As John Lennon sang, “We all want to change the world.” Today, through the Global Seminars program, U of M engineering students set foot on a path to realizing that dream.
For two weeks starting in late December, a group of students from the College of Science and Engineering visited Tanzania to perform research on a growing global crisis: the coming scarcity of clean water supplies. They formed three groups; each chose a village and designed a potential water system for it.
Besides an on-the-ground look at what water engineers do, the students got a taste of what it’s like to work abroad on projects with real-world impact.
The visit was one in a series by CSE students and professors to world sites. As with previous trips, they published a blog—and lots of photos—describing their work, the hospitality they received, and the sheer excitement of the experience.
Below are some edited excerpts from the blog. Following them is a link to the complete blog and those from trips to other countries.
Day 1: We went to the Mwenge Market. Items varying from paintings, earrings, and jerseys. This was the first significant culture shock for the group, as the prices for these items were entirely dependent on a bartering system. While some managed to negotiate a better price, some failed entirely.
Day 3: In our village teams, we determined the best pipe diameter, maximum pipe pressure, tank capacity, and pump power for the individual system. This was definitely an intense day of brain usage.
Day 4: As the sky darkened, the group shared laughs and stories over delicious, traditional Tanzanian food. Since at the beginning of the trip little was known about each other, it was rewarding to see how far we have all come together on this incredible journey. We finished the long day with a few rounds of Scattergories.
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