Case Studies from a Community-Focused Engineering Program with Projects in Haiti and Nicaragua

Abstract

Engineers Without Borders - USA at the Illinois Institute of Technology is an extracurricular, student-led engineering program that has conducted service-oriented engineering development projects in Haiti and Nicaragua that strive to meet the basic infrastructure needs of our partner communities. Projects have ranged from water-distribution, solar electrification, and small and large-scale structures. By participating in the program, students gain real-world experience applying technical skills to a project as well as significant leadership and project management experience. They also gain insights into cultural communication and grow a passion for service learning. The purpose of this paper is to share the challenges we have faced as well as our best practices and governance structure in order to allow other programs to learn from our experience developing relationships with our university, engaging with multiple international partners, and involving a variety of disciplines and skill-levels in our program.