Founder of Engineers Without Borders to visit Syracuse University April 13 as part of Nunan Research Day

Founder of Engineers Without Borders to visit Syracuse University April 13 as part of Nunan Research DayMarch 12, 2007Kelly Homan Rodoskikahoman@syr.edu

Bernard Amadei, professor of civil engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder and founder of Engineers Without Borders, will visit Syracuse University April 13 to speak as part of the Nunan Lecture and Research Day hosted by the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science (LCS). Amadei’s lecture will begin at 1:30 p.m. in Gifford Auditorium in Huntington Beard Crouse Hall and is free and open to the public. Parking is available in the University’s visitor pay lots.

As part of the accompanying Nunan Research Day, posters featuring graduate research from all four of the departments within LCS will be on display on the fourth floor of Link Hall.

Amadei is the founding president of Engineers Without Borders-USA (http://www.ewb-usa.org) and the co-founder of Engineers Without Borders International Network (http://www.ewb-international.org). The mission of EWB-USA is to partner with disadvantaged communities to improve their quality of life through implementation of sustainable engineering projects, while involving and training internationally responsible engineering professionals and students. Students at SU formed an EWB chapter in November and are planning a trip to Kenya over the 2007-08 winter break.

Amadei’s research interests include sustainability and international development. At the University of Colorado at Boulder, he is leading a new paradigm shift in engineering education called Earth Systems Engineering that emphasizes the interaction between the built environment and natural systems. As part of the ESE initiative, Amadei is directing a new program in Engineering for Developing Communities, aimed at educating globally responsible engineering students and professionals who can offer sustainable and appropriate solutions to the endemic problems faced by developing countries worldwide.

Recipient of numerous awards and accolades, Amadei is currently working on a book titled “Engineering With Soul.”

The Nunan Lecture Series, made possible by a gift from the estate of Jim and Marge Nunan in 2006, includes two major research lectures held in the spring and fall of each year. The lectures will be given by top researchers with expertise in the fields represented by LCS, while at the same time maintaining relevance in SU’s other schools and colleges. The Nunan Research Day, held in conjunction with the spring Nunan Lecture, gives graduate students the opportunity to display their work through poster sessions and presentations.

Along with the lecture series and research day, the Nunans’ gift enabled the college to create the Nunan Graduate Travel Fund, which financially assists doctoral students who wish to present their work at conferences.

For more information about the Nunan Lecture and Nunan Research Day, contact Ellen Robb at (315) 443-4777 or eprobb@syr.edu.