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EWB Raises $18,800 for Projects in Developing Countries

On April 21, the UMass Amherst student chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) hosted its fifth annual Auction & Social, the high point of the seven-year-old organization’s best year of fundraising to support sustainable engineering projects in Kenya and the Amazon. “We surpassed our goal, raising $22,500, $16,000 from sponsorships and $6,500 from the auction,” explained Elaine Palmer, fundraising advisor for the EWB chapter. “The auction yielded 62 percent of retail value. After expenses and overhead we estimate our net income to be $18,800! With these funds, those traveling on a project will be able to participate regardless of their individual ability to pay for travel.”

UMass Amherst Engineers Without Borders KENYA NIGHT Was a Success!

This spring we hosted our 5th Annual UMass Amherst EWB Auction & Social. Festivities included two silent and one live auctions, appetizers, cash bar, music and project presentations; all proceeds directly benefit the UMass Amherst Student Chapter.

This event is possible only with generous support from a community that values developing young engineers with a humanitarian worldview.

Dr. Song Gao to attend the 13th International Conference on Travel Behavior Research (IATBR)

Dr. Song Gao will attend the 13th International Conference on Travel Behavior Research (IATBR).

Two of Dr. Gao’s PhD students will present papers: "Route Choice in Risky Traffic Networks: Utility Maximization vs. Process Models" with co-author Hengliang Tian, PhD Candidate in CEE, and "Day-to-Day Learning in Congested Risky Networks under Different Information Schemes" with co-author Xu an Lu, PhD Candidate in CEE.

Professor Palmer attended the joint Tufts University-UMass University Symposium

Professor Richard Palmer attended the joint Tufts University-UMass University Symposium entitled "The Glass Half Full: Valuing Water in the 21st Century." UMass students presented a number of posters at the symposium in addition to organizing one of the three main panel discussions.

Dr. Reckhow invited to give seminar at University of Houston

Professor David Reckhow has been invited to give a seminar at the University of Houston. His seminar title is: "Engineering Approaches for Reducing Exposure to Harmful DBPs". In addition, he will be meeting with faculty, students and others within the College of Engineering and the University.

Dr. Brown to moderate panel on Water Management

Dr. Casey Brown will moderate the panel on Water Management at the first American Geophysical Union Science

Policy Conference in Washington DC on May 2, 2012. The goal of the meeting is to bring together scientists, policy makers, and other stakeholders to discuss key Earth and space science topics that address challenges to our environment, economy, national security, and public safety. This meeting will focus on the science that helps inform policy makers' decisions related to natural hazards, natural resources, oceans, and the Arctic.

Dr. Michael Knodler travels to Ireland

Dr. Michael Knodler will be traveling with a small group of graduate students to meet with colleagues at the National Roadway Authority and the Department of the Environment to discuss current and future research. During the trip they will also visit with colleagues at Trinity College- Dublin and the National University in Maynooth for site visits and technical tours of new technology they have developed for use in traffic safety research.

Dr. Caitlyn Butler travels to Africa

Dr. Caitlyn Butler will travel to Ghana, Africa with two graduate students, Cynthia Castro and Joe Goodwill, in May. They will be constructing a Microbial Fuel Cell Pit Latrine as part of the project funded by the Gates Foundation Grand Challenges Explorations. This system will treat the organic and nitrogen components of human waste while directly producing electricity.

Faculty Receive Mentoring Grant

A group of female faculty members from the College of Engineering and Department of Computer Science has received a Mellon Mutual Mentoring Team Grant to support women academics in their professional development. The goal of the project is to establish a sustainable network – what the UMass team calls an Engineering and Computing Women Faculty Group (ECWG) – which will provide mutual mentoring among female faculty of all ranks and varied backgrounds. The team leaders of the ECWG are Assistant Professor Mi-Hyun Park of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department and Professor Aura Ganz of the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. “This [group] will enable the participants to navigate professional development in this competitive world,” as the ECWG proposal explains.

Engineering Students Score a Host of Honors

Talented and accomplished students from all four departments at the College of Engineering have won numerous awards, scholarships, fellowships, and other distinctions this semester on the national, regional, and campus level. They range from the prestigious National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship, competing against the best undergraduates in the nation, to a host of awards presented by the chancellor. Chemical engineering undergraduates Kathryn Geldart and Sarena Horava have both received one of the country’s most highly sought-after fellowships, the National Science Foundation's Graduate Research Fellowship, worth more than $40,000 annually for three years.

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