Engineering for the Developing World: Challenges and Opportunities

THE MECHANICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT at Carnegie Mellon presents:

"Engineering for the Developing World: Challenges and Opportunities"

Dr. Bernard Amadei

Professor of Civil Engineering

University of Colorado at Boulder

Founding Director of "Engineers without Borders"

Friday December 2, 2005

1:00 Refreshments

1:30 Seminar

Hamerschlag B131

ALL ARE WELCOME!

In the next two decades, almost two billion additional people are expected to populate the Earth,
95% of them in developing or underdeveloped countries. This growth will create unprecedented
demands for energy, food, land, water, transportation, materials, waste disposal, earth moving,
health care, environmental cleanup, telecommunication, and infrastructure. The role of engineers will be critical in fulfilling those demands at various scales, ranging from remote small communities to large urban areas, and mostly in the developing world. As we enter the first half of the 21st century, the engineering profession must embrace a new mission statement—to contribute to the building of a more sustainable, stable, and equitable world. In particular, we need to train a new generation of engineers who could better meet the challenges of the developing world and address the needs of the most destitute people on our planet. Today, an estimated 20% of the world’s population lacks clean water, 40% lacks adequate sanitation, and 20% lacks adequate housing. The lecture will present the challenges and opportunities associated with practicing engineering in the developing world and the on-going work of Engineers Without Borders – USA.

Bernard Amadei is Professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He obtained his MaSc. degree in Civil Engineering in 1979 from the University of Toronto and his Ph.D. degree in Civil Engineering in 1982 from the University of California, Berkeley. Prof. Amadei’s current interests cover the topics of sustainability, green construction, and international development. At the University of Colorado at Boulder, he is leading a new paradigm shift in engineering education and practice called Earth Systems Engineering
(ESE: http://ese.colorado.edu). As part of the ESE initiative, Prof. Amadei started a new program in Engineering for Developing Communities (www.edc-cu.org). Prof. Amadei is
also the Founding President of Engineers Without Borders - USA (EWB-USA: www.ewb-usa.org) and the co-founder of the Engineers Without Borders-International network (www.ewb-international.org). Prof. Amadei has recently been appointed Director of the Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technologies (CAST-ICS), which reports to ICS-UNIDO in Trieste, Italy. Prof. Amadei is the recipient of the 2002 Colorado Bank One Award for outstanding outreach community service, a 2003 CU Boulder Subaru Award, a 2003 E-Achievement Award from E-Town, the 2005 Nayudamma Award from the Nayudamma
Center for Development Alternatives in Nellore, India, the 2005 AAES Norm Augustine Award for outstanding achievement in engineering communication, a 2005 Service Award for Professional Excellence from Rotary International, and the 2005 Sabbagh Award for Excellence in Engineering Construction (with EWB-USA) from the World Federation of Engineering Organizations. He is working on a new book entitled “Engineering With Soul”.