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Media Relations
Kansas State University
9 Anderson Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
785-532-6415
media@k-state.edu

Information provided by K-State Media Relations, K-State's news service, may be reproduced without permission. The marks and names of Kansas State University are protected trademarks and may not be used in any commercial or private endeavor without the approval of the university.

Source: Richard Hayter, 785-532-5590, rhayter@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Mary Rankin, 785-532-6715, mrankin@k-state.edu

Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2008

FOUNDING PRESIDENT OF ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS TO SPEAK AT K-STATE COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING'S EYESTONE LECTURE

MANHATTAN -- Bernard Amadei, professor of civil engineering at the University of Colorado at Boulder and founding president of Engineers Without Borders-USA, will present "Role of Engineers in Poverty Reduction: Challenges and Opportunities" at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 10, in Kansas State University's Fiedler Hall Auditorium.

The event is a part of the K-State College of Engineering Eyestone Lecture Series and is open to the public.

In the next two decades, almost 2 billion additional people are expected to populate the Earth, 95 percent of them in developing or underdeveloped countries. According to Amadei, this growth will create unprecedented demands for energy, food, land, water, transportation, materials, waste disposal, earth moving, health care, environmental cleanup, telecommunication and infrastructure.

"The role of engineers will be critical in fulfilling those demands at various scales, ranging from remote small communities to large urban areas, and mostly in the developing world," Amadei said. "As we enter the first half of the 21st century, the engineering profession must embrace a new mission statement -- to contribute to the building of a more sustainable, stable and equitable world."

Amadei obtained his master's degree in civil engineering in 1979 from the University of Toronto and his Ph.D. in civil engineering in 1982 from the University of California at Berkeley. He was recently elected a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering.

His current interests cover the topics of sustainability and international development. At the University of Colorado, he directs the Engineering for Developing Communities program, which has an overall mission to educate globally responsible engineering students and professionals who can offer sustainable and appropriate solutions to endemic problems faced by developing communities worldwide.

The founding president of Engineers Without Borders-USA and co-founder of Engineers Without Borders-International, Amadei guides these organizations under the mission to partner with disadvantaged communities to improve their quality of life through implementation of sustainable engineering projects while involving and training internationally responsible engineering professionals and students.

A K-State chapter of Engineers Without Borders was established in 2006, with four students and two professors traveling to India in spring 2008 to begin work on an ongoing conveyance system project for locals in Ranikhet.

Amadei has co-authored two books and approximately 150 technical papers. His research at the University of Colorado has been multidisciplinary, and he has provided consulting services to various engineering companies and organizations around the world.

The Eyestone Lecture Series, established in 2000, is funded by an endowment of the late Fred and Mona Eyestone. Fred Eyestone, a 1941 K-State graduate in electrical engineering, was a member of the College of Engineering Advisory Council and a Distinguished Service Award recipient.