Students from a previous trip work in Guatemala. Photo submitted.

The student chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) at Missouri University of Science and Technology is heading to Nahualate, Guatemala, to continue its work to provide access to safe drinking water for approximately 3,000 people.

The students will be in Nahualate Sunday, Aug. 9, through Sunday, Aug. 16. While there, the EWB team will carry on with its work on a water distribution system for the village by installing water meters, pressure reduction valves and distribution lines.

This trip is part of a project that the team that has been working on since 2008. The team has already worked to design, construct and complete an elevated storage tank and designed a chlorination system that will be installed on a future trip.

“One of the main goals for us while there is to further educate the Nahualate community about the importance of water sanitation and to build trust between the residents and the team,” says Josephine Gass, the EWB-Nahualate team leader and a junior in environmental engineering from Millstadt, Illinois. “This trip gives us the opportunity to hear any community concerns and express to them our dedication to this long-term project.”

The team will be accompanied by two Saint Louis University students who are learning more about EWB processes and a University of Missouri-Columbia graduate student who is researching public health. Dr. Mark Fitch, associate professor of environmental engineering at Missouri S&T, is faculty advisor to the team.

The following Missouri S&T students will travel to Guatemala:

Matthew Baer, a junior in ceramic engineering from Harrisonville, Missouri

Paige Blasberg, a junior in geological engineering from Des Peres, Missouri

Aleksandr Chernoff, a junior in ceramic engineering from Glenelg, Maryland

Zachary Farniok, a junior in mechanical engineering from Godfrey, Illinois

Andrew Fino, a senior in mechanical engineering and economics from Wilmington, Massachusetts

Josephine Gass, a junior in environmental engineering from Millstadt, Illinois

Racheal Lawal, a junior in chemical engineering from St. Louis

William Wyne, a senior in mechanical engineering from Chesterfield, Missouri.