| Jennifer Lee, E.I.T., is a textbook case on the benefits
of participating as a volunteer in Third World engineering
projects.
Ms. Lee, 22, is one of the founding members of Partners for
Sustainable Development, the Edmonton-based non-profit group
undertaking a seismic retrofit of a Nepalese school.
“I’ve learned organizational skills and communication
skills, and gained some experience in report writing and
fundraising,” she says. “I’ve also learned
a lot about different foundations in Alberta that are interested
in international development.”
The fourth-year student in environmental engineering at the
University of Alberta is also studying the school’s gravity-fed water system to look for economical
ways of increasing capacity. “It’s an eye-opening experience to
realize how much need there is out there,” she says. “The project
has really made me excited about working in the Third World.”
This type of experience is extremely valuable, especially for young engineers,
says structural engineer Antoni Kowalczewski, P.Eng., of Janto Engineering
Inc. in Edmonton, who is also a project volunteer.
“A good engineer is an engineer with a lot of experience,” he says. “In
Alberta seismic calculations are not done on a daily basis.”
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