EWB's Mid-Atlantic Conference Trains, Celebrates

The Clark School's Engineers Without Borders (EWB) chapter hosted a regional conference for all EWB chapters at universities in the mid-Atlantic region.

The event, attended by hundreds of students and guests associated with the various chapters and the national EWB organization, took place at the University of Maryland Inn and Conference Center November 7-9.

Attendees, both engineering and non-engineering students as well as professional engineers who contribute their time and money, took part in breakout sessions covering a wide range of topics including water purification, solar power and collaborating with communities. The event's keynote speaker was UM alumna Jody Olsen (MSW '72 and Ph.D. '79, education), deputy director of the Peace Corps.

The Clark School's EWB chapter has worked on projects across the world including building a health clinic in Thailand, installing solar-powered water pumps in Burkina Faso and installing a sanitation system in Ecuador (for more information on the Clark School chapter's activities, see the Fall 2008 issue of E@M magazine).

Clark School student and EWB chapter member Sarah Ness worked closely with EWB faculty adviser Prof. Deborah Goodings on the conference, which was funded in part by a gift from Clark School alumnus and Board of Visitors member Chuck Waggner (B.S. '54, chemical engineering). Corporate sponsors of the event included CDM, CH2M Hill, Whitman, Requardt & Associates and Capitol One.

Published November 11, 2008