top of page
Search

From Poop to Prototype: BrownTown Engineering is on the Case

For the full version of this audio, recorded by writer, coach, and TE volunteer Rebecca Mullen, check out our free Substack post.

This year at Toilet Equity, our theme is incubation.


Compost doesn’t become healthy soil overnight. It needs the right ingredients. It needs structure. It needs time.


And apparently… so do engineers.


We sat down with Professor John Boulden (CU/CMU Partnership + City Engineer for Fruita) to talk about his senior engineering students taking on a big challenge:


Developing a compost plan for Toilet Equity.


Instead of hauling waste away to disappear into a wastewater plant, we’re asking a different question:


What would it take to turn it into beneficial compost?



His students are treating this like a real consulting job. They’ve formed a company (yes, it has a very on-brand name), assigned roles like regulatory lead and project manager, and will produce actual site plans and deliverables by the end of the semester.


They’ll even submit an invoice.


It’s messy. It’s ambitious. It’s exactly the kind of problem engineers should be solving.


And it’s exactly the kind of partnership that moves Toilet Equity forward.


If you’ve ever wondered what it takes to legally, practically, and professionally turn poop into compost, this one’s for you.



In the episode, you’ll hear:

  • How he chooses which students are ready for mission-driven work

  • Why “out-of-the-box” projects matter

  • What it really takes to design something no one has built before

  • And how composting and professional growth have more in common than you’d think



This is incubation season.


And we’re just getting started.



Thank you for helping good things brew.


With gratitude,

The Toilet Equity Team


Want to dive into the nitty gritty of engineering design and learn how incubating students is kindof like incubating poop? Check out the full blog post for free on Substack; subscribe for early access each month!




This article originally appeared in our February 2026 email newsletter. You can subscribe to receive future updates here.

 
 
 

Comments

bottom of page