Mortenson Center Digest - Q1 2023 |
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Mortenson Center in Rwanda |
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Rwanda has lots of water – sometimes too much. And climate change is now driving rainfall extremes that can flood and isolate communities and contaminate drinking water. This month, Mortenson Center Director Evan Thomas and Managing Director Laura MacDonald visited our partners at Bridges to Prosperity to continue our USAID-funded impact evaluation of these footbridges, while also launching the Mortenson Center/Virridy Amazi Meza school-based water treatment program using the LifeStraw Community and internet-connected flowmeters. Climate financing contracts can sustain these kinds of interventions to support climate resilience.
Our team includes the Millennium Water Alliance’s Keith Wright, RCMRD geospatial scientist/CU Boulder PhD Candidate Denis Muthike, University of Colorado Public Health Professor Katherine Dickinson, Arizona State University Economics Professor Wyatt Brooks, Virridy team members Lambert Mugabo, Jean Ntazinda, Christian Murijamana, and Mortenson Foundation representatives Katie and Mark Mortenson.
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Learn About Our New Online Graduate Certificate |
April 17, 2023, Noon MDT
Virtual - Register in Advance
The Mortenson Center has a new Online Graduate Certificate in Global Engineering that can be completed in just 12 months. Students will learn the fundamentals of Global Engineering and how to develop innovative approaches and create sustainable strategies for change. The Mortenson Center will have a live, virtual learning session this month led by Director Evan Thomas. Evan will discuss the program in depth and answer questions.
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Global Engineering & Resilience Award Winners! |
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Congratulations to our 2023 Global Engineering & Resilience Award winners:
Emily Bedell: Outstanding Student Award
Emily holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from University of Nevada, Reno, an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Portland State University and a PhD in Environmental Engineering with a Certificate in Global Engineering from CU Boulder. Her work is driven by the belief that equitable access to clean drinking water and effective sanitation is a human right essential to all peoples’ health and livelihood. She believes communities should be a driving force behind infrastructure improvement decisions, made possible through strong relationships built with care and intention.
Denis Muthike: Outstanding Professional Award
Denis is the Weather and Climate Thematic Lead at the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), a NASA SERVIR hub. He committed most of his early career to finding solutions that strengthen climate adaptation for marginalized and vulnerable communities in the eastern and southern Africa region. He is currently improving data and tools for flood and drought early warning in Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Malawi. Denis also pioneered a comprehensive regional training program for women in climate action institutions to improve their capacity to use technologies and influence gender-sensitive climate policies, programs and interventions.
Musa Manga: Outstanding Professional Award
Musa is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering and a member of the Water Institute at University of North Carolina. He uses environmental engineering and microbiology tools to identify low-cost, scalable, and sustainable interventions to interrupt the transmission of excreta-related diseases to protect public health and wellbeing. His research interests include: i) equity for underserved communities ii) development and validation of pathogen hazards and risk models; iii) environmental justice and climate change mitigation; and iv) optimization of sanitation technologies/wastewater treatment and BioResource Recovery.
Daniel Oerther: Humanitarian Award
Daniel is Professor of Environmental Health Engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology. He is also the Executive Director of the American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists. He holds a PhD in Environmental Engineering from the University of Illinois, is Board Certified in Environmental Engineering and in Environmental Science, is a Diplomat of the American Academy of Sanitarians, and a Fellow of numerous professional organizations. Daniel is a serial "humanipreneur", developing triple-bottom-line platforms to eradicate the effects of extreme poverty. He pioneered the concept of the Nurse+Engineer as a prototype V-shaped professional - they use convergence research in a community context to solve sustainable development problems. Some of his collaborations include: supporting mothers and their children during the first 1,000 days of life; preventing childhood stunting among those under five years of age; and ensuring access to clean water and sanitation in homes, schools, and healthcare clinics.
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Advancing Sustainable Development |
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The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) released their Engineering Global Development (EGD) Stakeholder Whitepaper titled "Engineering Workforce Advancing Sustainable Development". Mortenson Center contributors include Managing Director Laura MacDonald, alum Anna Libey, and PhD student Emma Stine. Director Evan Thomas is a member of the ASME Engineering Global Development Committee.
Some key insights that emerged during the summit that resulted in this whitepaper are:
- The climate crisis, COVID-19 pandemic, and broader global social justice movements have amplified concerns of social and environmental impacts within engineering.
- Consumers are demanding more sustainable and socially responsible products.
- There is increasing advocacy for the engineering field to move toward a workforce that prioritizes community perspectives and the social and environmental impact of engineered solutions.
- For future engineers to be successful in sustainability-focused roles, they must demonstrate non-technical skills directed toward ethical, inclusive and equitable ends.
Based on the summit findings, organizers propose the use of the term "engineering for sustainable development" as an umbrella term to refer to the broad interdisciplinary practice of engineering to improve the quality of life of society and the environment worldwide.
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Anisha talks with two new students in the Bahini Education Project. |
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Anisha Lamsal received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in environmental engineering with a Graduate Certificate in Global Engineering from CU Boulder. As an undergrad, Anisha worked with Engineers Without Borders on water tap stands and filtration systems in Nepal. This was a motivating factor for her to pursue her graduate degree and to work to better understand best practices for addressing global challenges and supporting her community in Nepal.
Anisha completed her Mortenson Center Practicum with Splash International in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. There, she worked with Splash’s WASH team to survey infrastructure and conduct preliminary interviews with school principals at future Splash project sites. She learned the importance of utilizing her skills and knowledge to better support communities in need.
After graduating, Anisha accepted a position with the Bureau of Reclamation as an Environmental Engineer and also started the nonprofit, the Bahini Education Project. Bahini translates to ‘younger sister’ in Nepali.
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The education and empowerment of young women in rural Nepal is at the pinnacle of what Bahini Education Project works toward. They support young women pursuing secondary school and college and help them develop into resilient, confident and responsible leaders. Anisha was born and raised in Parbat, Nepal, and she understands firsthand the need for this program and how to develop roots within the community.
Anisha appreciates how the Mortenson Center provided her the tools to be successful in her nonprofit. She feels that the support she gives to vulnerable students and the importance of inclusion between all stakeholders are approaches that the Mortenson Center helped cultivate.
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Are you an alum with a story to share?
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Fatma Köroglu is a Mortenson Center Online Graduate Certificate student from Istanbul, Turkey who will soon be transitioning to a Research MS at CU Boulder. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Management Engineering from Istanbul Technical University.
Fatma became involved in global engineering through her participation in the AIESEC and Erasmus programs while at ITÜ. In the AIESEC program, she spent time abroad in China and India teaching English,and in the Erasmus program Fatma studied in Würzburg, Germany organizing meetings with women from diverse countries to create a play based on women’s sexuality and the societal struggles they face. Before graduating, Fatma worked with the Foundation for the Support of Women’s Work in Turkey conducting data analysis and business development for a program addressing low-income and immigrant women’s economic empowerment. Fatma currently works as a consultant at NielsenIQ and is in the process of publishing sections of her bachelor’s thesis.
Fatma’s favorite thing about the Mortenson Center is how the program gathers and motivates engineers from all over the world to find solutions for real-world problems. She finds that the breadth and uniqueness of each course module gives her a new perspective about Global Engineering. This ultimately motivates Fatma to work to make the world a better place and she finds that being a small factor in change can still be valuable.
Fatma is pictured above right enjoying a local park in Beyoğlu, Istanbul.
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Hailey Ferrel - New Student Representative |
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Hailey Ferrel was elected as the new Student Representative for 2023. Hailey's background includes a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering and a minor in engineering for development from Mercer University, an institution with the humorous unofficial motto: “Everyone majors in changing the world”. Her undergraduate research experience included construction of dew towers used in foggy climates to create clean drinking water.
Hailey is currently pursuing a Professional Master’s in Global Environmental Engineering at CU Boulder. She is also an intern at Corona Environmental Consulting on a lead and copper coupon corrosion study which tests various corrosion inhibitors on water from contracted water treatment facilities.
Hailey's favorite part of the Mortenson Center is the eye-opening and non-traditional engineering courses. She will be completing her practicum this summer with Dar Si Hmad in Morocco focusing on WASH.
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Elizabeth Simon is a master’s student from Chicago, Illinois. She completed her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Seattle University and went on to live in Italy for a year interning with a landscape architecture firm. Elizabeth then spent time abroad with Engineers for a Sustainable World in Chiang Mai, Thailand installing an aquaponics system, and in Puerto Rico assisting with the design of road and drainage facilities for power stations after being damaged by Hurricane Maria.
Elizabeth is now pursuing a master’s degree in civil engineering and a Certificate in Global Engineering at CU Boulder. She is specializing in hydrology, water resources, and environmental fluid mechanics while working part-time for Stantec on water resources planning and management projects.
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Elizabeth in Burano, Italy while working abroad. |
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This summer, Elizabeth will complete her practicum with Bridges to Prosperity in Rwanda. Her project will focus on climate resilient infrastructure and its incorporation into government policy in low- and middle-income countries. At the center of Elizabeth’s practicum is policy planning, adoption and implementation while using Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Nepal as case studies. She is hoping the project presents lessons learned about policy adoption and provides recommendations about infrastructure-specific sustainability frameworks.
Elizabeth’s favorite part of the Mortenson Center is the people. She values the motivation and inspiration they bring and is looking forward to getting to know the group better.
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Congratulations CO WASH Symposium |
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Congratulations to the Colorado WASH Symposium committee, pictured above, for a very successful symposium attended by people from around the world and across the United States. The symposium is a student-run event; its purpose is to provide a platform for sharing and expanding knowledge in the field of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). |
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Conference on World Affairs |
April 12-14, 2023
Various locations on campus
The 75th Conference on World Affairs will host 25 panels across categories such as human rights, employment, food production, and large corporations’ impact on climate. Mortenson Center Director Evan Thomas is a speaker during Thursday's panel titled "Protecting Our Planet and Health" and Managing Director Laura MacDonald is moderating “Green Jobs and Careers”, also on Thursday.
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Flushing in a Whole New Light |
Using bright green lasers and camera equipment, a team of CU Boulder engineers, including Mortenson Center Associate Director Karl Linden, ran an experiment to reveal how tiny water droplets, invisible to the naked eye, are rapidly ejected into the air when a lid-less, public restroom toilet is flushed. Now published in Scientific Reports, it is the first study to directly visualize the resulting aerosol plume and measure the speed and spread of particles within it.
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“If it's something you can't see, it's easy to pretend it doesn't exist. But once you see these videos, you're never going to think about a toilet flush the same way again,” said John Crimaldi, lead author on the study and professor of civil, environmental, and architectural engineering.
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How Digital Tools Can Help Solve the Colorado River Crisis |
Lead editor on the report, Mortenson Center Director Evan Thomas says, “New sensor technologies can help improve trust among water users and create incentives, including commodities, that allow us to conserve, trade and protect water.”
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Mortenson Center Associate Director Karl Linden is pictured here with his son Malakai while hiking the Fall Colors on Franey Trail in Cape Breton Highlands, Nova Scotia, Canada. The two also enjoyed soaking in the Celtic culture and music around the island.
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Stay up-to-date with all the latest news by following us on LinkedIn. |
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Mortenson Center in Global Engineering | University of Colorado Boulder |
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