Architectural engineering students volunteer on Habitat for Humanity project
Sixteen members of the Architectural Engineering Institute student chapter made a difference in a family’s life by helping to build their new home in Lafayette. During the Habitat for Humanity work day on Oct. 6, the students worked on a drainage system outside the edge of the foundation and removed concrete forms from the foundation walls. Students worked with dedication and enthusiasm in spite of a cold and snowy weather, according to faculty advisor Sandra Vásconez.
With generous financial support from the dean of engineering, the CEAE department chair, and industry organizations such as JVA Consulting Engineers and RMH Group, AEI also was able to help with the purchase of some construction materials necessary to build the house that the students worked on. Thanks to the chapter’s officers – Mio Stanley, Ellen Becker, and Jon Schneck – who organized the effort.
Stanley had this to say about the event:
Earlier this semester, the Architectural Engineering Institute (AEI) student chapter here at CU participated in a Team Build event with the Flatirons Habitat for Humanity. AEI members attended to help continue the foundation work on a multifamily residence in Lafayette. AEI made excellent progress that day, even exceeding the expectations of the project foreman and the Habitat for Humanity team leaders. We began the day by digging sump pits and laying gravel along the foot of the foundation wall. After lunch, we tackled removing the concrete formwork on the exterior side of the wall, which we quickly finished. Lastly, a group of us painted waterproofing on the outer foundation wall while the rest of us finished stripping the concrete forms on the interior. We even worked alongside some of the future residents of the home, who are also pictured in the photo.
Despite having to arrive at school at 7 a.m. on a cold, snowy Saturday morning and working until our muscles were sore, I think we can all agree it was worth it to help these families. We are also looking forward to the Family Welcome Event in December to formally meet the families and write well-wishes on the beams of the house. I would like to thank Flatirons Habitat for Humanity for giving AEI such an opportunity, the CEAE Department for their support, and to all of AEI’s members for making this event a great success! We hope to continue this event as an annual tradition, or even a semi-annual tradition. If you would like to join AEI and participate in future Habitat for Humanity Team Build events, don’t hesitate to stop by any AEI meeting or contact me at mio.stanley@colorado.edu.
U.S. State Department appoints Professor Bernard Amadei as Science Envoy
CEAE professor Bernard Amadei has been appointed one of three new Science Envoys by the U.S. Department of State. These preeminent scientists will seek to deepen existing ties, foster new relationships with foreign counterparts, and discuss potential areas of collaboration that will help address global challenges and realize shared goals. The Science Envoys travel in their capacity as private citizens and advise the White House, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. scientific community about the insights they gain from their travels and interactions.
Professor Amadei holds the Mortenson Endowed Chair in Global Engineering and is the founding president of Engineers Without Borders-USA. He is an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering whose research has focused on rock mechanics and engineering geology.
Please see the full story here.
Engineers Without Borders-USA Celebrates 10th Anniversary at Regional Conference
Bernard Amadei
Engineers Without Borders-USA, founded in 2002 by CEAE professor Bernard Amadei, will hold its 2012 Mountain Region Conference at CU-Boulder October 5-7, 2012.
Read the full article here.
Faculty and Students Win $780,000 Grant to Improve Sanitation
A CU-Boulder team recently won a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for its proposal to develop a solar-biochar toilet for use in developing countries throughout the world. The grant is part of the Reinvent the Toilet Challenge, or RTTC, initiated by the Gates Foundation to address a sanitation challenge affecting nearly 40 percent of the world’s population.
The team includes CEAE faculty Karl Linden and R. Scott Summers and civil engineering graduate students Joshua Kearns, Kyle Shimabuku, and Sara Beck.
Read more:
CU-Boulder News
Daily Camera
Students Build Pedestrian Bridge in Bolivia
Austin Cerny, Shelby Buescher, Mickey Chianese, Nikki Mayer, and Mike Brennecke on the completed bridge.
Three civil engineering students were among a group that traveled to an isolated region of Bolivia to help construct a 50 meter long suspended cable pedestrian bridge this summer. Civil engineering students Mickey Chianese, Shelby Buescher, and Mike Brennecke were joined by Nikki Mayer and Austin Cerny through the CU student chapter of Bridges to Prosperity.
The community of Toreni, consisting of 30 families and 200 people, is located about a 30 minute drive from the local river. Just beyond is the community of Entre Rios, with18 families and approximately 100 people. The river not only separated these two communities but was inhibiting all the communities farther along this road, about 5 communities and approximately 700 people, from connecting with other communities and with the town of Tiquipaya. This bridge will have a huge impact on all the communities surrounding the river and beyond.
Team members who assisted with the project but were unable to travel for the build were Anna Casady, Tate Fairbanks, Michael Gartman, Riley Gelatt, Daryn Hobbs, Michael Kania, Chris Williams, and Michael Wussow.
More pictures can be seen on the Bridges to Prosperity website.