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Engineers Without Borders: Creating Meaningful Change, One Project at a Time
UMass Amherst students use engineering to solve global challenges—and build community along the way.
At UMass Amherst, engineering is more than a discipline—it’s a tool for solving real-world problems. Through the university’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB), undergraduate students apply their knowledge and creativity to make a tangible difference in communities both locally and globally.
Founded in 2005, the UMass Amherst chapter of EWB is a student-led organization where members take the lead on engineering projects that address critical infrastructure and sustainability challenges. These range from improving water systems in rural Ghana and Kenya to supporting urban agriculture initiatives in nearby Holyoke, Massachusetts. Along the way, students gain an immersive experience in structural design and international project management as they engage directly with community partners to create meaningful and lasting solutions.
Real Impact Needs Every Perspective
Despite the name, EWB is open to students of all experience levels and majors—not just those in engineering. “We’ve had public health students in the past; we have computer science students pretty regularly as well,” says faculty mentor Nick Tooker, professor of practice in the Riccio College of Engineering. “We’ve also had a few nursing students who have joined us, partly because, at the project that we’re working on in Kenya in particular, the community has no health care.”
A diversity of backgrounds strengthens the group’s ability to approach complex challenges from multiple perspectives—whether they’re designing water systems, addressing public health needs, or improving infrastructure in underserved areas.
Learning by Doing and Leading
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Each EWB project begins with a request for support. From there, students work alongside faculty mentors to conduct needs assessments, design technical solutions, and travel to the project site for implementation. The result is an immersive, interdisciplinary learning experience that blends engineering, global education, public health, and sustainability.
Engineers Without Borders at UMass Amherst is split into three projects:
- Designing and installing clean water systems in Saviefe-Deme, Ghana
- Constructing school sanitation and rainwater collection systems in Imale, Kenya
- Supporting a greenhouse rehabilitation and biogas heating system at Nuestras Raíces in Holyoke, Massachusetts
Student-Driven Solutions
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Every step of each project is student-led: UMass EWB members coordinate logistics, travel, timelines, and fundraising—all while navigating the complexities of working across cultures and continents. It’s an experience that builds not only technical skills but also leadership, collaboration, and a deep sense of civic responsibility.
“I didn’t really join any clubs my first year,” says mechanical engineering major Aman Patel, EWB’s current president. “But sophomore year, my best friend—he’s a civil engineer—invited me to a meeting.” Patel learned how the Kenya project team was working on building a borehole well to provide a village with clean and accessible water. “I realized this is something I really want to be a part of. Why would I not want to help someone who needs it more than me?”
EWB student project lead Sofia Bili Rossi won first prize in the EWB-USA 2024-2025 photo contest with this shot of UMass EWB members collaborating with Kenyan students and community members from Imale installing a new concrete floor at the Imale primary school.
Part of a National and Global Network
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The UMass Amherst chapter is one of more than 200 student and professional chapters affiliated with Engineers Without Borders USA (EWB–USA), a nonprofit organization that supports community-driven development programs worldwide. Founded in 2002, EWB–USA provides oversight and training, and it sets standards that ensure projects meet high levels of safety, sustainability, and community impact.
Chapters like the one at UMass Amherst operate with autonomy but must follow EWB–USA’s rigorous project process, which includes submitting proposals, receiving technical reviews, and adhering to ethical guidelines. This national structure provides critical support while allowing student teams to take full ownership of their work.
EWB–USA is also part of Engineers Without Borders International, a broader network that connects similar organizations in dozens of countries, advancing the shared mission of using engineering to meet basic human needs.
A Welcoming, Multidisciplinary Community
While engineers form the backbone of many projects, the chapter is actively seeking a broader range of perspectives. “We really want students from other majors to join,” says Patel. “Right now, we mostly have mechanical, civil, biomedical, and computer engineers, but there’s so much more we could do with students from other disciplines.”
Whether you’re studying public health, environmental science, nursing, computer science, a foreign language, the humanities, or international relations, there’s a place for you on one of EWB’s project teams. If you’re looking for a way to apply your knowledge to meaningful work, EWB welcomes your perspective.