Hightower shared wisdom, guidance with environmental design contest students

For three decades, Mike Hightower ’75 ’77 served as a judge at NMSU College of Engineering’s WERC Environmental Design Contest. Following more than 10 years as lead judge, Hightower hung up his clipboard for the final time after the April 2024 event. 

Established in 1991, the WERC Environmental Design Contest was an aspect of the Waste-management Research Consortium, or WERC, and was a joint effort between the Department of Energy, Sandia National Laboratories, NMSU, University of New Mexico and Diné College. Then, the primary goal was to teach engineering students how to manage and prevent waste. Today, the contest brings industry, government and academia together in search for improved solutions to today’s environmental challenges in all fields of engineering. 

“For 30 years at the contest, Mike dedicated his time to developing an undergraduate engineering workforce that is prepared to solve some of the world’s pressing environmental issues. He understands how to bring the best out of WERC’s contest competitors and help them learn to stand on their own as engineers,” WERC Environmental Design Contest Program Manager Ginger Scarbrough says. “I cannot put into words how much he will be missed.”

Hightower began participating as a judge when he worked at Sandia National Labs. Currently, he is the New Mexico Produced Water Research Consortium program director. 

“I will miss the opportunity to interact with the judges and the students and see those aha moments when you know you helped someone understand something they will be able to use for the rest of their life,” Hightower says. 

“I have done a lot of coaching of young kids in my life, from T-ball, to football, basketball and soccer, and I have always gotten satisfaction in seeing kids or students take on a challenges and with a little coaching, they can really make tremendous strides in self-confidence and self-assurance, teamwork and giving their best,” he says. “It reinforces that practice and hard work payoff.” 

“As our lead judge for over 10 years, Mike set the tone for all judges to establish a collegial atmosphere with the students,” Scarbrough says. “We hear stories every year of students who stayed in engineering as a direct result of the WERC judges treating them as colleagues and helping them feel like they belong in the engineering profession. We have Mike Hightower to thank for teaching all of our judges to respect and value the students for their environmental contributions.”