Not many college engineering students get the opportunity to see their plans actually carried out in a standing structure. However, four WSU civil engineering students have been given this opportunity through a senior design project taking place this semester. Seniors Steven Greenwood, Brieann Shearer, Sean Johnson and Mohamed Jeite have taken on the task of completing the full structural design for two separate additions to the Abri Hospital in the rural Nubia region of northern Sudan, Africa. The students’ long-term goal for the project is to build a patient room and a diagnostic laboratory. The hospital serves a population of 40,000.

The facilities are limited and the hospital is not able to perform diagnoses that require X-rays, ultrasounds and electrocardiograms. Because the hospital cannot offer these essentials, patients must travel 200 miles to the nearest equipped facility. Due to the lack of electricity, the hospital is also unable to store vaccines, sterilize surgical devices, or use equipment necessary for blood and urine analysis. To rectify the absence of electrical power, solar panels will be installed, which are being designed by the students of Electrical Engineering Senior Design 415 taught by associate professor Patrick Pedrow. The four students in Civil Engineering 465 are working with senior electrical engineering and architecture students as well. The project was proposed to WSU’s Engineers Without Borders club by Mat Taylor, assistant professor in the School of Architecture and Construction Management.

A year ago, Taylor spoke to Mohamed Osman, a WSU Professor from the Nubian region, who told Taylor about the hospital’s need. Osman’s organization, Napata.org, will oversee the project.

The main project adviser for the four students is Dan Dolan, a professional civil engineer and a civil and environmental engineering professor at WSU. Dolan is also adviser of the WSU’s EWB chapter. He strongly encourages students from all majors to join EWB. All students involved in the project volunteer much of their own time and skills. A fair amount of the work is done outside of class as well.

“It gives them more incentive because their project is actually being built, it’s not just a made-up building,” Dolan said.

The civil engineering students received the Abri Hospital project for the fall semester, and have since been researching so they can begin the process of designing and planning. Information on soil, temperature, wind, seismic activity and rain in Nubia is required for calculations to begin the initial planning stage.

Each student in the senior design group has a specific task. The members have chosen to work on the design of the foundation, roof, masonry, walls, structural analysis or a computer-aided drafting program, known as CAD. The final project proposal will be completed by the end of the semester and presented to a board of advisers. A professional engineer will look at all final plans before building starts.

Additional requirements for the structure include cost effectiveness, and “the use of native materials and incorporation of Sudanese cultural significance,” Jeite said. Students must also incorporate in their design the fact that labor in Nubia is relatively unskilled. “This is an elegant engineering project that the students must keep at the same level as their available resources,” Dolan said. “It’s not the same as the way we build in America.” The budget for building costs has not been given to the students as of now. It may be up to a full year before construction can begin on the two additions. Liability insurance for the students to visit the hospital’s location is not yet finalized. If they can, some of the design team could have the chance to travel to Nubia to oversee construction. Civil war in the Darfur region – located in western Sudan – could keep the students from going.

Jeite and Takale Taffesse, a senior electrical engineering student, have a more emotional connection to this project. Both are from areas in Africa near and similar to the site of the hospital. Jeite experienced life in a more rural community during his youth in Ethiopia.

“Honestly, if you go there, you notice that it’s the only hospital,” Jeite said. “The village people really appreciate what it can do for them. It really improves their lives.” The students involved in this project are excited about the prospect of having their work become a real building. “It’s a great opportunity to be able to help people in a third-world country by providing them with a modern facility,” Johnson said.