First Post

(EcoSystems founders David and Haydi Sowerwine)

Hi, I'm Michael Wood and this journal is of my experience interning for four months with a humanitarian engineering company in Kathmandu, Nepal.

First, some background on how I wound up in this mess. This summer I learned through Dartmouth’s Thayer School of Engineering HELP student group (Humanitarian Engineering Leadership Projects, think Engineers Without Borders) about a relationship between the engineering school and the organization I'm working for, EcoSystems, through a member of the board of trustees. Soon I found out that a Thayer grad student was already working for EcoSystems partly because of Thayer and HELP’s growing interest in collaborating current micro-hydro electric projects in Rwanda with what EcoSystems was working on. EcoSystems has two projects, a wire “trolley” bridge that aims to develop rural infrastructure in 30 sites for something like 10% of the cost of traditional suspension bridges, and a pedal-powered electric generator providing light and cell phone charging in off-grid towns. I applied for funding through Dartmouth, was lucky to receive it, and bought a one-way plane ticket to the Maoist capital of the world.

On September 5th I’ll fly out of Boston to live and work just south of Kathmandu, returning around the middle of December. For the month of October a Nepalese holiday closes down EcoSystems and most of the country, so on the 4th I’ll fly into the Himalaya around Everest with the goal of doing a couple of the 5 and 6,000 meter “trekking” peaks within sight of Everest and Ama Dablam. Joining me is Mana Francisques, a rising Dartmouth sophomore who worked with HELP on the Rwanda micro-hydro project and is also working for EcoSystems this fall, and anyone else we can get to come with us. Then I’ll get back in November and continue work until sometime in December when I’ll fly back to Boston.

I’m really excited and feel pretty lucky to be doing this, hopefully it’ll be a great engineering and life experience, and of course some amazing trekking and mountaineering during the best season for it. Whether you’re a friend, family, or found this link on a Dartmouth website I’d love to hear your comments by blog, email, or whatever.