look forward to this fall – she will be starting the master’s program at Cal Poly in civil and environmental engineering and will begin interning at Water System’s Consulting, where she will continue to make impactful contributions in sustainability.
By Taylor Villanueva
