Welcome to EWB India Speak. This newsletter is brought to you by Team EWB India and is meant to give you the latest and greatest news and information from around the organization. Diwali Message from the Chair. 1 News on Chapters and groups. 2 Policies and Guidelines : Chapter constitution. 2 Fee structure revised. 3 EWB India chapters and partners bag international engineering awards. 3 Cooking Fuel Briquettes Project 4 KRUSHI Project 4 Snigdha K. Joins As EWB-India As Office Coordinator. 4 Prof Ansari on Chicago Public Radio. 5 Open internship and Volunteer positions. 5
As we all know, the festival of lights (and sound - much, too much sound, unfortunately) is a wonderful part of Indian culture and multiculturalism. As I wish all EWB-India Directors and other friends a happy festival my mind is also burdened by great responsibilities. During my whirlwind 4-day visit to Coimbatore a few days ago, I visited and/or spoke at a number of engg colleges. What I sensed from the youngsters seemed to be a mix of apathy, hope, and a kind of resignation/denial/unconsciousness about the state of affairs right around them and around the world. The hope, which I interpret to be an implicit assumption and act of faith that since human civilization has survived and evolved over a few thousand years, it will somehow survive and evolve, and things will either get better or at the very least not too much worse. Solutions to calamities will be found. Governments and leaders will manage in their own blundering and factious way to ensure that the world does not come to an end. In my talks, which I am giving evangelistically as often as possible, seizing every opportunity, despite severe limitations of time, energy and health, I try to demystify this assumption of trusting the leaders and sitting back and allowing things to evolve, devolve, or whatever. I use that ingenious statement invented by late 20th century activists: "If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem". It takes a few minutes of explanation to drive home the point. The reason I am sharing this with you is that those of us who are involved with the EWB movement around the world day and night, do so because of a deep realization that soon (and it has actually already begun) the world is going to see immense human suffering and tremendous damage to a miraculously living planet caused ironically by billions of people who complacently assume that they are not part of the Problem. The Problem is terrorism, polluting industries, corrupt leaders, the global military-industrial complex, weapons manufacturers, religious fanatics ---------------. Those of us involved with EWB across the globe day and night feel that the time is "now or never". We need to come out of our comfort zones and work with young people, become their friends and mentors, prepare them to create a global society based on sanity and justice, rather than stupid national and personal interests. For me this is a special Diwali, as I deepen my resolve to be an active part of the solution (or a multiplicity of small, complementary solutions). Let us join hands. -Ali Engineers Without Borders – India is added the following to its list of student and professional chapters and groups:
New Student Groups and Chapters
PSG College of Engineering and Technology ( Student Group )
New Professional Groups and Chapters (Professional Chapter):
Mumbai. 47 professional members from Black & Veatch Mumbai joined the EWB India bandwagon. With this, Mumbai is now a full-fledged professional chapter. The Black and Veatch group aims at working in the area of Rain Water Harvesting and working with schools to create awareness on environment and related issues
The following Student Chapter applications are under process:
Devi Ahilya VishwaVidhyalaya Indore Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur EWB India released the professional chapter constitution and bye laws that the professional chapters must abide by. A detailed document may be obtained by writing to:
ewbplanning@gmail.com Engineers Without Borders, India has revised the fee structure. As per the new fee structure the admission for professional members has been fixed at Rs 1000, annual fee for exiting professional chapters remains the same: Rs 300. The life membership fee is now 10 times the annual membership fee at Rs 3000. Student annual membership fee has been revised to Rs 100 and the admission fee for students is Rs 250. With these changes the new fee structure now looks like this:
Membership Types / Categories | Membership Fees (subject to revision by Governing Board as and when needed) | | | For Professionals in India, Life Membership is Rs 3000 /- (in lieu of Annual dues) and the Admission Fee is Rs. 1000 /- |
Since EWB India does not have the necessary clearances under the FCRA, memberships for students and professionals abroad are currently not being entertained however, there is a support group in USA that disseminates information on EWB India to those interested. The support group is also focusing on partnerships between EWB India and various other EWBs worldwide. Two of the EWB India Student Groups with their international partners are recipients of the prestigious Mondialogo Engineering Awards
EWB India Student group at the Moghul College of Engineering, Hyderabad worked with the EWB Student group at University of Karlsruhe (TH), Germany on Solar powered water pump system Project group proposed to install a solar powered water pump in rural area. The pump would not depend on the unreliable power grid and would be more effective than the commonly used hand pumps and non-polluting unlike the diesel powered pumps.
The EWB India student Group at the St. Joseph’s college of Engineering, Tamil Nadu, India in partnership with Student groups abroad, worked on Development of a low-cost, low maintenance and mobile bio-solar tech unit for water purification. The outcome of our project aims to address at least five (5) of the UN MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS directly: 1. Reduce child mortality (provision of water safe for consumption); 2. Improve maternal health (provision of water safe for consumption); 3. Ensure environmental sustainability (through the use of natural coagulants); 4. Reduce poverty through use of locally available, affordable natural coagulants for water treatment; 5. Develop global partnerships for development (Mondialogo IPT, NGOs).
This project is also a recipient of the prestigious Mondialogo Engineering awards 2009 Production of Cooking Fuel from Waste Materials .
In the current energy scenario, about 2 billion or 1/3rd inhabitants of the earth have no access to modern forms of fuel. Cooking fuel is a basic need. Poor availability and inability to pay for the same has compelled the poor to use wood, crop wastes in inefficient ways or fossil fuels which are heavily subsidized by the government and cause serious environmental problems .
Engineers Without Borders - India is working toward providing an environment friendly alternative to traditional cooking fuels in rural India like coal and wood. This fuel is also cheaper than the conventional fuels and makes for an ideal fuel for the poor. This is necessary in light of the various health hazards and environmental threats that are associated with traditional forms of fuel. EWB- India is promoting the use of Cooking Fuel Briquettes made from agricultural, industrial and domestic wastes. It is a cleaner fuel with low emissions .
EWB- India conducted an information and training workshop in November 2008, which has ignited interest in participants who are keen to set up their own units in their local areas. Briquette technology is simple to understand and implement. It is for emerging as a popular area for Small Enterprises. EWB- India aims to train NGO's and other similar groups in a knowledge sharing exercise for the widespread use of this technology and establishment of Micro-enterprises. We are also researching ways in which an efficient and effective Briquette Technology Kit can be developed and delivered. Toward this end, we would need funds to further strengthen our efforts.
A funding proposal for an year long program has been submitted with APCOST for this. Solar Power Electricity for Krushi School .
It is planned to install a solar power plant to meet the electric power needs of a residential school for children from low income families run by Krushi Trust near Hyderabad. This is being taken up by a team of consultants and several EWB-India Professional Members, employed at Infotech . Snigdha K. Joins As EWB-India As Office Coordinator .
Snidgdha Kurada has been recruited to manage the EWB-India office and help out with coordination, correspondence, data management and other tasks. Snigdha's educational background is in biotechnology and she also has an MBA degree in Healthcare Management. We are pleased to welcome Snigdha on board with us. Under the direction of the Chairman and the Board, she will be communicating with Chapter coordinators and carrying out a variety of tasks. Prof. Ali Ansari was in Chicago in July 2009, at a conference put on by the India Development Coalition of America where he talked about his battle to control toxic river waste caused by India’s textile industry. Prof Ansari Spoke to Chicago Public Radio about EWB Inida and our activities. Interview may be found on the Chicago public radio website here: http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/content.aspx?audioID=36116 Volunteering and internship opportunities are available in the following categories:
Writing, Communications, & PR / Technical Writing & Documentation
Benefits:
Learn or develop a new skill and Enhance your employability
Volunteering with EWB India would give you opportunities to develop new and cross functional skills. It is a known fact that employers prefer those with volunteering experience over those who do not have any volunteering experience. Your volunteering experience also speaks about your sensitivity towards issues facing the mankind and businesses today. Many employers believe that volunteering makes you more employable.
Motivation and sense of accomplishment in being a part of the community.
Volunteering is about working for free. As a volunteer you give back to the society and bridge the widening gap between you the individual and the society you live in. The high of giving back is not comparable to anything else. The sense of achievement and enthusiasm that one gets out of volunteer work cannot be described in words.
New experiences and opportunities to meet a diverse range of people
Volunteering may give you opportunities to explore your hobbies and interests, writing could be one, and also opportunities to meet people from a very diverse set of backgrounds. Apart from the very tangible benefits of networking and meeting new people, volunteering also gives a richer experience of life.
Work Profile:
You're perfect for this position if you have excellent written, verbal, and technical skills (as detailed below),an insatiable desire to learn new things and keep up with the latest Web technology.
And now for the details... Essential Duties Include:
Under the direction of the Chairman and Board of Directors, Webmaster/Technical Writer/Communications Associate is responsible for maintaining all website on a daily basis as well as coordinating projects relating to the Website; developing and distributing internal and external communications plus, various business development tasks.
Essential Duties Include:
* Responsible for planning, creating, and delivering of internal and external communications
* Coordinates the planning, research, development, and distribution of marketing and sales tools such as newsletters, podcasts, and press releases
* Reviews, revises, and creates all internal and external technical documentation
* Assists in new service development, competitive analysis, focus group activities, project planning, and cost estimating
Qualifications:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be interested in performing each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills
* Meticulous attention to detail
* Strong planning and organizational skills
* Strong technical skills, including an understanding of various web technologies
* Familiarity with the Web hosting industry
* Knowledge of general business concepts
Those interested may write to ewbplanning@gmail.com . Please write with the following details:
Membership Category : Student/Professional
Motivation in being a part of the communications team
Time commitment you can offer. i.e. No of hours per week you would be able to commit to this work
Expectations and a note of your future plans and how would this volunteering activity help you realize them
Details of past experience in this category if any, volunteer or otherwise.
Note: Only members of EWB India are eligible to apply for these volunteering activities |