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The student chapter of Engineers Without Borders will give a presentation on its work this semester, including plans for a trip to Honduras next month as part of a project to provide a village with clean drinking water, 7 p.m. today in the Oechsle Hall auditorium.
Refreshments will be available at the event, which is free and open to the public.
The presentation will describe the goals of the Honduras project and present the students’ design. The students also will discuss the innovative intercultural dialogue used to ensure the clean water distribution system will be a sustainable solution for the four rural communities in Yoro.
“This talk is not limited to engineers; everyone who is interested in creating a better world is invited,” states the EWB chapter, which is working on the project in conjunction with the Engineering Policy and Design Course taught by Sharon Jones, associate professor of civil and environmental engineering.
Of the 16 EWB students, half are taking the May 24-30 trip to Honduras: A.B. engineering major Jenny Moerschbacher ’05 (Selinsgrove, Pa.), mechanical engineering major Scott (Wes) Lane ’05 (Plaistow, N.H.), electrical and computer engineering major Kristen Radecsky ’04 (Flemington, N.J.), chemical engineering major Chris Bashur ’04 (Washington, Pa.), mechanical engineering major Matt Young ’05 (Burke, Va.), biology major Diane Mitchell ’05 (Bath, Pa.), civil engineering major Fidel Maltez ’05 (Hialeah, Fla.), and A.B. engineering major Sam Gutner ’05 (Topsfield, Mass.). They will be accompanied by EWB adviser David Brandes, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering.
The students raised funds for the site assessment trip, where they will collect water quality and flow data from potential drinking water sources, gather topographic data needed for their design, inspect possible routes for water supply lines to the villages, and lay the groundwork for a lasting relationship with the Honduran people.
“The students have taken it upon themselves to find practical solutions to world problems,” according to the EWB group. “Through the media, we often see images of poor areas in developing countries that lack everything including the most essential element for life: clean drinking water. Through their hard work, these students will bring clean drinking water to a poor indigenous village in Honduras.”
Work began this semester on designing a sustainable drinking water system for 1,000 people. Going beyond engineering considerations, the students researched the cultural and socio-economic aspects of the village to get a better understanding of the Honduran people. They incorporated Hondurans’ ideas, technologies, and materials in the hope of creating a long-lasting and mutually beneficial relationship between the communities and Lafayette. The entire project is expected to take three to five years.
Fundraising for the trip includes a 5K run/walk that will start 1 p.m. Sunday, May 2, in front of Gilbert’s, located on High Street at the back of the Kirby House residence hall. Easton police officers will help escort runners through the streets of College Hill.
Engineers Without Borders-USA is a national non-profit organization established in 2000 to help developing areas worldwide with their engineering needs, while involving and training a new kind of internationally responsible engineering student.