Engineering Projects for Community Service (EPICS) gives students the opportunity to put their engineering skills to use for the local community through technologically challenging projects. They learn the real-world application of the skills they are acquiring in class as they work with other students and local business partners to make a positive contribution to the community outside of Notre Dame. Projects tackled by EPICS student volunteers include coordinating wetlands management for a neighboring city, developing software that tracks maintenance calls for a not-for-profit community development corporation, and working on a database for a neighborhood cultural center. For more information see http://epics.cse.nd.edu/

ACTIVE PROJECTS FOR SPRING 2003

Advisor: Lloyd Ketchum
The YMCA Camp Eberhart
This group assists the YMCA staff to improve the quality of the facilities and environment of a rural, lake-front summer camp that is now serving year-around users. Currently project needs include:
    1) Design and construction of an Amphitheater 
    2) Design and construction of a Gazebo
    3) Erosion control of Dave’s Point, a sand peninsula in Cory Lake.

The Potawatomi Zoo
This group will assist the zoo maintenance staff to plan, design, and construct needed utilities, animal housing, roads, parking, animal waste pollution control and pollution prevention, and site development. The first project focused on the site planning, which included production of utility and site maps, using both manually prepared drawing and computer generated site maps. Some site description data exists and other data will require filed surveys.
Small Community Mentoring Center Project (SCMC)
The SCMC EPICS has the objective of assisting small nearby communities to more effectively supply water and treat wastewater.  During each of the last three summers, teams of students visited the plants to assess the needs.  Students were then teamed with plant operators to conduct full-scale plant studies to address a well-defined need.  For example, a bench-scale laboratory study to model the full-scale plant was conducted by a student and an operator that let to a plant operating changes, which resulted in both reduced energy consumption and improved quality.  Another student prepared a computer spreadsheet to allow the laboratory technicians to calculate analytical results on a computer data sheet.  These results were placed automatically into a database, and could be easily called to prepare the monthly reports of operation and to track changes in the system (e.g., a graph showing the relationship between rainfall and plant inflow).  As a final example, a student completed a literature study of methods of reducing arsenic in drinking water from wells, and then conducted a laboratory study to determine the feasibility of a particular approach that showed promise for that town.

Advisor: David Kirkner
Habitat for Humanity Energy Project
This group of EPICS students will work with the local Habitat for Humanity chapter to develop tools to measure, and ultimately improve the energy efficiency of the structures built by the local Habitat Chapter(s).

The City of Elkhart Environmental Assessment (CEEA) Project
Partner Agency: The City of Elkhart Environmental Education Center.
Tasks
Examine the City's environmental assets (parks, wetlands, river front) and develop policy paper on how to use and protect them.
Key Aspects
Environmental Engineering.

The City of Elkhart Pavement Study (CEPS) Project
Partner Agency: The City of Elkhart Street Department.
Tasks
Develop a protocol to evaluate the existing rubber tires in paving asphalt pavement project, and begin the evaluation.
Key Aspects
Transportation engineering.