Hello fellow EWBers:
With this announcement, we wanted to give you some great news about your Chapter!
First, congratulations to the UNLV Senior Design Team that considered our Ghana Orphanage as their capstone project. Specifically, they looked into the use of bamboo as a lower cost alternative to steel in the structural reinforcement of the orphanage building. Their project, known as 'Bamcrete', was awarded the Grand Prize at the Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition! This is a huge honor and we should all appreciate the recognition for this team and our own efforts. I was able to sneak in a picture with the team members, which included (L. to R.) Sean Robinson, Steven Conner and Weijian (Ken) Zhang. Dr. Aly Said was their Faculty Advisor and our own Melanie Mercier, who was credited as an invaluable resource by the senior design team members, was their Professional Advisor.
Second, we were just informed by EWB-USA that the design for the Ghana Orphanage Project has been reviewed and approved! This has been in the works since we began our local Chapter. Many thanks for the generosity of our donors and the tireless work of our Program Lead, David Levine, and Design Project Manager, Mike Sheffer, who along with the Design Team members Melanie Mercier, Courtney Warren, and Ernie Mejia helped us achieve this huge milestone with the design approval. Great job everyone!
With the Project being fully funded and travelers ready to go, the EWB Las Vegas Professional Chapter will once again be going abroad to help our partner community realize the reward of your efforts and enjoy an improved quality of life. The Implementation Team is gearing up for construction, which will begin in late June and be completed in mid to late-July. Come join us at our next meeting on Thursday, June 3rd at 6 PM where we will have a presentation on the final design and talk about the upcoming trip!
Regards,
David Swallow, P.E.
President
Engineers Without Borders - Las Vegas Professional Chapter

On behalf of the Las Vegas Professional Chapter, three of its charter members receive recognition from EWB-USA and ASCE as the Premier Chapter for the West Coast Region. L to R: David Levine (Past President), Kristina Swallow (Past Treasurer), David Swallow (President), Cathy Leslie (Executive Director, EWB-USA), Blaine Leonard (President, ASCE) - EWB-USA's 2010 International Conference in Denver, CO.