{"387441":{"#nid":"387441","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Civil Engineers Spend Spring Break Among Alpacas","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EWhile many students left campus last Friday for a well-deserved break from classes, one group boarded a plane for South America, where they\u2019ll spend the week applying their research in remote communities in Bolivia.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe students in CEE 4803 \u2014\u0026nbsp;a course called Environmental Technology in the Developing World \u2014\u0026nbsp;have spent the semester preparing for the 10-day trip. They\u2019ll be evaluating different methods for testing air and water quality but will have to do so outside the comfort of their usual lab and equipment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s a really powerful and humbling experience to encounter your own limits and the limits of what is possible under certain constraints,\u201d said \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.ce.gatech.edu\/people\/faculty\/6288\/overview\u0022\u003EJoe Brown\u003C\/a\u003E, assistant professor in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, who teaches the course.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESo far this semester, the class has worked to determine what kind of equipment they will use, how they will take samples, where to send them, and how to be as prepared as possible. About six days of the trip will be spent gathering data to analyze back in Atlanta, but an equally important goal is for students to learn how the technical aspects of their work relate to cultural, social, and economic aspects of the community where they are working.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERebecca Yoo, a third-year civil engineering major pursuing minors in Spanish and Global Engineering Leadership Development, found the class a perfect fit for her range of interests. In high school she found herself wanting to pursue development work but wasn\u2019t sure how until she came to Georgia Tech and learned about civil engineering.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI was interested in communities that didn\u2019t have the same basic needs met that I had grown up with,\u201d she said. \u201cI wanted to work with people, so I thought I would end up doing liberal arts, but decided to try engineering.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThough she has traveled internationally for mission trips and to study abroad, this will be her first trip doing engineering in another country.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt surprises students to find that they can make a difference with their work,\u201d Brown said. \u201cIt can be a life-changing or career-changing experience\u0026nbsp;for them. It changes their perspective on engineering and shows how they can contribute to the world.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEnrolling in the class is a selective process. Brown looks for students with international interest or experience and dedication to the subject matter. The \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/ce.gatech.edu\/academics\/mundy\u0022\u003EJoe S. Mundy Global Learning Endowment\u003C\/a\u003E, designated for international learning experiences for Civil and Environmental Engineering students, provides full funding for the students\u2019 travel.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe group of 10 undergraduates, two graduate student teaching assistants, and Brown will work with Universidad Mayor de San Andres in La Paz. Brown hopes this trip is the beginning of other long-term opportunities for research and collaboration with the university. The group will also meet with U.S. Embassy staff during the trip.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs the class prepared for the trip this semester, they consistently revisited one question: What are we trying to do?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cOne of the most valuable things I\u2019ve learned is that we are aren\u2019t going there to provide for people who are lesser than we are,\u201d Yoo said. \u201cThese communities are people, with their own values and ways of communicating. We\u2019re there to do research that hopefully will help, but we want to get rid of the doctor\/patient relationship idea that we are there to save people. We want to learn about their culture, their perspective, and learn to collaborate with their communities.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch6\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe Brown Water Group (no pun intended)\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/h6\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBrown came to Tech last year from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Europe\u2019s largest public health school. His research focuses on international development at the intersection of public health and engineering, particularly in the areas of water and sanitation in underprivileged communities. He looks at microbial and infectious diseases whose exposure is due largely to a lack of infrastructure, and how new technology or the adaptation of technology can prevent exposure.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThough the work has serious implications, Brown takes a lighthearted approach.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI like to say that excreta is my bread and butter,\u201d he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBrown did work in Bolivia as a graduate student, but hasn\u2019t been back since 2006. He\u2019s excited to return and for his students to see the country and its culture.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cUsually when we come into class, Dr. Brown starts out showing us something like a video or a picture of llamas,\u201d Yoo said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe group will continue to post updates on its work online at \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/brownwatergroup\u0022\u003Ewww.facebook.com\/brownwatergroup\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/BrownResearchGT\u0022\u003Ewww.twitter.com\/BrownResearchGT\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":[{"value":"Students will evaluate different methods for testing air and water quality in Bolivia during Spring Break."}],"field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EA group of civil and environmental engineering students will evaluate different methods for testing air and water quality in Bolivia during Spring Break.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A group of civil and environmental engineering students will evaluate different methods for testing air and water quality in Bolivia during Spring Break."}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2015-03-16 10:09:33","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:03:00","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2015-03-16T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2015-03-16T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"387431":{"id":"387431","type":"image","title":"CEE 4803 Spring 2015","body":null,"created":"1449246275","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:24:35","changed":"1475894400","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:40:00","alt":"CEE 4803 Spring 2015","file":{"fid":"75447","name":"buzzpaca.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/buzzpaca.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/buzzpaca.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":70002,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/buzzpaca.jpg?itok=S7z1sUk-"}},"387861":{"id":"387861","type":"image","title":"Water Sampling in Bolivia","body":null,"created":"1449246275","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:24:35","changed":"1475894349","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:39:09","alt":"Water Sampling in Bolivia","file":{"fid":"75461","name":"can9jj9weaa793k.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/can9jj9weaa793k.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/can9jj9weaa793k.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":421019,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/can9jj9weaa793k.jpg?itok=E4VTHuPC"}},"387871":{"id":"387871","type":"image","title":"Testing Air Quality","body":null,"created":"1449246275","gmt_created":"2015-12-04 16:24:35","changed":"1475894349","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:39:09","alt":"Testing Air Quality","file":{"fid":"75462","name":"cagxjrvxiaa5jv-.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cagxjrvxiaa5jv-.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/cagxjrvxiaa5jv-.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":82844,"path_740":"http:\/\/tlwarc.hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/cagxjrvxiaa5jv-.jpg?itok=HAzSWVcU"}}},"media_ids":["387431","387861","387871"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/brownwatergroup","title":"Brown Water Group on Facebook"},{"url":"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BrownResearchGT\/","title":"Brown Water Group on Twitter"},{"url":"http:\/\/www.brownwatergroup.org\/","title":"Brown Water Group"},{"url":"http:\/\/cee.gatech.edu\/","title":"School of Civil and Environmental Engineering"}],"groups":[{"id":"1214","name":"News Room"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"},{"id":"134","name":"Student and Faculty"}],"keywords":[{"id":"4930","name":"air"},{"id":"4776","name":"civil and environmental engineering"},{"id":"807","name":"environment"},{"id":"479","name":"Green Buzz"},{"id":"167070","name":"serve\u2022learn\u2022sustain"},{"id":"453","name":"undergraduate research"},{"id":"788","name":"Water"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:kristen.bailey@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EKristen Bailey\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInstitute Communications\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}