Erika Economou

Erika Economou is a senior in BSE from Mechanicsville, Virginia. She is on the Environmental Health path with a minor in Green Engineering. She is interested in stream restoration and stormwater management with green infrastructure, especially in renewable energy applications.

For the past two summers, Erika has worked as an intern at Dominion Energy on the Solar Construction team. There, she has gained experience with understanding stormwater regulations and policies on solar fields by seeing their applications in construction plans and on site. She has also learned a lot about solar panels themselves, including the various electrical and mechanical components that impact cost and efficiency.

At school, Erika works in the Water Quality Lab and the Bell Lab. In the WQL, she mainly prepares and processes samples for the Viginia Household Water Quality Program by assembling sample kits and measuring for bacteria, pH/conductivity, and nutrient content. Occasionally, she makes standards and helps with PhD research. In the Bell Lab, she works as a Research Assistant on a variety of projects and is pursuing her Accelerated Master’s under Dr. Bell. Her research topic focuses on the effects of using zeolite as a substate in floating treatment wetlands to improve the water quality in stormwater basins. Outside of class, Erika enjoys most outdoor activities, including running, biking, hiking, and kayaking. She is an active member of VT Club  XC/TF and a Streamkeeper of Stroubles Creek for the Office of Sustainability.

As a BSE Ambassador and Mentor, Erika hopes to introduce and encourage students to not only join but get the most out of the BSE program. She is grateful to the BSEs who have inspired her throughout her time at Virginia Tech and hopes to share the love of the program.