Disaster Response & Drainage

Intra-American Development Bank, Carrefour, Haiti

As a disaster response team, we visited Haiti after the 2011 earthquake to assist in immediate recovery needs. While there, a flash storm flooded the temporary compound, causing a spread of contaminants and cascading challenges associated with recovery. Our team helped clear several local drainage channels of debris to assist in stormwater flow. After this trip, I maintained relationships with several in-country NGOs and assisted remotely with ongoing recovery efforts. In 2017, I organized a team trip to support local schools and health clinics. I also partnered with the Intra-American Development Bank to design a large-scale drainage project in Carrefour, Haiti after being contacted regarding my research of satellite-derived precipitation estimates for the Hispaniola island.

Civil Site Design

Dental College & Hospital, Ludhiana, India

Our team of engineers and architects partnered with the Christian Dental College (CDC) to assist with preliminary design plans for rehabilitating a series of aging buildings. The CDC is the premier dental and oral health institute in India, training numerous doctors in dentistry, surgery, and public health. Students in this program typically spend one year of their training providing volunteer services to at-risk communities throughout India. The CDC was facing potential closure due to hazardous building standards. Our team assisted in providing a comprehensive design for campus modifications through field surveys, discussions with the CDC leadership, conceptual planning, computer drafting, and reporting. This work allowed the CDC to present findings to partners for a full match of construction costs.

Water and Sanitation

United Nations Cote d'Ivoire Refugee Camp

As an AECOM consultant, I was stationed in Takoradi, Ghana for several months, providing construction management for a natural gas facility. While there, I supported the leadership of a nearby refugee camp for Ivorian citizens fleeing a civil war. This camp, managed by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), sought assistance regarding several water supply issues throughout the facility. We were able to mitigate various water and sanitation systems within the camp, including optimized water pipes, holding tanks, site grading, and sanitary solutions for the community residents.

DRINKING WATER SUPPLY

Living Water International, Leon, Nicaragua

Living Water International (LWI) has implemented over 20,000 water projects throughout the world, including deep potable water wells and sanitation programs, to empower communities to spend more of their resources on education and growth, rather than finding, transporting, and storing drinking water. As a long-time fan and supporter of Living Water International (LWI), we were able to travel with the organization to Nicaragua to help drill and install a water well. LWI no longer recommends such field visits, as such financial resources are better equipped when used to facilitate local involvement (100% agree!). After this trip, we continued partnering with the organization locally by assisting the LWI office in Sugar Land, Texas with various needs.

MUNICIPAL Water Supply and Treatment

Engineers Without Borders, San Salvador, El Salvador

The Engineers Without Borders Houston Professional Chapter partnered with the Rice University Student Chapter to co-design a community water supply and treatment system near San Salvador. We spent several months designing the preliminary engineering plans and then visited the site to collaborate with local leaders, test water samples, collect field survey data, and optimize the plans for constructability. This project aided in securing clean and consistent drinking water for several thousand residents.