Engineers Without Borders (EWB-UTOLEDO) and UT Engineering faculty and students recently collaborated on a sustainable engineering project in the rural Honduran community of Los Sanchez. The following, submitted by Dr. Don Stierman, is an impressive faculty-student project that truly improves the human condition. Would that the Jacobs Administration could learn to build bridges to faculty, staff and students.
In mid-2009, EWB-UTOLEDO completed its first project, a water distribution project that now brings potable water to individual taps for each Los Sanchez home. Before this project, community members had to take a long and arduous hike to obtain clean water. The Toledo chapter has been assessing more ways to assist development of Los Sanchez. After two assessment trips in 2010, it was decided that the best options for new projects would be a pedestrian bridge over a nearby river, latrines, or, improved stoves, with the bridge being the top priority. Los Sanchez is not on a road and community members must cross a river to reach the nearest road. During times of heavy rain, this mountain river becomes too dangerous to cross and residents are forced to take a much longer, difficult hike to another road. The community often finds itself isolated and unable to obtain needed supplies during the rainy season. A bridge over the river would guarantee that community members have access to the nearby town of Orocuina and its schools, markets and health clinic. In the first week of Autumn 2011, a UT Civil Engineering Senior Design group stepped forward and took on the challenge of the bridge as their capstone project. This partnership between EWB-UTOLEDO and the senior design group is beneficial for both parties; the senior group benefits from working on a real-life project that can improve the lives of others, and EWB-UTOLEDO benefits from six dedicated students who design the bridge under the supervision of faculty and other engineers. In mid-October, four students from the senior design group, one member of EWB-UTOLEDO and Dr. Andrew Heydinger (Professor Emeritus) traveled to Honduras to assess the feasibility of the bridge, gather material data and prices, and conduct a site survey. Heavy rains presented a logistical nightmare for the team but also enabled them to see firsthand the need for this bridge. A suitable site was identified and the survey successfully completed.
Since returning, the senior design team developed a preliminary design. The new 140-foot span will be a suspension bridge with steel supports. The next steps are to finish the design, plan the construction, and complete all paperwork required by EWB-USA. The travel team hopes to have this accomplished by mid-February and start building the bridge in May of 2012.
The other major objective to be achieved between now and May is fundraising for this project. The budget for the project will be in the realm of $20,000 to $25,000. EWB-UTOLEDO does its own fundraising for projects and travel and does not benefit from any resources of the University other than the work of the students and faculty. EWB occasionally staffs the concession stand at Huntington Center and works at Cedar Point. All proceeds go to fund their projects.
EWB-TOLEDO is an organization where students learn valuable skills necessary for 21st century engineers while positively affecting the lives of others around the world.More information on EWB-UTOLEDO is available at http://www.eng.utoledo.edu/~ewob/
If you have any further questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact us by e-mail address at ewb.utoledo@gmail.com.
