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COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

In September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a global compass for achieving human and economic development that is both environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive.

Engineering and technology will play a prominent role in the achievement of the SDGs, thus requiring a generation of engineers prepared also as development practitioners, equipped to confront the multi-dimensional complexities of development challenges.

The Villanova Sustainable Engineering for International Development Initiative aims to meet this challenge.

The Villanova Sustainable Engineering for International Development Initiative

This initiative brings together two synergistic programs that have developed in parallel in the College of Engineering over the past decade: The Sustainable Engineering graduate program and the Villanova Engineering Service Learning (VESL) program. In pursuit of innovative solutions to the SDGs, the Sustainable Engineering for International Development Initiative takes an integrated approach involving:

  • Curriculum: The International Development Track takes the whole systems, life-cycle approach embedded in the Sustainable Engineering graduate program and applies it to the application of engineering and technology to sustainable development objectives globally.
  • Collaboration: Linking the classroom to the field, VESL’s longstanding partnerships with international development organizations helps to facilitate experiential learning opportunities while ethically engaging with local stakeholders and contributing to partners’ work in the field.
  • Applied Research: Bringing together content expertise from College of Engineering faculty, the contextual expertise of VESL’s partners, and whole-systems frameworks from Sustainable Engineering enables us to add value to partner efforts through technological innovation, external third-party project evaluation, and training & capacity strengthening initiatives.

Research

Top research areas include water, sanitation & hygiene (WaSH) infrastructure and services, renewable energy, and information and communications technologies for development (ICT4D).

Through our flagship Sustainable WaSH research initiative, since 2013 a Villanova team has worked to develop tools for objective, continuous monitoring of water supply systems to inform decision-making for project partners and to provide valuable information to system operators.

Examples of recent and current research projects in Sustainable Engineering for International Development include:

  • Baseline studies of sanitation services for informal urban settlements in Liberia and Ghana.
  • Third-party evaluation of a pilot project involving the installation of prepaid smart meters at communal water fetching points in Tanzania.
  • Development of a GIS-based asset management system for hand-pump water supply systems in Ghana.
  • Evaluation of feedstocks for anerobic digestion in rural Indonesia.
  • Incorporation of climate change models into feasibility evaluations for small-scale wind energy projects in Peru.
  • Development of a Raspberry Pi based education platform for rural schools in Cambodia.

To inquire about the Sustainable Engineering for International Development Initiative or the curricular track, please contact the initiative manager:

Iain Hunt at iain.hunt@villanova.edu.

To inquire about the Villanova Engineering Service Learning program, please contact program director:

Jordan Ermilio at jordan.ermilio@villanova.edu.

 

You can also make a donation through the University website, designating your gift to “Engineering Service Learning.”

STUDENT REFLECTIONS

MATT BEMIS, GHANA

With Lifetime Well International, Bemis worked on a GIS-based asset management tool for handpump water systems.

“It's not about going in and telling the locals what to do; it's acting as a resource that local management teams can use to help improve and extend the sustainability of projects.”

Cristina Benzo, Peru

Benzo is working on a thesis project with the WindAid Institute to develop a methodology for accessing available wind resources and projecting how they might vary in a changing climate.

"My time with WindAid has not only opened my eyes to a beautiful, vibrant culture, but also given me the opportunity to delve into small wind energy manufacturing and implementation in developing communities."

Mackenzie Bowden '18 ChE, Indonesia

With a Fulbright award, Bowden is spending the year researching feedstocks for anaerobic digestion in partnership with Bogor Agricultural University.

“During a 2017 service trip to Indonesia, I learned a valuable lesson about failure and growth. My anaerobic digestion project at that time was unsuccessful and frustrating. It inspired me, however, to research the topic further and increase my knowledge of the technology so that I can complete a redesigned project for rural application with a greater understanding of how to achieve successful results.”

Amanda Findlay ’17 CLAS, Madagascar

Findlay is working with Catholic Relief Services to develop a management tool for rural water utilities to track water quality, financial flows and customer satisfaction over time.

“I’ve learned a lot about being flexible and working as part of a team. To play even a small role in this great mission has been a privilege and a blessing.”

Terry Williams, Cambodia

For the past two summers, Williams has worked with the Caramanico Foundation promoting the adoption of simple and affordable technology to improve the quality and range of educational material available to students in the poorest parts of Cambodia.

“Development work is often difficult—working in new cultures and environments with unfamiliar customs and values—yet it can also be very rewarding when you see the enthusiasm for your ideas or solutions. Getting work done takes a lot of perseverance, however. The first step is to figure out who to ask and with whom to ally.”