Educating Engineers for the Challenges of the Developing World through Service Learning in Ti Peligre, Haiti

Abstract

Abstract Educating Engineers for the Challenges of the Developing World through Service Learning in Ti Peligre, HaitiFrom November 2009 to March 2011, engineering students from a Research I University, incooperation with an small international non-profit organization, designed and constructed a 210foot long suspended footbridge over the Thomonde River in the central plateau of Haiti. Theproject was based on the needs of the residents of the town of Ti Peligre who, for up to sixmonths per year, were isolated from gaining access to basic services such as markets, medicalcare, and educational facilities.The success of the project hinged on teamwork between the students and the Haitian community.University students were responsible for logistical planning, networking, material procurement,and design while the community of Ti Peligre provided labor, construction management, andaccommodations for traveling students. Over the span of several months, students traveled to TiPeligre to build community relationships with local leadership as well as determine projectfeasibility and assess local construction capacity. Working closely with Haitian leadership, thestudents developed design improvements that would adhere to indigenous constructiontechniques and account for the bridge site’s susceptibility to seismic and hurricane forces.In spring 2011, the bridge construction was completed under the on-site collaboration betweenuniversity students and Haitian leadership, including the expertise of a Haitian engineeringexchange student studying at the university. Students, tasked with translating their first worlddesign to a third world environment, were exposed to the reality of third world constructionpractices. While they spearheaded the design and construction, they found that it was the avidparticipation of the Haitian citizens that allowed the local community to take true long-termownership of the project.Inspired by the experience in Ti Peligre, the students extended their goals beyond the design ofone bridge and formed the first sustainable collegiate chapter of the non-profit organization inthe Spring of 2010. Creating a chapter of this organization has allowed students to broaden theircultural perspectives, gain hands on professional experience, and develop interdisciplinary skillswhile helping underserved communities. Working closely with business, architecture, geology,psychology, and communications majors, the engineering students learned to balance theirengineering design knowledge with leadership and organization skills. The chapter has beguntwo new projects and received a generous grant from an international service organization tocontinue building bridges.This paper discusses the benefits of educating engineers for the challenges of working inunderdeveloped areas. An evaluation of the sustainable project model, ethical implications ofprojects in developing countries, and an assessment of the motivations for engineering studentsto work in developing countries are also included.

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