EWB Challenge

The Engineers Without Borders Australia Challenge (EWB Challenge) is a national design program for first-year university students. Students work in teams to develop conceptual designs for sustainable development that contribute towards real international development projects.

The program are based on a sustainable development projects from EWB's growing list of past and present programs. Each year, the EWB Challenge design brief will be invite students to tackle a new range of projects identified by EWB in conjunction with its community development program partners. Students will work in teams of 4 - 6 to design solutions for projects ranging from water supply and quality to sanitation, waste management, energy supply, flood mitigation and infrastructure development.

Participating universities may nominate up to four teams to submit their work to EWB. These reports are reviewed by a judging panel and awards are made to outstanding contributions and include the EWB Challenge Overall Champion Award incorporating an international study tour and visit to RDIC project sites, Thiess Award for Innovation in Appropriate Technology and BHP Billiton Award for Sustainable Design and Community Engagement.

The Challenge helps to ensure students are inspired and motivated by their first year engineering experience.

Corporate Sponsors

The EWB Challenge 2008 is co-sponsored by Thiess Pty Ltd and BHP Billiton and demonstrates industrys commitment to sustainability education.

Thiess Pty Ltd, one of Australias largest construction, mining and services providers is the founding sponsor of the EWB Challenge in 2007. The company has a long relationship in supporting engineering students gain experience in the industry by offering scholarships and the opportunity for involvement in worthwhile projects like those offered through EWB.

BHP Billiton is the worlds largest diversified natural resources company, with some 39,000 employees across 100 operations in approximately 25 countries. The companys core purpose is to create long-term value through the discovery, development and conversion of natural resources and the provision of innovative customer and market-focused solutions. BHP Billiton is also a national Gold Partner of EWB.

Supporters

The EWB Challenge is supported by the Australian Council of Engineering Deans (ACED), the Australasian Association for Engineering Education (AAEE), Engineering Australia (EA) and Speak Out.