REPAIRING PUMPS IN HAITI http://www.nd.edu/~silliman/Development/haiti/

Working in association with Dr. Kathleen Maas-Weigert of the University’s Center for Social Concerns (CSC), Dr. Stephen E. Silliman, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering and Geological Sciences, developed a unique opportunity for students. Notre Dame’s CSC hascoordinated one credit courses that allow students to serve in other countries, where they might work in an infirmary, teach, or repair a home. The course, developed by Dr. Silliman, teamed senior civil engineering majors with students from a variety of other majors to work on handpump repair in Haiti. Students with different skills and perspectives were able to experience the poverty that exists in Haiti, while coming to better understand its people and improve their lives in a very tangible way.

Why is this type of experience important for civil engineering students? Because people in Third World countries can’t down a tall glass of water whenever they want. Often the only source of water is the nearest river, which offers water Americans wouldn’t dream of drinking. "Engineers look at the dirty water and think the benefits to having a working well are obvious," said Silliman. "Clean water means less disease." However, Silliman wants students to look beyond the obvious. For example, an engineer cannot walk into a small community that has no electricity, no technicians, and no college graduates; install an electric pump; and then expect the members of that community to be able to access clean water. Engineers must be prepared to develop technologies at the level these communities can use.

Engineers must also be able to place engineering into a social context. To explain this concept, Silliman cites thelarge number of hand-pump wells in Haiti standing idle due to the failure of a simple component or a missing bolt. He observes that, when the people served by the well are active participants in the drilling and maintenance of the well, they take ownership and make sure simple repairs are completed quickly and correctly.

The Department of Civil Engineering and Geological Sciences has been involved in water treatment in Third World countries for years. It meshes with Notre Dame’s mission and says Silliman, "helps students understand how to place engineering into a social context, to identify where people are at and learn how to work within those boundaries." More recently, this project along with a three-unit course, "Third World Water Supply," helped students play a part in expanding clean water resources in underdeveloped areas while they’re in school.