Industrial News

The EWB-USA Annual Conference held at the University of Washington had over 600 attendees comprised of engineering students, academia and private enterprise professionals. The conference focused on the issues related to Sustainable Engineering and Global Health. "Both topics are interrelated and cannot be separated when developing healthy, peaceful and sustainable communities. Engineers need to know about health conditions in order to select appropriate and sustainable solutions," stated Bernard Amadei, PhD/Founder of EWB-USA.

The keynote speaker Bill Gates Sr., co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation offered an inspirational speech to the attendees, affirming the audience of their social responsibility and challenging them to be active in implementing sustainable engineering solutions to significantly impact the developing communities in which they serve. The keynote speech was followed by an open Q & A session which Gates Sr. tackled difficult questions/issues from students and professionals alike. The Awards Gala was held at the Boeing Museum of Flight and was headed up by Bonnie Dunbar, the president and CEO of the Museum and former NASA astronaut. Accolades and awards were presented to the various chapters for their work in disadvantaged communities across the globe.

In support of the event, Penetron provided scholarships for two Student Chapters; the University of Iowa and the University of Texas at Austin. Jessica Smith, chapter President of the University of Iowa (http://www.uiesw.org/) shared their process of implementing a future project in Ecuador. Christopher Lombardo, chapter President of EWB-UT/Electrical Engineering PhD student, and his colleagues offered insight to their missions to utilize their available resources to implement basic infrastructure projects in developing communities and to train internationally responsible engineering students through real-life, hands-on projects. Currently the EWB-UT chapter has five ongoing projects--water projects in Limbe, Cameroon; Sieykin Naso Community in Panama and Jaboncillos Chicos, Mexico; a computer project in Coahuila Desert and a Mobile HQ Project to improve overall project functionality. Further information can be found at http://www.engr.utexas.edu/ewb/projects.html.

"It's amazing to feel the level of empowerment from EWB's mission that has energized the organization, both collectively and individually, to fight against the injustices that exist across the globe today. The level of professionalism, responsibility and action displayed by EWB is truly inspiring and is an excellent framework for igniting and accomplishing social change. Penetron is fortunate to be a part of this essential and emergent movement," stated Sue Yi, Corporate Relations of ICS Penetron International.

EWB-USA is a national non-profit whose mission is to partner with developing communities around the world to implement environmentally, economically and socially sustainable engineering projects, while providing training and experience to globally responsible students and professionals. Established in 2002, EWB-USA now has over 11,000 members engaged in over 300 projects around the world, providing access to basic needs like clean water, sanitation and renewable energy. For more information on Engineers Without Borders-USA or to learn how you can get involved, please visit http://www.ewb-usa.org/index.php or contact Heidi Dormody at heidi.dormody@ewb-usa.org or 720-204-3194.

ICS Penetron International, Ltd., is a leading manufacturer of integral crystalline waterproofing and repair products for concrete with a manufacturing and service network that spans more than 60 countries. For more information on Penetron products, please visit our website at www.penetron.com, contact Ann Martucci or Sue Yi at 631-941-9700 or email at info@penetron.com.