For three Tufts students, the long weekend involved a long trek to Texas.
Those three students - members of the Tufts chapter of Engineers without Borders (EWB) - attended the 2006 International Engineers Without Borders Conference from Feb. 16-18 at Houston's Rice University.
Three Tufts students attended the conference, joining other representatives from college and professional chapters of EWB nationwide. The group gave a presentation that focused on the practical lessons learned last summer during their project in the small Tibetan village of Gyatsa.
The Gyatsa Project, as the students' venture was called, was the first major undertaking for TEWB. The group worked with villagers to build student-designed latrines and solar cookers. They also performed water safety tests.
The Tufts presentation highlighted three main points: interdisciplinary themes, flexibility and the education of global citizens.
Tufts attendees also highlighted the need for diverse engineering teams that include non-engineer members. These non-engineers provide valuable cultural and economic viewpoints and help with the implementation of engineering projects.
"Before we spoke, there was little discussion on that topic," said Grant Sharpe, one of the three Tufts students who attended the conference.
The students' presentation also discussed the goal of creating and educating not just good engineers, but also global citizens who "will be aware of the implications of their work," said Sarah Freeman, former president of the Tufts EWB chapter.
According to Jonathan Crocker, current vice president of the Tufts EWB chapter, adapting to the Tibetan culture required a good deal of flexibility.
"You've got to realize that when you are working in another country, there are things that you just can't prepare for," he said.
Feedback from other conference attendees was positive. "The response was really good," Freeman said. "One guy said he didn't even know why he was at the conference, [but] then he heard our presentation and it clicked for him."
Tufts EWB is sponsored mainly by the University College of Citizenship and Public Service, the School of Engineering, the Undergraduate Research Fund and the Institute for Global Leadership (IGL).
Sherman Teichman, Director of the IGL, called EWB "a wonderful organization," and explained the role the IGL has played in the Tufts EWB chapter's work.
"We helped nurture it," he said. "We worked with the first group that went to Tibet. We're trying to think with them about the next destination."
The Tufts EWB chapter hopes to continue its efforts in Tibet despite having difficulties with non-governmental organization (NGO) policies of the Chinese government.
The group is also looking to expand the program to other countries, and will take two assessment trips this summer to Ecuador and El Salvador to plan future projects.
The international EWB community has grown 90 percent in the past year, continuing a strong growth trend since the organization was founded in 2001.
Conferences like the one in Houston this weekend allow university and professional chapters to network with EWB national leadership, sharing their ongoing work.
Sharpe said he hopes more students will attend the conference next year.
"It gives [students] great exposure to the outside world," Sharpe said, "I think every student at Tufts should be able to go to at least one conference."
The three Tufts students who attended this year's conference were enthused about the prospect of attending or hosting a regional workshop for New England-area EWB chapters, an idea proposed at the conference.
The theme of the conference was "Building, Teaching, Learning - One Community at a Time."
