Humanitarian Engineering Research Projects for 2012

Welcome to EWB's Research Projects!

EWB's Humanitarian Engineering Research Program is an initiative which involves undergraduate and postgraduate students on real-world appropriate technology and sustainable community development projects. The projects link to EWB's Community Partners in Australia and overseas.

APPLICATIONS FOR THIS PROGRAM ARE NOW CLOSED. PLEASE VISIT THIS PAGE IN MAY / JUNE, 2012 FOR THE NEXT ROUND OF PROJECTS (SEMESTER TWO).

These projects are undertaken as part of student's normal degree program - generally as a final year thesis or group project. There are topics available for all types of engineering, and some projects which can be undertaken by students from outside the technical area.

There are three types of Research Projects:

1. EWB Open Research Challenge - an 'open' research topic where students, in conjunction with their local university, define the topic to address the challenges faced in one of EWB's partner communities. In 2012, this is the village of Devikulam, in southern India.

2. International Research Projects - the projects are sourced and linked to one of EWB's partner organisations based in South- or South-East Asia. All of the projects are designed so they can be undertaken from Australia (or New Zealand), and connect to the in-country volunteer through Skype and over emails.

3. Local Research Projects - these are the most 'hands-on' of the projects, and directly link to EWB's local partnerships in Australia. Generally, undertaking these projects will involve joining the project team and supporting the outcomes of the project. Due to their local nature - these projects are often restricted to students in the local area.

If you are interested in undertaking a project in 2012 - please read through the projects on offer, and follow the instructions at the bottom of the page to apply.

(This is a live website - and projects will be added as they are developed and removed once they are no longer available. Last Updated - Nov 2011)


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OPEN RESEARCH CHALLENGE

The Open Research Challenge is a new program launching in 2012. This is an opportunity for innovative engineering students to scope and design a project that will help make a positive impact for one of EWB's partner communities.
 

This community was the focus of the 2011 EWB Challenge - a first design program for first year engineering students. As such, there is a lot of information that was created for this program which is available. The Open Research Challenge will build on the outcomes from this program.

EWB Challenge Brief

EWB Challenge 2011 Website

Note: These briefs are to provide some inspiration and guidance for the topics on offer. The specific project topic is up to the participating students and university.

Project Location: Any
Project Size: Any (Individual or Small Group)
Degree / Area of Study: Any

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INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH PROJECTS
For further information on these projects - please contact EWB's Research Coordinator. Please do not contact the community partner directly.

Motorised Mixer for Earth Block Production - Auroville Earth Institute, India

The Auroville Earth Institute researches, develops, promotes and transfers earth-based technologies, which are cost and energy effective. The Institute also offers various services, and provides consultancy within and outside India. One of the aims of the Auroville Earth Institute is to give people the possibility to create and build for themselves their own habitat, while using earth techniques. Today the Auroville Earth Institute is providing manual presses worldwide through the workshop Aureka to produce CSEB, and the mixing is done by hand. But there is an increasing demand for motorized systems, as labour is increasingly expensive in any country.   A hydraulic press already exists to facilitate the pressing of the bricks, but we need to automate also the mixing, in order to match the speed of the process. That is why a motorized mixer is required.   
Project Size: Small Group
Project Location: Any
Degree / Area of Study: Mechanical / Automation / Mechatronic
Project Brief | Specification Document

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Improving Education Outcomes for Engineering Students in Timor Leste: Developing Practical Engineering & Science Workshops - Dili, Timor Leste

The Dili Institute of Technology (DIT) is a private, not for profit higher education institution located in Dili, Timor Leste.  DIT was formed in 2002, shortly after Timor Leste’s independence and has grown rapidly ever since. Whilst there has been much physical infrastructure development at DIT within the past ten years, critical learning resources, such as laboratories, are still lacking. The absence of good laboratory resources to enable students to do practical exercises and see demonstrations to re-enforce theory taught in lectures is a major issue. Considering that students generally prefer to learn through practical exercises, the need for easy, practical exercises is important to re-enforce lecture materials delivered in classes. The DIT Civil Engineering Team proposes a project to create simple laboratory activities that can be used by faculty to demonstrate concepts including mathematics, science and foundation engineering studies.  
Project Size: Any (Individual or Group)
Project Location: Any
Degree / Area of Study: Engineering (Any) / Science / Mathematics
Project Brief

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Water and Sanitation, Hygiene Education Evaluation - rural Cambodia

RainWater Cambodia was established in October 2003 through a collaboration of Cambodian and foreign nationals. Their common bond was a concern for the health of people in Cambodia, especially women and children. Access to clean drinking water and improved sanitation are clear priorities for improved health and that is why RainWater Cambodia focuses on these areas. Wherever possible we build on the strengths of traditional practices - such as rain water collection - but do so in a way which manages the risks associated with traditional methods such as preventing mosquitoes from breeding in the tank and preventing contamination from humans and animals. The outcomes of this research will be a qualified report finding regarding perception or awareness of water and sanitation and hygiene and that shows the impact from RWC education campaign, especially the methods used and recommendation for improvement. So we can improve our methods for educating the community to ensure easier understanding, to become more user friendly for the community.
Project Size: Any (Individual or Group)
Project Location: Any
Degree / Area of Study: Water / Environment / Education
Project Brief  

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Ceramic Kiln Design Improvement and Firing Optimisation - Cambodia Water Filter

Resource Development International Cambodia (RDIC) is a private, non-profit organisation that is dedicated to serving the people of Cambodia in dynamic ways. Through numerous ambitious projects RDIC has combined technology, education, and heart.  While each project stands independent in its own right, the entire range of projects form a unique and strong outreach program that can only exist as a sum of all its parts.   RDIC is managed by a combined American, Khmer, and Canadian staff, and employs around 80 Khmer staff from the local community and Phnom Penh in a wide range of roles and positions. RDIC also works closely with volunteers and researchers from a number of organisations and universities. Engineers Without Borders -Australia, provides ongoing volunteer support particularly for the ceramic water filter factory. Ceramic water filters have proven to be tremendously effective in reducing the exposure of users to contaminated water, and the incidence diarrhoea over an extended period of time. RDIC continues to invest significant time and energy into developing its processes and would like to share its knowledge and best practice approaches with organisations who wish to have a similarly positive impact on communities in developing countries. The aim of the project is to optimise the design of the existing wood-fired kilns that are utilised to fire the clay-mould filter elements so as to minimise the fuel usage required to achieve the required conditions for the sintering process.
Project Size: Any (Individual or Group)
Project Location: Any
Degree / Area of Study: Environmental / Materials / Mechanical Engineering
Project Brief

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LOCAL RESEARCH PROJECTS
 

Engineering Supporting Aboriginal Communities On Country

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The notion of Pro Bono services (no cost provision of expertise for community benefit) is not ingrained into the Australian engineering profession, in contrast to, for example, the legal sector. This research project will investigate the current state of pro bono engineering and draft a position paper including a proposal to what the future of pro bono engineering could take.
Project Location: Any (Melbourne preferred)
Project Size: Individual
Degree / Area of Study: Consulting / Business / Any Engineering
Project Brief

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Energy Auditing Project - New South Wales

Sustainability and climate change are two major issues facing modern Australian society. This project involves working with the local EWB Energy Knowledge Hub to develop and implement Energy Auditing Tools to help assist communities in Australia and overseas meet their energy needs in a more sustainable fashion. The initial emphasis on this project will be for disadvantaged groups in NSW.
Project Location: Sydney - Students must be local.
Project Size: Any (Individual or Small Group)
Degree / Area of Study: Energy / Electrical / ICT / Software / Renewable Energy / Power Engineering
Project Brief

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Monash University Biodiesel Production Project 

Imagine an entire university fleet of vehicles powered off biodiesel. That is the aim of the Engineers Without Borders team at Monash University (Clayton Campus). This project involves applying technical expertise to a hands-on project to help make that vision a reality. This project will involve management and technical design to an environmentally sustainable project and help design the future of renewable fuels!
Project Location: Monash University - Student must be Melbourne-based.
Project Size: Any (Individual or Small Group)
Degree / Area of Study: Chemical / Power Engineering
(For more information on this project - please get in contact.)


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How to Apply

1. Check Eligibility - To be eligible to participate in this program you must be a current student based in Australia or New Zealand. This research must also be a formal part of your degree program - for example, as part of a course or a thesis project. Also note that some projects have other restrictions - such as location for local projects. This program is open to students from all universities - although priority is given to EWB's University Partners (ANU, Adelaide Uni, UQ, QUT, RMIT, UWA and Sydney Uni).

2. Find an Academic Supervisor - As all of these research projects are part of an formal degree program, it is important that all participating students have a supervisor to support this research. Contact your final year project coordinator or course coordinator to support you with this. You are welcome to apply (see below) while you also source a supervisor.

3. Select a Project and Group (if applicable) - Decide which projects you are interested in and if you will undertake this project as an individual or as part of a small group.

4. Apply - Complete the following information in the body of an email and return to the Curriculum and Research Coordinator, details below.

Name:
University:
Degree:
Name of Project(s) of Interest:
Have you Identified a Project Supervisor?:
When would this project be undertaken (semester one / two / full year):
Names of Other People in Group (or indicate if this is an individual project):
Contact Details (phone / email / Skype):
Personal Summary and Motivation (around 3 paragraphs on your background, interest in undertaking this research, involvement in EWB or other groups, and general motivation):
Alternate Projects: List up to three other projects that you would be interested in, should you be unsuccessful in your first selection.

5. Acceptance - These projects are allocated is a series of rounds, until all projects are filled. Students are urged to apply as soon possible to help ensure they do not miss out. Once accepted, they will be contacted with further details about their community partner and contact details of their project and corporate mentors.

APPLICATIONS ARE NOW CLOSED. PLEASE VISIT THIS PAGE LATER IN THE YEAR FOR THE NEXT ROUND.

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To apply or if you have any questions about this program please contact the Curriculum and Research Coordinator, Julian O'Shea - j.oshea@ewb.org.au or (03) 9329 1166

If you are interested in undertaking an EWB Research Program in future years, please send an email to j.oshea@ewb.org.au with your contact details and interest, and you will be added to the mailing list for when projects get released in future semesters.