Econ Students Break New Ground at the CWE Mini-Conference

Departmental News

CWE Mini-Con Water Conference

Posted: October 23, 2025

The Center for Water and the Environment held its Mini-Conference on October 17 2025, in the STAMM Common room at the Centennial Engineering Center.

For the first time, in at least three years, non-engineering students participated in the conference – and they made quite an impression. Economics students, Jane Sawerengera and Ziqing Xie, earned top honors among a competitive field of presenters. 

2025_conference.jpgJane received the Judges’ Award for the Nano-Pitch competition, while Ziqing took home the Judges’ Award for her research poster. Their achievements  highlighted the growing interdisciplinary excellence across campus and the valuable contributions students from all fields were making environmental research and innovation.

The Mini-Conference participation was not limited only to CWE students. Any UNM undergraduate or graduate student could participate as long as their research (or proposed research) focused on water and the environment and broadly supported the CWE’s mission. All participants were required to submit an abstract for each session in which they participated. Experience with pitches, posters, or conferences was not required – participation at all levels was encouraged.

More information found here.

Related Link: CWE Mini-Con Water Conference