BRANCH MEETING: DECEMBER 2013

ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS: CAL POLY INDIA TRIP

For the past 5 years, the Cal Poly Engineers Without Borders student chapter has been working hard to develop a relationship with a remote village in Northeastern India. Year after year, a group of students travel to the village with a faculty mentor and a professional mentor. The initial trips were primarily to assess the needs of the community and determine what type of project would provide the greatest benefit to the community. Based on these assessments, sanitation was determined to be severely lacking in the village, leading to health issues.

The village of Sainji is located in the Uttarakhand region of India, northeast of Delhi, and sits at the top of a bluff located at the base of the Himalayas. Approximately 250 people currently reside in the village. The nearest town is approximately 40 minutes away, with limited vehicular access. Most of the people in the village are outcasts and live in extreme poverty. They farm corn in terraced crops located on the hillside below the village. As is common in remote villages like Sainji, sanitation facilities are few and far between. Approximately half of the homes don’t have bathroom facilities of any sort. This has led to some serious health problems, primarily diarrhea and intestinal diseases.

In 2011, Brianna Daniels was asked to join the team on their annual trip to Sainji as the professional mentor. Brianna graduated from Cal Poly in 2000 and is currently a principal engineer with Penfield & Smith. Leaving behind her family to live in Sainji for a full month was difficult, but it was an opportunity that she could not pass up. She will be sharing some of her experiences and details of the project’s current status during our next meeting.

LOCATION:

Rosa’s Italian Restaurant
491 Price Street
Pismo Beach, CA 93449

DATE & TIME:

Thursday, December 19, 2013

12:00 p.m.

MENU:

Family Style meal including salad, Summer Pasta with sautéed chicken (includes fresh mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and basil) and Pasta California (Vegetarian) with artichoke hearts (includes sun dried tomatoes, shitake mushrooms, over penne pasta in a light cream sauce).

RESERVATIONS:

Please sign up by 1:00 p.m. Friday, December 13^th, at the Branch web site (www.ASCESLO.org). Please attend the luncheon if you sign-up – some restaurants will charge the Branch for every seat we reserve, regardless of the actual attendance. If you have specific dietary restrictions or have questions, please contact Ryan Hayes, ASCE Secretary at rhayes@rickengineering.com or (805) 544-0707. The cost is $20 for members and guests and $10 for students.