Page 8 - CEGE Spring 2024

High-Tech Data Collection Partnerships:
EWB-UMN SUPPORTED BY WESTWOOD PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SERVICES AND FRONTIER PRECISION
The Engineers Without Borders University of Minnesota Chapter (EWB-UMN) traveled to Simajhuleu, Guatemala, over the 2023-24 winter break. The goal of the trip was to gather data related to both the technical and societal aspects of the project.
The EWB-UMN team consisted of engineering mentors Kevin Miller (AECOM), Chris Ellis (St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, UMN); alumni Jeff Stewart (Professional Engineering Services) and Laura Amundson (retired), who have spent many years as EWB-UMN mentors; and UMN student project co-leaders Lucas Nielsen and Priscilla Bunday. They had participated in phone calls with representatives of Simajhuleu. From those conversations, somewhat hindered
by Spanish-English language differences,
the team understood that homes in the community were having difficulty getting enough water to meet their daily needs.
Once in Simajhuleu, the team learned that the community of about 3,500 people, with almost 700 households, had a lot of the water distribution infrastructure in place and an abundance of springs in the area that seemed to deliver an adequate volume of water. However, homes in the area had water access only four hours every four days. The team also heard complaints of people getting sick, indicating that quality, not just quantity, of water might be an issue. The team’s initial task would be to get a better understanding of how the water distribution system was operated and managed by the community.
The team also discovered they would have to create a map of the existing system.
They interviewed members of the community and discovered that parts of the pipe network had been installed 40 years ago. Another challenge was uneven chlorination within the system.
Westwood Professional Services
provided the drone and a skilled drone pilot. Alex Behnke, Assistant Project Manager with Westwood, traveled with the team to
THE EWB-UMN TEAM PARTNERED WITH US-BASED ENGINEERING COMPANIES TO INCORPORATE HIGH-TECH TOOLS THAT MAXIMIZED THE AMOUNT, ACCURACY, AND PRECISION OF THE DATA THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO COLLECT.
Simajhuleu for four days. Behnke created flight plans and flew the drone to capture photos to map the entire community. Behnke also captured 360-degree panoramic shots as well as scenic photos and videos of the area. After his return to the US, Behnke developed an orthometrically correct
map of the community. U of M instructor Ann Johnson, also with Professional Engineering Services, will assist the student team by importing the drone mapping into AutoCAD/Civil 3D for analysis and future design.
Frontier Precision supplied the team GPS surveying equipment at a deeply discounted cost. Dylan Jones from Frontier Precision supported the team with fabulous, dedicated technical assistance via phone.
EWB-UMN also works with Long Way Home, a non-governmental organization based in Guatemala that helps EWB-UMN with logistics support, local coordination, and translation services. EWB-UMN has been working with Long Way Home since 2006, and they have completed several successful projects in Guatemala.
Students in the EWB-UMN chapter will spend the spring semester assembling and analyzing the gathered data. Their preliminary assessments indicate the solution might involve trouble shooting the water distribution, perhaps leading
to fixing of leaks, determining how to protect the system from storm water contamination, or installing water meters at homes. Enhancing the chlorination of the existing system may be another area of focus.
Assessment and data gathering are key to shaping the solution to any civil engineering project. The support of industry partners highlights the importance of this foundational stage. For EWB-UMN, this assessment project will be essential to delivering clean and available water to the community of Simajhuleu, Guatemala.
From CEGE and EWB-UMN, a Big Thank You to our partners at Westwood Professional Services, Professional Engineering Services, AECOM, and Frontier Precision for their help on this project!
EWB-UMN chapter was
a 2023-24 Tony Diggs Excellence Award Winner in “Excellence in Academics.” EWB-UMN was the most nominated UMN student group receiving nominations in 5 of 9 categories.
8 CEGE | CSE.UMN.EDU/CEGE