MBA student wins international title for waste management project

Namur, Belgium – A team of UL Lafayette students won first place in the Vertech City Competition held in Belgium March 13-15, 2016.

Gabriela Barlabe, a Guatemala native and current MBA student in the Moody College of Business, along with Jorge Belgodere, a master’s student in chemical engineering from Lafayette, La., were two of the four group members who presented in the international competition themed “Imagine a City Without Waste.”

“Our project attempts to demonstrate the potential that waste residuals from municipal waste treatment can serve as valuable resources for the production of renewable chemicals and fuel,” Barlabe said. “This vision will reposition wastewater facilities as sustainable sources of green-energy while facilitating no materials unused.”

The first place prize included $2,000 for the team, as well as a diploma for each member. “I chose to compete because it was a great learning experience, an opportunity to expand my knowledge and a chance to apply my business knowledge,” said Barlabe.

Barlabe and Belgodere will present the project to the Lafayette City Council in April 2016 along with their two other teammates: Dhan Lord Fortela from Ilocos, Philippines, and Ashley P. Mikolajczyk from Lafayette, La., both of whom are current doctoral students in chemical engineering.