Spring Break
Engineering lecture stresses aiding the less fortunate
Amy Schellenbaum
Issue date: 10/19/09 Section: News
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"My job as a professor is to develop a new generation of engineers," said Amadei. "What we are looking for is a new group of engineers that are interested in sustainable development, social and economic change, capacity building and appropriate technology."
In his speech Amadei revealed staggering statistics: 1.2 billion people lack clean water, 1.6 billion have no access to electricity, 2.4 billion are at risk of getting malaria and 29,000 children die of hunger every day.
"With all of the innovations in all the corners of the world, people still don't have access to basic needs," Amadei said. "As engineers it is no longer an option for us to address those needs, it is an obligation."
Amadei attempted to inspire the students to work toward making improvements in the world by evoking a sense of urgency.
"Are we dealing with emergencies? You bet," Amadei said. "Earthquakes are not going to stop. Climate change is not going to stop. This is a globalized world. You need to think across disciplines, you need to think across borders."
It was a little girl from the dense forests of Belize that struck Amadei and inspired him to help communities like hers around the world.
"Her job was to carry water from the river to the village, and as a result that little girl could not go to school," Amadei said.
The solution seemed simple: build a pump in this region that allowed these girls the opportunity to go to school instead of continuously carry water to the village.
The seemingly elementary task soon got muddied and complicated. There was no electricity, and getting to the village was a difficult task even without large amounts of basic supplies.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Doug Fred
posted 10/19/09 @ 10:41 AM EST
I totally agree with prof. Amadei. As an engineer I am constantly pursuing ways to make my community better by involving young people in engineering activities in an attempt to increase awareness on the need of engineers to fix future problems. (Continued…)
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