After a long week of sleepless nights spent prepping materials and brushing up on all the details of their project, a small representation from the CU-EWB Uganda team boarded a 4am Greyhound bus and headed to Washington DC for the 5th Annual EPA P3 (People, Prosperity, and the Planet) Award. Students Matt Basinger (Graduate SEAS), Janelle Heslop (SEAS’10), Sara del Fierro (CC’10), Jennifer Wang (SEAS’10), Jin Wang (SEAS’10), Lacey Gleason (CC’12), and Watue Sowaprux (SEAS’12) were nervous but excited as they set up their exhibit under the large white tents on the National Mall, with the Capitol Building just in the distance.

43 teams came together from all corners of the country to present their innovative projects to a panel of 16 judges from various engineering and science backgrounds and compete for the second phase award of $75,000.  Teams not only displayed the results they achieved during Phase I with the initial $10,000 award, but they also laid out their visions for the second phase of their projects.  From local water collection systems and public educational websites to solar-powered cook stoves and waste management plans, student projects ranged from all sectors of human and environmental sustainability in the developed and developing world.

Columbia’s EWB Uganda team first applied to P3’s Phase I competition during the fall semester of 2007.  The team’s innovative program to increase access to affordable energy in rural communities fit perfectly with P3’s focus to benefit people, promote prosperity, and protect the planet through designs that address our world’s challenges to sustainability.  Essentially, CU-EWB Uganda’s project seeks to install multifunctional energy platforms (that is, a stationary diesel engine that can be attached to various agro-processing equipment) within an established farming cooperative network in rural Soroti, Uganda.  The project was born out of a need for increased mechanization of agricultural processing that was identified by the Soroti community, a community that has been devastated by conflict, natural disaster and, subsequently, internal displacement for the past 25 years.

An innovative modification of the MFP’s diesel engine allows it to run off more viscous straight plant oils that would be readily available in Soroti.  In particularly, the team is hoping to pair their MFPs with oil from the locally grown Jatropha, which is increasingly earning recognition as a promising biofuel feedstock due to its hardiness and high yield.

Columbia’s project is set apart from other teams’ development projects, however, in their intentional emphasis on multidisciplinary and cross-cultural collaboration and education. Working closely with a local indigenous organization called Pilgrim, Columbia students have been taking their lead from the on-the-ground staff who are able to interact with the community on a daily basis. Recognizing their limitations and resources as students in America, the team’s project incorporates the work of various actors; including students from Uganda’s Makerere University, local and regional biofuel and MFP organizations, and a transportation company with invested interested in biofuel production.

Also, with students from SEAS, Columbia College and GS, undergraduates and graduates, and academic backgrounds that range from Earth and Environmental Engineering to Political Science, the team also brings together a diversity of perspectives that inform not only the technical aspects of their project, but also the cultural, economic and political implications that come along with it.

With their Phase 1 Award, the team was able to carry out a comprehensive baseline survey in 175 households, covering the sectors of agriculture, energy, health, water, and general demographics.  They also invested in building partnerships on the ground, identifying local sources for MFP materials, and modifying the engine to better operate on SVO. Lastly, they were able to purchase 2 more MFPs, which are currently undergoing assembly in Kampala.  Pilgrim has meanwhile identified the farming coop sites in which they will be installed and has conducted training workshops within the community to mobilize for the introduction of this technology.

This unique approach to the challenge of energy access combined with their successful Phase 1 outputs placed them competitively against some of the top teams at the Expo. After two rounds of judging and twenty hours of explaining their project to a curious audience of children, students, professionals, and tourists from the DC area, the team was excited to attend Monday night’s closing ceremony in the Congressional Auditorium of the Capitol Building. The night began with a diverse group of speakers, from previous P3 competitors to the current director of the EPA.

Finally, with nervous anticipation pervading through the audience, the moment had arrived to announce the winners of the weekend’s competition. The committee of judges first began naming the eleven honorable mentions while CU-EWB Uganda anxiously listened on, hoping to hear their name yet still aspiring for the grand prize. Then finally, the dedication and determination of the Uganda group was triumphantly realized, when the Columbia University’s Engineers Without Borders team was the first of six teams to be announced as the 2009 recipients of the prestigious People, Prosperity, and the Planet Award. The CU-EWB Uganda team’s pride in their project and hopefulness in its future was never more evident than in this moment; as they witnessed their devotion and hard work realize a new height for the program.

Looking ahead to Phase 2, there will be a focus on jatropha mobilization, information-sharing, and scaling up.The CU-EWB Uganda team is looking forward to installing 3 more MFP sites, as well as looking into technology to better monitor the sites, and how best to share their lessons learnt with their partners.  Local manufacturing of the engine modification will also be pursued, as well as research into the best practices for jatropha growing, collection, and pressing.

Though the team is still recovering from the initial shock of receiving the award, they are thrilled about the potential that this has opened up for their project and are getting ready to hit the ground running with their assessment trips this summer, when they’ll be sending 7 team members back to Soroti to continue installation and monitoring of the MFPs and to learn more about the community and setting to guide the exciting work they have ahead of them.