Our Mission
The Virginia Tech chapter of Engineers Without Borders-USA partners with disadvantaged communities to improve their quality of life through implementation of environmentally, equitable, and economically sustainable engineering projects, while developing internationally responsible engineers and engineering students through education, encouragement, and experience.
Check out the rest of the web site to see all the different activities of EWB-VT, including international projects, monthly meetings, local projects, and K-12 outreach.
History
The Virginia Tech chapter of EWB-USA was founded in the spring of 2004 by Katie Langley, a Mechanical Engineering senior, and Edward Jones, an Electrical Engineering freshman, with Michael Gregg as their faculty advisor. The students began working with EWB-USA and the Virginia Tech College of Engineering to make the chapter official, but did not complete the process until fall 2005. In the meantime, the club began working with Blacksburg High School in the K-12 outreach program.
In fall 2005, the chapter began working with Dr. Theo Dillaha of the Biological Systems Engineering Department (and OIRED's SANREM CRSP) on their first international project in Veron, Dominican Republic. Check out the DR project page for more information. Since that time, the chapter has taken on two new projects and continued its community outreach work, attracting new members each semester.
In 2007, several of the EWB-VT sponsors created the Friends of Engineers Without Borders, a group of private companies that seeks funding and helps to advise the chapter. The chapter constitution was also written at this time with a newly designed executive board of student officers.