It has been an exciting year for EWB: Birmingham! After a successful Welcome Week campaign we gained a record number of members joining the society and the momentum has continued throughout the year. Alexandra Moore, outgoing Secretary, tells us more.
It has been an exciting year for EWB! After a successful Welcome Week campaign we gained a record number of members joining the society – a positive start to the new academic year.
Our Outreach Coordinators have organised several school visits this year, where our Ambassadors were able to inspire students about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) subjects. This year’s theme was ‘Water for Everyone Everywhere’. Using plastic bottles and a variety of filter media, we were able to teach the students about water filtration in an interactive and effective way. As more of our members are becoming STEM Ambassadors we are looking forward to seeing what activities they will bring to the table next year.
We have been fortunate this year to have two speakers visit our branch. The first being Jon Wood; a science communicator who inspired of our members to become STEM Ambassadors. In the second term we had our first speaker from industry describing the important sustainable work Severn Trent is completing in the field of renewable energy. Furthermore, students learnt about the industrial opportunities available at Severn Trent in all engineering disciplines and how they can apply for a variety of roles in the future.
Our first trip to the Thinktank Museum in Birmingham with NucSoc was a great success. We were able to explore the Museum and visit the planetarium. In terms of engineering it was very interesting to see the ‘Discovering the Past’ and ‘Designing the Future’ exhibits as it enabled us to compare and contrast the different applications which worked on the same principles. As engineers it also allowed us to gain an understanding of the possible design challenges and solutions for the future. It was also a great opportunity to strengthen our ties with NucSoc.
We have also been able to host two live music nights to raise money for EWB: the first at the Indie Lounge and second at The Pear in Selly Oak. It was a great chance for members of the society to get to know one another as well as raise money for EWB. Over the year we have raised a total of £385 for EWB National and £149 for CamCat.
Cameroon Catalyst has seen a massive boost in productivity this year. They have concentrated on three key projects that will aid the sustainable development of villages in Eastern Cameroon. They have concentrated on designing latrines, sanitation systems and clothes washing stations. They are also looking to the future by having an independent research group identifying potential areas for development, with whole body sanitation coming of interest. A handful of members will be travelling to Cameroon this summer, along with the Southampton team, to determine the feasibility of their preliminary designs and learn about the local culture.
Finally, as the academic year comes to a close we would like to welcome our new committee for 2017/18:
President: Rachel Lynch
Vice President: Anastasia Pywell
Secretary: Ethan Knight
Treasurer: Tom Miskin
Outreach Co-ordinators: Charlotte Warnes and Danielle Workman
Cameroon Catalyst Co-ordinator: Kundai Sibanda
Fundraising and Publicity: Beth Pearson
Good luck to the next committee! You will do an amazing job.
As EPS Societies’ Awards are just around the corner, please consider nominating EWB: Birmingham for the successful year we have had. We are hugely grateful for you support and thank you to everyone who has helped make this year such a triumph!
Alexandra Moore, outgoing Secretary, and the EWB: Birmingham 2016/17 committee.
