Lending a helping engineer

OSU Engineers Without Borders work to make to rural communities self-reliant

By: Aleks Cherednichenko

Posted: 10/15/07

Many rural mountain communities in South America are living without accessible potable water. OSU's chapter of Engineers Without Borders has taken on a project to solve this problem.

In the time frame of a year, from 2006 to 2007, EWB at OSU sent members on three trips to the El Naranjito and Las Mercedes communities in El Salvador to assess the problem of water accessibility.

"They have plenty of water during the rain season, but because they have no means for storage, it becomes a problem during the rest of the year," said Kendra Brown, a junior in environmental engineering and a member of EWB.

The first trip to El Salvador took place in March of 2006. Teams assessed water supply and accessibility to it. On their next trip, EWB members installed water filters and they are hoping to install a rain water catchment and storage system.

"People [from local communities] won't have to travel long distances to get water," Brown said. "We're also hoping to install a pumping system."

OSU's EWB chapter raises money through fundraising and grants to pay for these trips.

"We also had support from the CH2M Hill Alumni Center, the OSU Foundation and the College of Engineering," said Brad Eagleson, a junior in chemical engineering.

The EWB encourages anyone to become a member in the organization.

"We can use a whole variety of skills in our chapter and on our trips," Brown said. Business majors, people in public health, or Spanish speakers are strongly encouraged to consider membership in EWB.

"We try to have a well rounded team," Brown said.

The chapter also gets support from the department of forestry, which loaned EWB equipment used on their trips.

"One of our biggest fundraising events of the year is our banquet," Eagleson said. EWB meets once a week for an hour, and its members are both graduate and undergraduate students.

"Our project leaders will also speak on future plans and trips, and there will be live music and tango lessons," Eagleson said. The banquet will include an expert speaker on water management and a report on resource management world-wide.

"Clearly this is a humanitarian project, but it's also about the students who can get good training," she said. Brown believes that getting involved in EWB could be very beneficial for students. "This raises sensitivity for sustainability issues among college students, and it's mutually beneficial," Brown said.

The EWB banquet will take place on Oct. 19, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., in the MU Ballroom. For more information, e-mail osu.ewb@gmail.com