Since its creation in 2005, Engineers Without Borders- Wash U has provided the Washington University campus and community with opportunities to explore the world around them, including its problems and its solutions, by hosting speakers and workshops and taking trips around St. Louis. 

The EWB Speakers Series

The EWB Speakers Series is now in its third year, dating back to 2007.  Since its debut, EWB-Wash U has hosted a variety of world-renowned professors, physicians, architects, and scientists.  These speakers offer commentary on the social implications of technological innovation and the opportunity to learn what is not taught in WU classrooms.  Whether from a technical or social background, the Speakers Series challenges WU students to think in multidisciplinary terms and consider some of the largest problems of our time: sustainability and poverty.

• Spring of 2007: Washington University professors Gay Lorberbaum and Jana Pereau spoke on sustainable design.  In addition to teaching an architecture course together by the same name, they also are professors in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.
• October 2007: Washington University Professor of Pediatrics Dr. Mark Manary, a doctor in the WU Medical School, has been working for 13 years to fight malnutrition in Malawi. He has been recognized by the United Nations for his work with Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) in Blantyre, Malawi. He is also the founder of Project Peanut Butter.



• April 2008:
  Cameron Sinclair , founder of Architecture for Humanity and one of the original proponents behind open-source architecture, a fantastic resource for aspiring designers, allowing for idea sharing across cultures and boundaries. In addition, he is co-editor of the book Design Like You Give a Damn: Architectural Responses to Humanitarian Crises and the recipient of the 2006 TED Prize (Technology, Entertainment, Design), to see his presentation, click here
• September 2008: reporters from the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting presented Water Wars, a presentation on worldwide water supplies 
• March 2009:
  Janine Benyus, founder of the Biomimicry Institute and Biomimicry Guild, spoke on Biomimicry, the practice of consciously emulating nature's designs, in her talk, Biomimicry: Building from Nature's Blueprints.  She is the author of six books, including Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature.  A lecturer at the University of Montana, she now leads the Biomimicry Institute and Living Education organization and advocates for Biomimicry worldwide.  She was named Hero of the Environment by TIME Magazine in 2007 and was recently awarded the 2009 Champion of the Earth award in Science & Innovation from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
  

Other Enrichment Events

In addition to the Speakers Series, EWB-Wash U has participated in numerous activities on- and off-campus to expose students to relevant problems and provide the foundation for an educated perspective on social justice.

• Water
  • Viewed the film Flow at the Tivoli theater and discussed the implications of water misuse and mismanagement and the importance of long-term planning and sustainable solutions.  
  • Visited the Lower Meramac Wastewater Treatment Plant to become more acquainted with the challenges posed by treating a large portion of a city's waste water and the position of engineers in designing solutions to this challenge
• Sustainable Design
  • Toured the Alberici Headquarters in St. Louis.  The Alberici headquarters, a LEED Platinum certified building, and the second-most sustainably-built LEED building in the United States, doubles as a museum of the newest and greatest practices in sustainable design and construction.