Engineers without borders water filtration project

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Engineers without borders water filtration project

• Ryan Robinson

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Engineers Without Borders - USA

• Engineers Without Borders (EWB)
• Is an international nonprofit humanitarian
  organization
• Focuses on bringing sustainable solutions to
  developing communities
• Works to improve quality of living, health, and
  education of the communities
• Is building a better worldOne community at a
  time.

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EWB _at_ TTU

• The Texas Tech chapter started in Spring 2006.
• Students from all disciplines are welcome to
  join.
• Activities include international service
  projects, local service projects, international
  conference

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Panama Project

• The Naso people are an indigenous tribe in
  Panama.
• The community of Solong has little or no access
  to clean water and has limited sanitation.
• The project will focus on
• waste treatment, water
• sanitation, and water
• distribution.

EWB - UT
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Grand Challenges of Engineering

• The most pertinent challenges facing engineers
  today include
• Make solar energy economical,
• Manage the nitrogen cycle,
• Provide access to clean water,
• Reverse-engineer the brain,
• Develop carbon sequestration methods

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Global issues of clean water

• 1 in 6 people do not have access to clean
  drinking water.
• 1 in 3 people lack basic sanitation.
• 4500 children die each day from a lack of clean
  water and proper sanitation.
• 1.8 million people die each year because of
  unsafe water.

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Design project

• Project guidelines
• Each group will design a water filtration system
  for use in a unique region of the world.
• Environmental issues of each region should be
  discussed and incorporated.
• Materials should be available in the region
  addressed.
• The design should be focused on placement in
  remote communities

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The rest of the program

• Throughout the Fall semester EWB-TTU will work
  with 8th grade science classes
• Take students to local playa lakes to test the
  water
• Analyze data throughout the semester
• Compare results from different playa lakes

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Goals of the program

• To design a water filtration system with simple
  concepts ---remember, 8th graders have to
  understand whats happening!
• To gain hands on engineering experience with
  real-life boundaries.
• To generate awareness of global issues in
  developing communities.

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Contacts

• For more info
• www.ewb-ttu.org
• www.ewb-usa.org
• If you have questions
• dana.m.rosenbladt_at_ttu.edu
• ryan.robinson_at_ttu.edu
• ewb.ttu_at_gmail.com