UNIVERSITY PROGRAM
About The Program
The EIA University Program engages students from universities worldwide, allowing them to meaningfully apply their academic training under challenging conditions, taking on key roles in the design and construction of pedestrian footbridge projects. EIA’s framework guides students through a year-long process modeled after engineering industry projects.
Students work through the engineering, material, and cost estimates, construction scheduling, and risk mitigation plans under the supervision of a robust mentor network. Students travel over an academic break to live and work alongside the community during construction.
This combination of design-build experience and cross-cultural exchange creates an opportunity not found in most engineering curriculums. Beyond gaining technical design and project management skills, students learn teamwork, leadership, and cross-cultural competency. They become better leaders, collaborators, communicators, empathizers, adaptors, and problem-solvers.
Alumni Stories
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Jay Arehart
Jay is now a Ph.D. student in architectural engineering at CU Boulder, investigating how much carbon dioxide will be sequestered by cement over the next century.
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Mayra Corona
Mayra was the Logistics Manager for two bridge repairs in Nicaragua in 2017 and is now pursuing a degree in civil engineering at University of Iowa.
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Nate Weger
Nate is now a researcher working in biomass gasification and a teaching assistant for programming classes.
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Natalie Jones and Quinn McNutt
Natalie and Quinn built a footbridge together in Nicaragua, graduated in 2016, and are getting married!
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Mike Schaefer
Mike built a footbridge in Zambia and is now a postdoctoral researcher at University of California Riverside.
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Adrianna Jarosz
Adrianna worked on bridges in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Panama and is now an environmental engineer at Geosyntec Consultants.
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Emily Reeve
Emily was the Construction Manager for the Las Pencas bridge in 2017 and is now pursuing a degree in civil engineering with a concentration in structural engineering at University of Notre Dame.
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Savannah Washlesky
Savannah built a bridge in Nicaragua with the University of Notre Dame Team and is now a structural engineering master's student at the University of Virginia.
Building Bridges
Follow along the bridge-building process to discover how Duke Engineers in Action pulled off a life-changing bridge in Eswatini.
Listen as the students explain the bridge's importance and the change it will bring to the community.
Building Community
Watch as The University of Colorado Boulder and Penn State University complete their 2023 bridge build in Eswatini.
Watch closely to see the impact the students and the community have on each other throughout the project as they build both bridges and connections.
Timeline
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Recruit students & mentors
Fundraise
Attend Bridge Builder Conference
Submit Project Application to EIA
Complete applicable BridgeEDU courses
Complete Mock Review Call for practice
Receive your project assignment from EIA
Sign Project Agreement w/ EIA
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Fundraise
Meet w/ EIA about your project details
Review Call & Report #1 – Concept Definition
Review Call & Report #2 - Design
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Fundraise
Finalize design & drawings
Review Call & Report #3 – Construction & Safety
Decide on Construction Tolerances
Travel Preparation
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Live & work alongside the community to build bridge
Provide daily updates via WhatsApp
Complete safety & quality control forms
Review Call & Report #4 – After Action Review
Submit Exit Surveys & project media
