Contact

Progam Contact

Mona Elshinawy

Conference Chair, Waste-management Education Research (WERC) IEEE Conference

Ginger Scarbrough
gscarbro@nmsu.edu
Publications Chair, Waste-management Education Research (WERC) IEEE Conference

IEEE Waste-Management and Education Research Conference (WERC)

June 8 - 10, 2026

The IEEE WERC Conference runs independently from the Design Contest—but builds directly on its strongest work.

Hosted by the IEEE El Paso Chapter and New Mexico State University, the conference invites top-performing teams (typically 30–55%) to transform their technical reports into peer-reviewed papers for potential publication in IEEE Xplore.

Why participate?
This is your opportunity to publish, gain citations, and share your work with a global audience. To date, WERC has published 49 papers with 36 citations—and counting.

2026 Conference Highlights

  • All Design Contest reports are considered for publication
  • Invitations to submit issued: April 22, 2026
  • Selected teams receive submission instructions via email
  • Publication is based on judges’ review and IEEE standards
  • Teams do not need to win a contest award to be invited
  • Faculty advisors may be included as co-authors

All submissions must meet IEEE Xplore scope and formatting requirements.

 

 

IEEE Waste-Management and Education Research Conference (WERC) Proceedings

All Conference Proceedings

IEEE WERC Conference Sponsors

IEEE El Paso Section Logo         New Mexico State University Logo

IEEE Conference Call for Papers

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2026 IEEE WERC Conference Schedule:

    1. April 22: Invitation to submit IEEE Paper
    2. May 8: Invited teams submit their paper
    3. May 9 - 18: Papers are reviewed
    4. May 25: Team submits revisions, as needed
    5. May 29: Notification of paper acceptance, submission, & copyright transfer. 
    6. June 5: Final Paper Upload
    7. June 29: Papers submitted to IEEE

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IEEE Paper Requirements

  • Limit of 12 pages
  • Use the IEEE Xplore Format Template, below.
  • Address all comments made by judges during the contest
  • Focus on the technical aspects and remove the economic analysis.
  • Include process-flow diagrams with mass/energy balances, as appropriate.


IEEE Xplore Templates (Word, LaTeX)

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Publication Fees and Registration Discount

Per-paper fee for publication: $50

Fees Sponsored by: El Paso Chapter of IEEE, El Paso, TX

Teams will not be charged the per-paper fee, thanks to the generosity of
El Paso, TX Chapter of IEEE.

Join IEEE: Teams with a minimum of one IEEE member will be awarded a $50 registration discount. Student membership is only $32.

Join IEEE ▸

"Nothing is more beautiful than the loveliness of the woods before sunrise."
—George Washington Carver