Jennifer Hoffman, a sophomore in aerospace engineering from Chesterfield, Mo., will lead 19 fellow students from Missouri University of Science and Technology into the rainforests of Bolivia this month to build self-composting latrines, install LED study lights, and replace two pedestrian bridges.

It’s all part of a plan by the university’s Engineers Without Borders chapter, which took Hoffman to the small village of Rio Colorado last year, to turn their classroom lessons into real-world solutions.

Hoffman says the group has spent months in the planning stage and is eager to put their engineering skills to use, but anticipates having to “plan on the fly.”

“I know everything is going to change once we get down there, and that’s where we learn what they can’t teach us in the classroom,” Hoffman explains. “There is no homework problem that gives you different information halfway through it and says deal with it from where you are now.”

The EWB team will spend May 18 to June 2 in Rio Colorado making life easier for the 260 students at the Rio Colorado Technical Agricultural High School. Several projects are on their to-do list, including:

• building a 10-hole self-composting latrine structure behind the existing boy’s shower structure to help prevent water contamination to current wells
• replacing two bridges at the entrance to the campus by damming any water running through the ditch, placing a predetermined size of culvert pipe on top of a layer of gravel and packing dirt and other materials tightly around it
• installing a new generator to replace two old machines, replacing the current wiring system, and adding LED lights to allow students to study when the generator is not on
• adding two water meters to help detect leaks
• teaching community members how to treat water at the point of use

“Traveling to Bolivia with Engineers Without Borders is an awesome opportunity to help those less fortunate than ourselves,” says Andrew Schieffer, a junior in mechanical engineering from Troy, Mo. “It’s our duty as future engineers to use our knowledge and available technology to increase the standard of living at home and abroad.”

Dr. Rick Stephenson, professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering at Missouri S&T, says the energy and dedication of EWB students amazes everyone who comes in contact with them.

“Their passion for working with the poor and neglected of the third world to improve their standard of living is an inspiration to me,” says Stephenson, the chapter’s advisor. “They constantly remind me of our unofficial motto that engineers can save more lives than doctors.”

Students traveling to Bolivia include:

• Elizabeth Babb of Benton, Ky., a senior in environmental engineering
• Josh Boeckmann of Chesterfield, Mo., a junior in civil engineering
• Laurin Bookout of St. James, Mo., a junior in civil engineering
• Brina Crouch of Rolla, Mo., a senior in civil engineering
• Janine Einhellig of Lenexa, Kan., a senior in civil engineering
• Dustin C. Fox of Rolla, Mo., a junior in computer engineering
• Jessica A. Gibbs of Kansas City, Mo., a junior in civil engineering
• Christina Graham of Euless, Texas, a senior in aerospace engineering
• Sarah Herrig of Loves Park, Ill., a senior in architectural engineering and civil engineering
• Jennifer A. Hoffman of Chesterfield, Mo., a sophomore in aerospace engineering
• Chad Parkhurst of Millstadt, Mo., a junior in aerospace engineering
• Emily Pasch of Lake Zurich, Ill., a senior in mechanical engineering
• Matthew Rankins of Eureka, Mo., a senior in architectural engineering
• Erica Ronchetto of Chesterfield, Mo., a freshman in ceramic engineering
• Andrew Schieffer of Troy, Mo., a junior in mechanical engineering
• Adam Sevi of Rolla, Mo., a Ph.D. student in ceramic engineering
• Sarah Shell of Barnhart, Mo., a junior in environmental engineering
• Jordan Varble of Farmington, Mo., a senior in civil engineering
• Amiel Weerasinghe of Sri Lanka, a sophomore in civil engineering
• Shannan Worley of Kansas City, Mo., a senior in civil engineering

The 20 Missouri S&T students will be accompanied on the trip by a Missouri S&T graduate, two faculty members and a student from the University of Kansas, including:

• David Hoffman, an associate research engineer in civil, architectural and environmental engineering at Missouri S&T
• Dr. Ronaldo Luna, associate professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering at Missouri S&T
• David Schepers, a 1975 electrical engineering graduate of Missouri S&T who works for Ameren in St. Louis
• Jodi Gentry of Lawrence, Kan., president of the EWB chapter at the University of Kansas

An additional 16 Missouri S&T students, members of the same EWB chapter, will leave May 18 for Solola, Guatemala, where they plan to finish the building of a second earthquake-resistant classroom -- adding a roof, stairway and electricity -- and repair the school’s bathrooms.