About EDC

"Creating a sustainable world that provides a safe, secure, healthy, productive, and sustainable life for all peoples should be a priority for the engineering profession.  Improving the lives of the 5 billion people whose main concern is to stay alive by the end of each day on our planet is no longer an option for engineers; it is an obligation."

The EDC program is a new educational, research, and outreach program that fits under the new initiative, Earth Systems Engineering (ESE), in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder. It presents a long-term solution and a unique opportunity for educating a new generation of engineers who can offer sustainable and appropriate solutions to the endemic problems faced by developing communities worldwide.  Through proper global education and outreach, this generation can help improve the livelihood and survival of about 5 billion people on our planet who are most in need. The program contributes to meeting the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

The EDC program is interdisciplinary and involves engineering and non-engineering disciplines (business, sociology, history, etc.). It addresses a wide range of issues such as water provisioning and purification, sanitation, health, power production, shelter, site planning, infrastructure, food production and distribution, communication, and jobs and capital for various developing communities including villages, refugee settlements, etc.

Students in the EDC program are exposed to project management, team work, R&D, and are invited to balance public service with their engineering education. Students learn the basic steps of the engineering design process from concept to implementation by working on real-world projects in developing communities.

Finally, the EDC program works in collaboration with various academic and non-academic groups including: (1) universities, technical, vocational schools, and individuals in the US and in developing communities; (2) engineering companies; (3) humanitarian organizations; (4) NGOs; and (5) interested individuals. See list of affiliates.