Increasingly, we’ve found that engineering students at Oregon State University (OSU) are seeking ways to make a lasting impact on our world. In response to this demand, a diverse group of faculty is working together to launch a humanitarian engineering (HE) program: We define HE as the co-development of science- or engineering-based solutions to improve the human condition, namely through improved access to basic human needs (e.g., clean water, clean energy), an improved quality of life, or improved level of community resilience (e.g., disaster mitigation, economic resilience).
Author Archives: tranth
Let’s the race begin
This summer the Oregon State’s Solar Vehicle Team will once again be competing in the American Solar Challenge (ASC) and Formula Sun Grand Prix (FSGP). The FSGP (July 17 – 19) is a three-day track race against universities from around the country and serves as the qualifier for the biannual ASC (July 21 – 28), an eight-day road race from Austin, Texas to Minneapolis, Minnesota purely on solar power!
Staying fluid: Tracie Jackson takes an interdisciplinary approach to examine how pollutants move through rivers
When a massive chemical spill contaminated West Virginia’s Elk River in January, up to 300,000 residents were without access to potable water. Officials began lifting the ban on using tap water only a few days later, citing lowered concentrations of 4-methylcyclohexane methanol (MCHM), the licorice-smelling chemical used in the separation and cleaning of coal products. Continue reading
Dreaming outside the box: How a graduate program in Denmark inspired Alexandria Moseley to think big
Alexandria Moseley knows how to dream big. It might be just who she is, or it might be because of something the internship manager at Welch Allyn told her: if she can achieve her five-year plan on her own, she isn’t thinking big enough. Continue reading
Promising South Eugene High School grad chooses Oregon State engineering
As a young child, Ryan Rogers found inspiration under the hood of the family car working alongside his father, an experienced mechanic. He realized that he possessed a knack not just for figuring out how things worked, but for figuring out how to make things work better. This ability brought the 18-year-old Eugene native to Oregon State University this fall as a first-year engineering student.
Rogers was searching online for scholarships when he learned about one of the largest programs in the country, the Buick Achievers Scholarship, funded by the General Motors Foundation. He applied, and won the prestigious Buick Achievers National Scholarship. Awarded to only 100 students across the country, the $25,000 annual scholarship is aimed at promising engineering students. His winning essay focused on his interest in alternative energy and discovering more sustainable power sources. Continue reading