William V. Storch Student Award

AWRA Florida offers William V. Storch Student Awards in the amount of $2,000 to undergraduate and graduate Florida college or university students. The selection criteria for an undergraduate student is based on academic performance including the cumulative grade point average, relevance of the student’s curriculum to water resources and leadership in extracurricular activities related to water resources. The criteria for a graduate student is based on academic and/or research performance. The measures of academic performance are identical to those described for the undergraduate criteria with the addition of the quality of the student’s research and its relevance to water resources. Applicants should prepare a title page and two-page summary of their academic interests and achievements, extracurricular interests and career goals as they relate to the above selection criteria. The application must also include a letter of reference, preferably from a professor or advisor, a transcript of all college courses and the applicant’s full name, permanent mailing address, email address, and phone number. (NOTE: the award amount was increased from $1,500 to $2,000 in 2026). Applications must be received by Friday, April 17, 2026.

2026 Application forms are now available and due by Friday, April 17, 2026.
Click here to download the Graduate application or click here to download the Undergraduate application. 

2025 Graduate Recipients

Fabiola Rodriguez - University of Florida

Fabiola is a doctoral student from Puerto Rico, she earned her bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. She has a passion for advancing equitable access to clean water and developing resilient, scientifically grounded solutions to environmental contamination. Researching emerging contaminants, specifically per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Focusing on PFAS destruction in biosolids, integrating environmental chemistry, materials science, and process engineering to evaluate PFAS degradation pathways, defluorination efficiency, and treatment scalability. Her research hopes to minimize the public health and ecological risks of land application of biosolids, supporting the protection FL water resources

Stacy Lynn Sanderlin- Florida Gulf Coast University

Stacy is a masters student specializing in hydrology and water quality, 3.75 GPA. Her research focuses on groundwater contributions to nutrient pollution in Southwest Florida’s Estero Bay Watershed with support from NOAA. Has extensive field and lab experience, including water sampling, nutrient analysis, and hydrological modeling using MODFLOW and SEAWAT. Also, a STEM educator and aquarist at the IMAG History & Science Center, where she promotes marine science and conservation. Her long-term goals include becoming a professor and running a nonprofit focused on water sustainability and launching an ecotourism initiative to support conservation and education.

Elizabeth Vicario- University of South Florida

Elizabeth is fascinated by the One Water concept and hopes to become a PE, focusing on master planning, resilience, and integrated water resources management. Her research uses a "systems thinking" framework to model the hidden dynamics of water systems and inform decision-making. With local utility partners, she has co-created system dynamics models to address their complex issues. An example model simulates the strong effects of weather on supply and demand for reclaimed water and assesses whether proposed solutions are resilient to climate and population changes. Elizabeth enjoys making kombucha and kayaking at Florida springs.

2025 Undergraduate Recipients

Aki Densmore - Florida Institute of Technology

Aki is a Chemical engineering student researching surface engineering, and materials innovation. Her research spans nanotechnology,  biochar optimization and biochar-based water purification.  She plans to build a career at the intersection of sustainable research, design, manufacturing, infrastructure resilience, and global scientific collaboration. 

Riley Plank - Florida Gulf Coast University

Riley is the current President of the FGCU Student Chapter of the AWRA. He is a senior majoring in Environmental Studies with a concentration in Water Resources Management. He was an intern for the Southwest Florida Water Management District and is researching hydrological dynamics of stormwater nutrient flow in nearby residential communities. Riley enjoys fly fishing, hiking, and being outdoors.