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8:40 a.m., March 17, 2009----The University of Delaware chapter of Engineers Without Borders (UD-EWB) held its first benefit dinner and silent auction on Thursday, March 12, raising not only thousands of dollars for the chapter's projects in Cameroon and Guatemala but also awareness of its work and the benefits to the community.
Some 130 students, faculty, staff, alumni, family members and other friends of UD-EWB attended the sold-out event, which was held at the Courtyard Newark-University of Delaware hotel on campus.
In addition to funds raised from the dinner tickets and the silent auction, the chapter sold sponsorships for slow sand filters, with each $15 donation providing clean water for a household in Bakang, Cameroon.
“Experiential learning is one of the cornerstones of what we're doing in the College of Engineering as part of UD's Path to Prominence,” said Michael Chajes, dean of the College of Engineering. “EWB is a great example of service-based learning, as it enables students to go out into the community and practice their skills.”
“Another cornerstone of the Path to Prominence is the global initiative, and EWB is teaching our students how to be global citizens and participate in the global economy,” he continued. “They're gaining valuable skills through an opportunity that they've built themselves and learning not only about engineering but also fund-raising, leadership, and communications.”
“There is an acute need for what the students are doing,” said UD-EWB adviser Steve Dentel, professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “When you see the kind of water people are drinking in Cameroon, you understand the importance of water treatment in a way you've never understood it before.”
Dentel also spoke of the need for idealism in the world. “We've become cynical,” he said, “but when I work with the students in this organization, I get new faith in this generation and their ability to save the world. They're driven by an idealism that's admirable. EWB has been the experience of my lifetime in terms of teaching and learning.”
Known as “Dr. Steve” to the students, Dentel has spent 61 days in Cameroon since the project began. He received a special award from the students at the event.
Also honored was Olivia Mukam, a native of Cameroon and daughter of the mayor of Bakang. A recent graduate of Johns Hopkins University, Mukam was the matchmaker between UD-EWB and the Bakang water project.
The program included an update on the ongoing water project in Bakang, as well as an overview of the chapter's new project to build a bridge in Guatemala. The river that divides the village of San Marcos Pentacalapa floods during the rainy season, and the community is unable to reach the other side of the river where their crop fields are located. The San Marcos Council is working with UD-EWB to build a bridge across this river to boost their economic productivity.
The Guatemala Project was initiated through a partnership with April Veness, UD associate professor of geography and Latin American studies, and the Guatemalan migrant population in Southern Delaware. An assessment is planned for the project in August 2009, when the team will meet the community and collect information for design of the bridge.
A UD-EWB representative said the organization gratefully acknowledges the contributions it has received from individual and corporate donors as well as the strong support of the Engineering Alumni Association.
Article by Diane Kukich
Photos by Doug Baker