Engaged Opportunity Grants
Building Bridges with Communities in Swaziland
Constructing a new pedestrian suspension bridge to provide economic benefits
Currently, in the Kontshingila community in Swaziland, the Muweni River cuts off the population from markets and major roads during the rainy season. To address this challenge, in the summer of 2018, eight undergraduate students will travel to Swaziland to construct a 70 meter pedestrian suspension bridge. The bridge is intended to provide economic benefits to the region by allowing community members to sell their crops year round and give safer access to a hospital and schools. During the 2017–18 academic year, 20 students on the team called “Big Red Bridges” designed the bridge, preparing the construction and safety reports, and fundraising for the project.
Grant category: Student Leadership
Topics: Economic Vitality and Entrepreneurship
The Team
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Team Lead/Project Manager:
Nathalie DeNey ’18
College of Engineering
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Meriel Engrand ’18
College of Engineering
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Sarah Hurd ’18
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
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Joe Ienna ’18
College of Engineering
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Natalie Mottl ’18
College of Engineering
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Emily Russo ’18
College of Engineering
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Bethany Schull ’18
College of Engineering
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Syed Samin ’19
College of Engineering
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Asif Siddique ’19
College of Engineering
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Christine Leung ’20
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
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Caeli MacLennan ’20
College of Engineering
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Alan Pascual ’20
College of Engineering
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Leilani Peralta ’20
College of Engineering
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Elizabeth (Ellie) Randall ’20
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
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Yunyun Wang ’20
College of Arts and Sciences; College of Engineering
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Alex Worsley ’20
College of Engineering
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Chris Cavanaugh ’21
College of Engineering
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Vaishnavi Dhulkhed ’21
College of Engineering
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Emily Gibson ’21
College of Engineering
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Vanessa Martinez ’21
College of Engineering
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Nikita Krishnan ’21
College of Engineering
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Hadas Ritz, Sibley School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
College of Engineering
- Community partner: Bridges to Prosperity
Engaged Opportunity Grants
Supporting a wide range of community-engaged learning projects, from student leadership programs and partnership building to events and conference travel. Open to all faculty and staff.