Header image  
at The University Of Arizona  
line decor
  
line decor

 
 
 

 
 
About Us
 

Engineers Without Borders - USA (EWB-USA) is a non-profit humanitarian organization established to partner with developing communities worldwide in order to improve their quality of life. This partnership involves the implementation of sustainable engineering projects, while involving and training internationally responsible engineers and engineering students.

Since its establishment in February 2005, our University of Arizona chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB-UA) has grabbed the attention of students, faculty, and local engineering professionals from throughout the Tucson area. EWB-UA's membership is made up of engineering students from the UA College of Engineering including all the engineering departments on campus, such as chemical, civil, mining, mechanical, engineering management and electrical engineering.

EWB-UA has several activities. A cornerstone is the monthly meetings of all members where speakers from NGOs, industry, or engineering firms discussing topics ranging from sustainable development to project management. The organization is also initiating a board of directors program, which is centered on a semi-annual meeting of invited industry and community leaders who help guide the organization in terms of goal setting, organizational design, and fund raising. However, the primary focus of EWB is to undertake sustainable development projects with partner communities. The primary source of projects is through the EWB USA parent organization.

EWB USA coordinates with partner communities to formulate project descriptions whereupon EWB chapters (students) develop bids for those projects, and if awarded, undertake the engineering and execution of the project (with some technical support from professional members). Other projects can be initiated between the chapters and partner communities directly and can chose to either enter into the EWB-USA network, or simply undertake the project under the auspices of the chapter.

EWB-USA's outward vision is a world where ALL people have access to the knowledge and resources with which to meet their basic human needs and promote sustainable development in such areas as water supply and sanitation, food production and processing, housing and construction, energy, transportation and communication, income generation, and employment creation.

EWB-USA promotes a new way of thinking for the engineering profession and provides unique opportunites for engineers to work in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders such as communities, social scientists, public health officials, economists, businesses, and international development organizations.



 
 
 
Get Involved!

We are often asked by professionals how they can become involved with the University of Arizona chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB-UA). Whether through the gift of time or resources, EWB-UA is an incredibly accessible organization in which to become active. The following are the three most popular means of participation, but we welcome any suggestions from interested parties.

Archived Meeting Minutes
For past meeting minutes click here.

Corporate Giving
The Engineers Without Borders (EWB) parent organization operates primarily as a vehicle to connect communities in need with the EWB chapters that possess the skills necessary to help address the community's concerns. EWB-UA, in turn, provides in-kind technical assistance to these partner communities. However, expenses associated with travel, equipment and analyses remain the responsibility of the EWB-UA chapter. As you can imagine, these expenses can become significant very quickly for a student organization.

As a successful business, EWB-UA's Corporate Giving Program provides a great opportunity to showcase your company's community involvement, increase regional visibility and provide meaningful educational experiences to the next generation of engineers.

Professional Mentor Network
Because the EWB-UA chapter is a student organization, we are constantly on the lookout for individuals from all professions that will help to increase our effectiveness in project work. In addition, the chapter is always faced with new challenges where the expertise of professional individuals would be greatly appreciated. As such, EWB-UA seeks to expand its network of Professional Mentors so we can better serve our members and partner communities.

Lunch & Learn Program
Providing a positive contribution to the Tucson community is an important goal of EWB-UA. As a result, EWB-UA has implemented its Lunch & Learn program, which allows EWB-UA members to keep the community informed of its activities and educate individuals on the process of sustainable development. There are limited openings available for these 30-minute presentations, so contact EWB-UA today to reserve your spot. A gift of $100 is suggested for the Lunch & Learn program.

Still Not Convinced?

EWB-UA conducts monthly general meetings to keep its professional, faculty and student members informed of the club's activities. These meetings are generally in the evenings, with refreshments being served to dues-paying members.