Get Involved
Meetings for Fall 2024
Bolivia: Mondays 7:30-8:30pm, Room: Benedum G36
Ecuador: Tuesdays 8:00-9:00pm, Room: Benedum 1044
Local: Mondays 7:00-8:00pm, Room: Benedum G36
Corporate Outreach: Wednesdays 8:00-9:00pm, Room: Benedum 1045
General Body Meetings: Varies each month, check the calendar and our social media for updates!
For Students
Our chapter has four different committees within the organization: Bolivia, Ecuador, and Local which each work on their respective projects and Corporate Outreach which works on fundraising and related activities for all projects. We don’t expect members to participate in all four groups weekly (and relatively few do). Many start with one group and gradually expand their involvement. Meetings are typically an hour long, with occasional tasks to be completed outside of meeting times.
Despite the name, our chapter is NOT just for engineering students! Our chapter thrives on diverse expertise, and we encourage individuals from a variety of fields to join us. No prior experience is necessary. Here are some majors that align particularly well with our goals:
Civil/Environmental Engineering: This needs no explanation.
Public Health: Integral to our work is creating surveys, getting community feedback, determining viable solutions, and assessing intervention impacts.
Geology and Environmental Science: Our project designs are heavily influenced by the environment, and once completed will impact the environment themselves. We are also looking to expand our use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
Mechanical Engineering: Useful for designing and implementing mechanical components and expertise in Computer-aided design (CAD).
Marketing, English Writing: Our projects are expensive. We raise tens of thousands of dollars each year which requires tasks such as creating promotional materials (e.g. this website), applying for grants, and establishing corporate partnerships.
Spanish, Quechua: The communities that we work with speak Spanish and Quechua and it is crucial that the information between us is correctly communicated, both in documents that we make and in-person on trips.
If you're passionate about making a difference and enjoy collaborative work, we’d love to have you join us!
To join our email list, click here!
For Professionals
We are always looking for additional mentors!
As a student-led chapter, we are still learning and have limited practical experience. Thus EWB-USA requires a review process where our work gets checked by our REIC (responsible engineer in charge) and an engineer at EWB-USA whose main responsibility is to review student chapter work. We go beyond this by seeking second opinions from experiences mentors as we work. Each trip to the communities also requires a mentor to come with us.
Skills we are looking for in mentors (no need to check all boxes):
Knowledge of water distribution and sanitation systems
Experience with corporate outreach and fundraising
Spanish language skills
Previous experience with Engineers Without Borders projects
Responsibilities of a mentor:
Be available to be contacted for a second opinion
Attend meetings (if desired)
Travel to the communities (if desired and selected by the chapter)
EWB-USA also has formal mentor guidelines which can be found here.
December 2022 Ecuador Travel Team of EWB-Pitt students and EWB-PPC professionals
Connect With Us On Social Media!
Instagram: @pittewb
Twitter: @pittEWB
LinkedIn: Engineers Without Borders University of Pittsburgh Chapter