TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — While most students will soon enjoy the relaxation of summer vacation, a group of 11 students and two faculty members plan to travel to Vietnam and Cambodia as part of The University of Alabama Engineers Without Borders service learning project.
The UA team plans to spend May 10-30 in Vietnam and Cambodia, assessing the drinking water quality in rural households as part of a clean water initiative.
Dr. Philip Johnson, associate professor in civil, construction and environmental engineering, said 60 percent of the inhabitants have access to clean water, but only 30 percent of the households reach the standards set by the Ministry of Health. In addition, 44 percent of children are infected with parasitic worms. To combat these problems, the team will study drinking water supply issues, collect and analyze water samples, and test and install affordable water filtration systems.
In addition to learning about the two cultures, the service learning course will teach students about the awareness of environmental, economic and societal impacts of engineering solutions and the role of service in international development.
Engineers Without Borders has previously traveled to Peru for service learning projects, but this trip was suggested by a UA engineering student born in Vietnam, Ynhi Thai.
Thai, a junior majoring in chemical and biological engineering, said after being exposed to a third world country on a previous Engineers Without Borders trip, she was inspired to initiate a project in the country of her birth. This determination led to a partnership with Dr. Joe Brown, assistant professor of New College and biological sciences, who was seeking assistance to test and install water filtration systems for 400 rural Vietnamese and Cambodian households.
Johnson said international experiences, such as this trip, are imperative for students because many major companies’ design processes are marketed on the far side of the world.
“To be a practicing engineer today, one must experience the many extremes of living around the world,” Johnson said. “Students need to live and experience the world and realize the possibilities and places that lie beyond their backyards.”
Participating members of the service learning project include:
- Marcus Aguilar, a senior majoring in civil, construction and environmental engineering from Houston, Texas
- William Black, a senior majoring in civil, construction and environmental engineering from Tuscaloosa
- Billy Clark, a sophomore majoring in electrical engineering from Pelham
- Sonja Gregorowicz, a junior majoring in chemical and biological engineering from Montgomery
- Rebecca MacDonald, a graduate student in civil, construction and environmental engineering from Northport
- Andrew Magee, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering from Hammond, La.
- Rebecca Midkiff, a freshman majoring in civil, construction and environmental engineering from Tuscaloosa
- Mark Perkins, a junior majoring in interdisciplinary studies from Tuscaloosa
- Lissa Petry, a junior majoring in chemical and biological engineering from Fort Worth, Texas
- Robert Jerry Quinney, a sophomore majoring in civil, construction and environmental engineering from Demopolis
- Ynhi Thai, a junior majoring in chemical and biological engineering from Long Beach, Miss.
In 1837, The University of Alabama became one of the first five universities in the nation to offer engineering classes. Today, UA’s fully accredited College of Engineering has more than 2,300 students and more than 100 faculty. In the last seven years, students in the College have been named USA Today All-USA College Academic Team members, Goldwater scholars, Hollings scholars and Portz scholars.
Contact
Whitney Taylor, engineering student writer, at 205/348-3051, or Mary Wymer, media relations, 205/348-6444, mwymer@eng.ua.edu