UA-EWB Brings Guest Speakers to Campus

2.24.11

Members of the UA chapter of Engineers Without Borders narrowed the options for the Spring 2011 Guest Speaker down to three, and would like to know students top choice of speaker and speaking time.

Guest Speaker Options

The tentative date for the speaker is April 16, but several members are apprehensive about the turnout of a Saturday lecture, emphasizing the extreme promotion it would take to make it happen. The official date should be set before Spring Break to meet the required ASG Event Planning Meeting that should take place one month before the event.

EWB Treasurer Gavin Smith contacted Lloyd Walker, a professor from Colorado State University, (http://www.cwi.colostate.edu/CSUWaterFaculty/?WF_ID=122) who is willing to speak to engineering students on the UA campus.

“He was a mentor on six EWB trips, is an agricultural/water-systems engineer, has traveled a lot—he just got back from Africa,” Smith said. “He owns land in Ozarks and was heading this way anyway, so he agreed to do it.”

Because Walker will be spending some time at his Ozarks cabin, EWB has the option of having him speak during the week, on his way back through Fayetteville—possibly more suited to student schedules.

Secretary Jenny Doyle suggested making the speaking event an entire afternoon, including a workshop, luncheon followed by the speech.

Food options will be decided once location is set, but the preliminary option is pizza.

ASG funding allows for food to accompany the event, color posters for advertisement, the speaker’s travel expenses and boarding cost to be taken care of, as well as an honorary sum paid to the speaker.

EWB Advisor, Professor Soerens suggested a couple of his contacts as preferred speakers. Papa Mena, a community leader in Belize, would be a valuable resource to the group and a particular graduate student at Oklahoma State, originally from Kenya, was also suggested.

T-shirts

The long-awaited Engineers Without Borders t-shirts are being ordered soon.

Students had several options, mostly variations of the chapter name and national logo on either white, red or black shirts, with or without “frockets,” or front-pockets.

Members decided on two options: a white shirt with “Making the world a better place one village at a time,” in black lettering and another shirt with “For every person in the world there is hope, therefore we help,” in symbols on the front and in English on the back.

Secretary Doyle liked the second shirt especially, because, “You don’t have to explain what it means, you just turn around and (the shirt explains) ‘yeah, what’s up, we’re cool.’”

Belize

International Project Chair, Ben Marts is trying a new organization of the Belize group this time around.

“We’ll have three groups of people this time. One group each for design, fundraising, and for the people wanting to go,” he said. “You can be in all three groups, don’t feel like this has to limit you in anyway.”

The new system is a way for more members to be actively involved in all projects.

The next Belize trip meeting will take place Friday, February 25, at 12:30 p.m. at Kosmos Greekafe and a Belize Trip Design Meeting will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Monday February 28, at Gusano’s Restaurant.

Other events

EWB brings Jim Kilgore, former Arkansas Eastman Operations Manager, to speak on his missionary work in Bangladesh and post-Tsunami Southeast Asia, at 6 p.m. in Bell Engineering 267, on Monday, February 28.

“Come learn from his experiences and hear suggestions on how to work with different cultures on humanitarian projects!” Kilgore will give points on resourceful engineering in a foreign environment.

Members are hoping to team up with the League of Women Voters during their water quality speech series in Fayetteville, soon to come.

On Sunday, February 27, members will participate in a Community Garden event from 1-4 p.m. Free food will be available and anyone is invited to join.

EWB members also hope to join the Ozark Foundation in planting trees along Kings River on Saturday, March 5. Those interested in the event are welcome to camp with the group on Friday night.

For the local chapter records, the chance to register for the EWB National Conference in Louisville ended last night. The estimated cost is roughly $50 per person. Honorary Treasurer, Sarah Beth Dalby needs the registration fees as soon as possible, so she can have them postmarked by Thursday of next week.