(31b) Sustainability of Global Humanitarian-Based Engineering Projects

In 2007, xxx University organized an Engineers Without Border (EWB) Student Chapter and a Global Projects in Engineering course. The course was designed to complement the EWB Chapter by allowing students to work on humanitarian-based engineering projects that offered the opportunity for engineers to work on global problems, researching not only technical but economical and socio-cultural issues. In the course, students have the opportunity to work on teams with engineers from different disciplines. Each student learns that out in the real world, boundaries between engineering disciplines fade and all engineers at the simplest levels are problem solvers, each contributing a unique viewpoint or technical background to solve the problem at hand.

The course has recently finished its third year. During the first year, the project involved the demonstration of converting coconuts to biodiesel in the Kingdom of Tonga. The second year involved water distribution, water storage, water heating, cooking, and biogas production in the village of Salkantay, Peru. This past year, the course involved projects in both Ghana and Peru. In Ghana, the projects involved electricity from windmills to charge lanterns for schoolwork, solar heating to purify water, and improved development of a biofil toilet. In addition to the windmill and solar heating, the Peru projects also involved water heating.

During all three years, various lessons were learned regarding design, implementation, and sustainability. Although the first two issues will be briefly discussed, this work will focus on the sustainability of the implemented projects. The discussion will include aspects associated with in-country contacts, project selection, local feedback mechanisms, testing of projects during implementation, and long-term use and maintenance. A summary of important sustainability principles will also be presented.