WHO: Five students from USI’s Engineers in Action (EIA) chapter—Koby Lindner, Josiah Hollis, Lisa Botello, Melanie Cedeno Morales and Miguel Pinto—and Dr. Jason Hill, Associate Professor of Engineering, and Justin Amos, Laboratory Manager of the Applied Engineering Center
WHAT: Students and faculty will discuss their experience from their summer 2023 EIA bridge build in the Hhohho region of eSwatini in southern Africa. The pedestrian footbridge connects two isolated communities to schools, hospitals and stores. The bridge, completed in six weeks, benefits over 4,800 residents, including over 3,500 children. The bridge that had previously been used to connect the community to critical resources was not usable for over seven months of the year due to eSwatini’s rainy season flooding and had to be rebuilt yearly after being washed away. In addition to the educational and hands-on components of the project, team members also experienced cultural immersion and were embedded within the local community during the trip.
The EIA team that designed and built the bridge was composed of students from USI, McGill University and Oregon State University. USI and McGill University worked as Co-Leaders on the project while Oregon State participated as a tag-a-long.
This is USI’s fourth bridge project with previous builds in Bolivia, Virginia and Africa.
At the press conference, students and faculty will present a brief presentation (including a video and photo slideshow presentation) on their experiences and will be available for group and individuals interviews post-presentation.
WHEN: The media event will be held at noon Monday, October 2.
WHERE: The media event will be held in Kleymeyer Hall, located in the lower level of the Liberal Arts Center. A map of the USI campus, featuring the Liberal Arts Center, can be found at USI.edu/map.
