We are a group of individuals concerned about what happens to a population that is forced to pick through landfills to find food, shelter, and a source of livelihood. We are a group of individuals who refuse to believe that realities cannot change. We are a group of individuals from around the world trying to bring alternative energy, education, and improved sanitation to a community in need.
While there are many people involved in this project, meet our core team:
Ryan is an Electrical and Computer Engineering PhD student working in the subject of Nanophotonics studying slow light and superprism effects at Rutgers University. He received a Masters of Science in the subject of Wireless Sensor Networks working with the departments of both Electrical and Civil Engineering. Industry experience includes work with IBM in the server systems division and Siemens in the RFID and wireless sensor networking group. New Jersey is his home state and he has traveled extensively within and outside the US. Ryan's volunteer efforts have touched on many subjects, such as supporting the well-being of individuals in the local community through soup kitchens, children's hospitals and local schools; social awareness via the media; engineering aid strategies with various non-profits; and others. His idealistic goal for this project is to demonstrate that there is a possibility to change one of the many forms of poverty - that of people living in garbage - into a mechanism that physically transforms the circumstances of life into the means for their aid and contribution to society. In so doing, the landfill becomes the physical resource that empowers the enrichment of their lives, rejuvenation of their environment, and the contribution to society.
Faaez is an undergraduate at Princeton University. Although his home department is Electrical Engineering, he is interested in, and has taken classes on topics ranging from contemporary film and Absurdist theatre to Afghan political history. Faaez hails from Islamabad, Pakistan and is currently on leave from Princeton to volunteer and work on developmental projects back home. Before coming to Princeton, he attended the United World College in Norway with students from 92 other countries, and fell in love with the idea of sustainable, non-charitable enterprises with a focus on development. He enjoys good music, debates and having broken conversations in languages he barely knows.
Tiffany is an Electrical Engineering PhD student working on organic solar cells and light emitting devices at Princeton University. Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wis., she did her undergraduate studies at the University of California-Los Angeles, where she majored in Electrical Engineering and minored in Political Science. Tiffany has a wide range of international experiences, living or studying in four countries, and visiting over 30 countries in 5 continents. She speaks 5 languages (English, French, Chinese, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Farsi) and is involved in a number of projects committed towards sustainable development.
Wali is currently a graduate student in electrical engineering at Princeton. He works with Wole Soboyejo, studying small, energy-efficient lights and renewable energy. He has engaged in previous entrepreneurial activities between Nigeria and the United States, and was a Teaching Assistant for a course devoted to social entrepreneurship to meet global challenges. In addition, he has travelled extensively in West Africa and Europe during the time he lived with his family onboard a Nigerian National shipping vessel on which his father worked as a marine engineer. He obtained Bachelors of Science degrees in Physics and Electrical Engineering in 2006 from Washington University in Saint Louis.
Sho is am undergraduate at Rutgers University studying Chemical Engineering and Chemistry. He is fascinated with renewable technology and after getting involved with Engineers Without Borders, he has been compelled by the complex yet remarkable concept of sustainable development and how it takes disciplines ranging from engineering and politics to undertake such a commitment. He also loves to travel, experience new, exotic and exciting things and meet people from different backgrounds.
Nasir is an undergraduate at Rutgers University studying Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics and Economics. He came to the US in 1999 from Bangladesh. He is currently working on the integration of an accelerometer in HARI and Gripper in Dr Craelius' Prosthetic Lab. He wants to continue working with prosthetics as well as medical devices and/or spinal cord research. He is passionate about Engineers Without Borders because of its role in the sustainable development of communities that are deprived of normal necessities that most people take for granted. He enjoys traveling to new and exciting places, playing club and intramural sports, and meeting new people every day.
Saad has 3 years of work experience in investment banking, primarily mergers & acquisitions, corporate finance, and financial restructuring from Milestone Advisors, the #1 ranked M&A advisor to the specialty finance industry. Saad also has two years of work experience in business development from comScore, Inc, a leading global provider of digital market intelligence. He graduated cum laude from the University of Virginia with a double major in Systems Engineering and Economics in December 2003. Saad is currently taking some time off from the corporate world and is excited to finally have the opportunity to apply his financial/engineering skill set in a social entrepreneurship setting that provides a direct benefit to an underprivileged community. Outside of work, Saad loves reading German philosophy and Russian literature.
Naveed is a Full-time MBA candidate at the Haas School of Business with a focus on technology and entrepreneurship. Naveed was one of the founding members of the International Business division at Wateen Telecom, an operator specializing in international gateways, optical fiber, and wimax networks. Under his capacity of Head of Account Management & Operations, managed the growth of Wateen to the second largest international gateway in Pakistan partnering with a number of prominent international operators from around the world. Naveed majored in Computer Engineering from GIK Institute, Pakistan.
Roxanne is a second year MBA focusing on entrepreneurship and international development. After graduating from University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Communications and Marketing, she started her career as a consultant for Oliver Wyman. Transitioning to an industry role, Roxanne marketed small businesses products for American Express and Yahoo!. Before Haas, Roxanne spent four months in Tanzania working for a microfinance bank as a Kiva Fellow. Last summer she interned for Unitus and developed a new consulting offering to help microfinance banks measure their social performance. Roxanne spent August working on a project to improve access to healthcare in rural Uganda as a Richard C. Blum Fellow. Roxanne excels at translating customer insights into new programs or products.
Jessica is an MBA candidate at the Haas School of Business with a focus on social entrepreneurship. She was recently a REDF Farber Fellow where she completed a market and competitive analysis for a San Francisco nonprofit that offers urban maintenance services and employs very low-income and formerly homeless people. Prior to Haas, Jessica was a project manager at an affordable housing developer focused on building livable communities and an IT consultant at Accenture. She also spent two years with the Peace Corps in Namibia teaching math, science and English as well as managing sustainable community projects. She holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Cornell University.
Mohsin is a Full-time MBA candidate at the Haas School of Business. At Haas, he is the Vice President, Technology for the Digital Media and Entertainment Club, and has been involved in the >Play media conference. Prior to Haas, he was the Technical Director for Trango Interactive, a visual effects and digital media studio that specializes in 3d computer graphics and video games development. Mohsin was part of the founding team and has played an integral part in the development of Trango Interactive including the prestigious Red Herring Asia 100 award as one of Asia’s top 100 private technology companies. He graduated with the Gold Medal for being the best in academics in Software Engineering from the National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan. He also holds a diploma in Advanced Character Animation from Animation Mentor.
Sameer worked at Timescape Global Investments (a USA based hedge fund) in Karachi as a research analyst from Sep 2006 to Dec 2008. His primary responsibility was to identify investment opportunities in the technology sector in the global equity markets. His core area of research was Solar Energy. He graduated with a BSc Honors from LUMS (Lahore University of Management Sciences) with a major in Computer Engineering and minor in Mathematics.
Born and raised in Karachi where he did his early schooling, Yawar went to Lawrence U for an undergraduate in Economics and Environmental Science, and got a graduate degree from George Mason in International Economics. He has been working for the World Bank's South Asia Sustainable Development Unit since but recently started working for a CIDA-sponsored think tank in Karachi.
Majid majored in Rhetoric & Professional Writing, specialized in Digital Arts Communication, and minored in Economics at the University of Waterloo (UW). In 2009, he received a Master in Business Entrepreneurship and Technology (MBET) from UW. Majid has experience in marketing, professional writing and user-experience design with Royal LePage Commercial, Seneca School of Communication Arts, and Microsoft Canada. In 2007 he started Ghoti Studios, a creative solutions company focusing on Human Centred Design. Recently, Project BINNOVATE, his latest start-up interest, was showcased at Education Without Borders 2009, the Tech Leadership Conference, IgniteIT and Canada 3.0. Majid is a winner of the SIFE John Dobson Award for Project Management, nominee for Co-op Student of the year and winner of the RIM Scholarship for MBET in 2008. In his spare time, Majid likes to stay active with individual and group fitness as a Personal Trainer and Nutrition Specialist. He is currently working with IDEO's Human Centered Design Toolkit at MicroDrip, an Acumen Fund investee in Karachi, Pakistan.
Aneesa is an analyst at Mission Measurement, a consulting firm that helps corporations, nonprofits and education initiatives measure and improve their social impact. Aneesa graduated from Northwestern University in 2008 with a degree in Social Policy and History. At Northwestern, Aneesa was the Student Government’s VP of Finance, a role in which she developed and managed a $1.2 million budget for the forty largest student groups. On campus, she also helped launch campusCATALYST- a student driven consulting corps for non-profit organizations and currently serves on the Alumni Board. During her undergraduate career Aneesa also interned in the Senate office of President Barack Obama.
Waqas is a Junior at Princeton University, studying Architecture. He is originally from Karachi.
Engineers Without Borders - USA (EWB-USA) is a non-profit humanitarian organization established to partner with developing communities worldwide in order to improve their quality of life. This partnership involves the implementation of sustainable engineering projects, while involving and training internationally responsible engineers and engineering students.
The Rutgers University Student Chapter (EWB-RU; EWB-USA,RU) was founded by two university students, Dorothy Morallos and Kevin Tevis, in 2005 under the supervision of Dean Donald Brown. Since its inception, the chapter has sent students to Africa, Central America, and Asia in order to work on various projects. Additionally, the organization is at the forefront of the sustainable effort at Rutgers and also contributes to many local and community services.
PIO serves over 800 children a day through a variety of programs that include, non-formal education and vocational training. Through our programs we provide some of the most vulnerable women and children in Cambodia with hope for the future.
Through education it is our belief that we can improve the lives of the Cambodian people which will lead to taking greater control of ones life and as a result, a life out of poverty.
For over 100 years, the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, has offered a superb management education to outstanding men and women from around the world. The School is one of the world’s leading producers of new ideas and knowledge for all areas of business, and a launching point for many new businesses.
The Haas School is widely known for its diverse and talented faculty, staff, students and alumni. They have created an innovative academic culture that stresses cooperative teamwork, entrepreneurship, a global point of view, and an emphasis on new ideas and fresh perspectives. The school’s programs benefit significantly from the university’s practice of interdisciplinary research and teaching, and the school’s strong connections to nearby Silicon Valley.