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Engineers Without Borders is a stepping stone into the professional world of engineering for many 

Stanley Young | Photos Courtesy of EWB

This issue of the Colorado Engineering Magazine (CEM) explores some of the opportunities students have access to after graduating. The University’s many student organizations help students identify and pursue various paths and possibilities. We at CEM would like to highlight one student organization, Engineers Without Borders (EWB), for the positive influence it has had on CU graduates and the CU and global communities.   

In 2002 a professor of Civil Engineering at CU, Bernard Amadei, established EWB. The homepage of the CU EWB chapter boasts, “The CU chapter was the first in the organization that has now grown to include EWB-USA and has 206 chapters and 130+ projects in 34 countries, with 4000+ members.” Twenty years later, the original chapter remains strong; the original EWB chapter at CU remains strong and continues to harness the power of professional and student engineers to positively impact communities around the world.

In previous years, EWB has designed and implemented a rainwater catchment system for a Rwandan community. Anthony Pimentel, co-project manager of team Rwanda and vice-president for CU’s EWB chapter, told CEM, “the project has evolved over the past 18 years. We just started the rainwater catchment systems in one sector of the northern part of Rwanda in 2013 and built five whole systems serving different communities.” As EWB’s domestic teams looks at next steps, they are considering other rainwater catchment systems and collaborations with local laboratories. 

EWB is procuring some exciting projects this year as well. The current president of EWB’s CU chapter, Emily Zuettel, told CEM, “The current focus of the Domestic team at CU is the design of a water distribution system for the community of Mulas in Puerto Rico. In August 2019, a group of five students traveled to Mulas for an assessment trip, visiting the Inter-American University, collecting data, interacting with community members, and inspecting the existing infrastructure. A couple of teams looking at drone surveying to gather accurate elevation data!” Through all these experiences, EWB members are developing a deeper understanding of the entire engineering process in preparation for their careers. 

EWB can be a stepping stone to many other opportunities, such as involvement in other EWB projects, participation in the launch of other non-profit organizations, graduate studies in global health and government, and career paths with companies like Oracle, NASA and the World Bank. Zayna Pieper, a retired president of CU’s EWB chapter, told CEM, “I have realized through Engineers Without Borders that what I am really interested in is seeing how technology impacts people. This “people component” has always been important to me, and EWB has taught me what it means to keep people as the top priority while designing.” Pieper continues to take classes here at CU; this semester, she is enjoying contemporary dance as she finishes up her degree; and she is excited to start working at the technology consulting company, Oracle, in July. 

Members also praise EWB for additional benefits and privileges, such as: usercentered design perspective, professional networking, and technical experience. Cassidy Cortright, project manager for team Rwanda, told CEM, “Being in EWB has allowed me to make connections with professional engineers that I wouldn't have otherwise; EWB has a good sense of mutual understanding that has allowed my internship search to be a bit easier.” Cortright is a student of Environmental Engineering here at CU, and her work with EWB has inspired her to pursue a meaningful career in the field of water treatment.