Session Descriptions
University of Illinois ICP Project Presentation
9:15 – 10:00 (Room 3081)
Description: The presentation will discuss the practice of contextual engineering, and how it can be applied to EWB projects. We will go through a case study for the EWB-Malawi Structures project and discuss how contextual engineering has already been utilized to help facilitate project success.
Speakers: Riley Kelch and Saathveek Gowrishankar
Riley Kelch is a graduate student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign studying civil engineering. He has been involved with EWB since his undergraduate freshman year and is a Project Lead for the EWB-UIUC Malawi Structures Project.
Saathveek Gowrishankar is a junior studying computer engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He has been involved in EWB since his freshman year and is currently the president of EWB-UIUC.
Grant Writing 101
9:15 – 10:00 (Room 3015)
Description: This presentation will cover the basics of writing and winning persuasive grants for EWB projects. We will discuss (1) finding grants and writing for your funders, (2) a basic grant structure, (3) strategies for writing persuasive proposals, and (4) nine rules for winning proposals. There will be a 10-minute Q&A session at the end.
Speaker: Jack Hanley
Jack has been volunteering with EWB since 2017. During their undergrad, they volunteered with the Iowa State University chapter as a project lead, travel team lead, and grant writing lead. After completing their undergrad, they started graduate school at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, where they are pursuing their doctorate in civil engineering. They currently volunteer as the Illinois State Representative, and they advise the EWB UIUC chapter. They are also an inaugural member of the Project Lead Forum. They have a formal background in both grant writing and international development. In their time as an EWB Volunteer, they have raised over $150,000 for EWB projects through grant writing.
Travel Process Presentation
10:15 – 11:00 (Room 3015)
Description: This session discusses travel for EWB-USA trips. The presentation will share resources and key steps that teams can u se as they prepare for travel to communities.
Speaker: Eric Lundborg
Eric Lundborg is a Program Engineer for Engineers Without Borders – USA. He is responsible for overseeing the work of project teams in East and West Africa and has been helping chapters navigate remote work for the last 2 years. Eric also maintains and analyzes the data generated from EWB-USA’s project activities and promotes the use of the data sets to improve active projects. Prior to working for EWB-USA, Eric held various positions in consulting engineering firms working primarily in geotechnical design and environmental remediation. He received his bachelor’s from Kansas State University, was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sierra Leone, and is a registered civil engineer in Colorado.
CE Corps
10:15 – 11:00 (Room 3081 – Virtual)
Description: Amanda will be discussing the Detroit Professional Chapter’s CECore project work on the Clay Hill Community Farm and Garden in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Community Engineering Corps (CECorps) is the part of EWB-USA that does work within the United States. It is an alliance of EWB-USA, American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Speaker: Amanda Laramie is the project lead for the Clay Hill Community Farm and Garden Project in Ypsilanti, Michigan. She is a professional engineer and a member of the Detroit Professional Chapter.
Purposeful Partners Presentation
11:30 – 12:15 (Room 3081)
Description: EWB-USA is building toward a new future where Purposeful Partnerships with local organizations are central to the development of programming. This presentation will present the new approach and how the transition will happen.
Speaker: Eric Lundborg
Eric Lundborg is a Program Engineer for Engineers Without Borders – USA. He is responsible for overseeing the work of project teams in East and West Africa and has been helping chapters navigate remote work for the last 2 years. Eric also maintains and analyzes the data generated from EWB-USA’s project activities and promotes the use of the data sets to improve active projects. Prior to working for EWB-USA, Eric held various positions in consulting engineering firms working primarily in geotechnical design and environmental remediation. He received his bachelor’s from Kansas State University, was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sierra Leone, and is a registered civil engineer in Colorado.
Mentor Presentation
11:30 – 12:15 (Room 3015)
This presentation will discuss mentoring in the EWB-USA organization. It will include subjects such as the role of a mentor, working with students, to travel or not to travel as a mentor, and different opportunities for mentoring. The presentation will also touch on the role of project reviewers, the qualifications needed, and the areas of need for reviewers.
Speaker: Chuck Dragga
Chuck Dragga is a long time EWB volunteer, working with EWB since 2008. He has had roles as Chapter Vice President, Mentor and ICP Reviewer. He currently serves on the Mentor and Water Standing Content Committees. He has been/is a mentor for Miami U, Wright State U., U of Cincinnati, and U. of California at Santa Barbara. Furthermore, he has led over 20 EWB trips abroad. His technical background includes over 35 years in the water and wastewater fields and his lived overseas in Sierra Leone, Egypt, and Zambia.
Water Quality Workshop
1:30 – 3:15 (Room 3081)
Description: In this short workshop/presentation, there will be a discussion of the important water quality parameters needed to be tested when considering a potential water source for a community. Afterward, there will be discussion and demonstration on how to prepare and collect water samples. Finally groups will then conduct simple tests on various water samples and we will compare the results of each group with each other.
Speaker: Chuck Dragga
Chuck Dragga is a long time EWB volunteer, working with EWB since 2008. He has had roles as Chapter Vice President, Mentor and ICP Reviewer. He currently serves on the Mentor and Water Standing Content Committees. He has been/is a mentor for Miami U, Wright State U., U of Cincinnati, and U. of California at Santa Barbara. Furthermore, he has led over 20 EWB trips abroad. His technical background includes over 35 years in the water and wastewater fields and his lived overseas in Sierra Leone, Egypt, and Zambia.
Chapter Management Discussion
1:30 – 2:30 (Room 3015)
This facilitated discussion is to bring together leaders from chapters across the Great Lakes Region of varying sizes and management styles to share their strategies and lessons learned. Come ready to listen, learn, and discuss! Potential topics include, but are not limited to: leadership transitions, recruitment and onboarding, retention, chapter management/leadership structure, outreach long-term chapter planning, knowing when to expand or scale back operations, where to go when you need help (resources), building chapter community, running effective meetings, and putting out fires. The discussion will be facilitated
Speaker: Jack Hanley
Jack has been volunteering with EWB since 2017. During their undergrad, they volunteered with the Iowa State University chapter as an Executive Board member, a project lead on four different projects, a travel team lead, and grant writing lead. After completing their undergrad, they started graduate school at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, where they are pursuing their doctorate in civil engineering. They currently volunteer as the Illinois State Representative, and they advise the EWB UIUC chapter. They are also an inaugural member of the Project Lead Forum. They have a formal background in both grant writing and international development.
PMEL Presentation
2:45 – 3:15 (Room 3015 – Virtual)
Description: This session delves into the Planning, Monitoring, Evaluating, and Learning (PMEL) framework, a cornerstone of EWB USA’s project delivery system. Bring your computer (not reqd) to try out the links for your own project.
Learning Objectives:
1. Understand what PMEL is and what it is used for
2. Find the PMEL info you need using the Resource Roadmap Tool
3. Understand the PMEL data types
4. How using lessons learned can keep you from making costly mistakes
Speaker: Valerie Cook
Valerie Cook is co-chair of the PMEL Standing Content Committee and has over 25 years of experience in quality systems design.
Fundraising Presentation
3:30 – 4:30 (Room 3081)
Description: Fundraising for chapters: storytelling and tactics for donor converstion
Speakers: Cait Shoutta
Cait Shoutta leads the Fundraising and Communications team at EWB-USA Headquarters raising about $4m annually to support all of EWB’s programming and expenses. Cait is newer to EWB, she joined the team in March 2024. She has a background in international development, having served with Peace Corps Zambia for three years and then returning to earn a masters in International Development with a focus on institutional funding and project management. Prior to EWB, Cait lead the fundraising team at PBS in Colorado. She lives in Denver, Colorado and enjoys running marathons and all outdoorsy things especially in Colorado..
Climate Resiliency
3:45 – 4:30 (Room 3015)
Description: The climate is changing around the world. This presentation will share a methodology for determining what regional changes a community will see and for analyzing what changes if any should be made to a projects design to extend the design life.
Speaker: Eric Lundborg
Eric Lundborg is a Program Engineer for Engineers Without Borders – USA. He is responsible for overseeing the work of project teams in East and West Africa and has been helping chapters navigate remote work for the last 2 years. Eric also maintains and analyzes the data generated from EWB-USA’s project activities and promotes the use of the data sets to improve active projects. Prior to working for EWB-USA, Eric held various positions in consulting engineering firms working primarily in geotechnical design and environmental remediation. He received his bachelor’s from Kansas State University, was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Sierra Leone, and is a registered civil engineer in Colorado.
Engineers Without Borders - UIUC 