A team of undergraduate students from Auburn University’s Department of Biosystems Engineering won first place in the student design competition at the 14th annual meeting of the American Ecological Engineering Society. The team consisted of three undergraduate students from biosystems engineering including Jesse Blanton, Olivia Elliott and Ryan McGehee, as well as partners from State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry and Syracuse University. The competition focused on designing methods for coastal erosion control in a model hydraulic flume. The students were tasked with creating a model breakwater system that reduces wave energy on a shoreline using natural materials. The winning team used sand and a shredded wood mulch to create their model that absorbs wave energy and bested the nine other teams in the competition.