Nine engineering students are currently working in Nicaragua with Emerging Opportunities for Sustainability (EOS), in order to better understand how to design for people with very different needs and environmental constraints. EOS is a not-for-profit organization started by Wes Meyer and Greg McGrath, two Iowa State mechanical engineering alumni. The organization focuses on providing low-cost, culturally and environmentally appropriate technologies for farmers and others in rural areas. The students will be able to work with technologies like drip irrigation and fuel-efficient ovens. Accompanying the nine students are Gloria Starns, senior lecturer in mechanical engineering, Alvaro Ross, director of EOS, and several EOS staff members. Mark Mba Wright, assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is also joining the group this week.
Training the next generation of engineers for a better planet