Tuesday, November 4th, 2014 | ’l.‘t" EWB-IIT attends National Conference Cm Karter TECHNEws WRITER A delegation of eight students from the Illinois Tech chapter of Engineers With- out Borders (EWB) attended the EWB-USA National Conference from October 31 to No— vember 2 in Reston,s VA. Over 500 student and professional members attended networking re- ceptions, a keynote, and six breakout sessions throughout the weekend. The topic of the small group sessions covered community develop- ment, technical applications, impact analysis, leadership and careers, chapter and project organization, and discussion-based global dia- logues. Cara Karter, a Iunior studying Social and Economic Development Policy and the EWB—IIT Director of Projects, facilitated one of the global dialogue sessions entitled “How Dr. Mary Doria Russell to do we develop and maintain communication with community partners?” and discussed strategies for more effective communication. Since November 2012, EWB-IIT has been working on a vehicular bridge project in San Claudio, Nicaragua, so it is unsurprising that when asked about the most valuable ses- sion he attended, Junior Civil Engineering stu- dent and project technical lead, Deion DeBose said, “The professional insight of people who are experienced in the field was really benefi- cial for me as I move forward with project de- sign - the bridge design session was especially helpful.” DeBose and Tommy Mai, a sopho- more student of chemical engineering, spoke about the progress of the chapter’s program in San Claudio, Nicaragua during a poster pre- sentation Saturday evening. In addition to poster presentations, receptions, and small group sessions, the con- ference also featured a keynote presentation by Stephen B. Sobhani, Vice-President of Sesame Workshop — the non-profit organization be— hind Sesame Street. Sobhani spoke passion- ately about Sesame Street’s efforts to contribute to United Nation’s Development Goals — spe- cifically in the area of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH). Sesame Street is address- ing the topic of WASH through a new puppet character named Raya. Raya is being piloted in Bangladesh and has been used to teach chil- dren about the importance of washing their hands after using latrines, and drinking clean, treated water rather than water from a dirty source. Sobhani discussed an appreciation for the community-driven model of EWB-USA’s development projects and related it to the culturally sensitive, country-specific Sesame Street broadcasts. An important aspect of EWB—USA conferences is networking. Chapter President, Nina Townley, architectural engineering ju- nior, enjoyed the opportunity to learn “how to spread the word about our organization to cor- porations and professionals by utilizing social media and public relations campaigns and how to more effectively fundraise for our projects and chapter activities” from other chapters. Conferences are a great way to learn new technical tools, chapter management strategies, and to develop as a young profes- sional. Engineers Without Borders — IIT is extremely thankful for the opportunity to rep- resent Illinois Tech at conferences and events. To find out more about our chapter or our projects visit iitewb.org or email presi- dent@iitewb.org. Photos courtesy of Cara Karter appearat nterfaith Panel, Book Signing Shireen Gul COPY EDITOR The Oflice of Spiritual Life and Service Learning at Illinois Tech is hosting an interfaith panel on Thursday, November 6. The event will feature the appearance of Dr. Mary Doria Russell, Interfaith Panel and Book Signing— ‘ Let’s Talk about Science and Religion; they will welcome Dr. Mary Doria Russell to campus for avery special appearance and book signing. The panel includes, His Grace Nityananda Pran Das, Dr. Andrew Howard, Dr. Sabeel Ahmad, Mr. Lal Singh, and Rev. Angie Buchanan. Mr. Hawk Andreea Beca TECHNEWS WRITER The 2nd annual Mr. and Ms. Hawk competi- tion will be hosted from 6:30 pm. to 8:30 pm. on Friday, November 14, 2014. The event will take place at The Bog in the lower level of Her- mann Hall. For the first time, both male and female students of IIT will be invited to show- case their great talents and raw ability in the talent show and the “Minute to Win It” com- petitions. After several weeks of intense voting and hundreds of nominations, just the cream of the crop remains: the six top nominated Dr. Russell will talk about her work, specifically about her award-winning novel “The Sparrow,” and will also answer the big questions of science and religion. Dr. Russell; Lynne Meyer, Director of Spiritual Life and Service Learning; Mr. Lal Singh, IIT alumnus and Christopher White, Vice-Provost for Academic affairs, will moderate an interfaith panel that further explores these big questions. Amazon writes about Dr. Russell, “She has been called one of the most versatile writers in contemporary American literature. Her novels are critically acclaimed, commercial successes.” Her novels are studied in literature, theology competitio guys, and the six top nominated girls. Only two of these proud and accomplished contestants can claim victory. Who will be crowned this year’s Mr. and Ms. Hawk? Who will become the student faces of HT? It will all be decided by the votes of fellow students. The commu- nity’s voice will be heard. This friendly, spirited competition was first conceived as part of an IPRO project, Hawk Pride, which is dedicated to bringing more pride and a greater sense of closeness to the community of IIT. With such a tough edu- cational focus and so much emphasis on pure— ly academic skills and challenges, it can often and history courses in colleges and universities across the United States. Amazon says about the book, “The Sparrow is her debut novel and is considered a classic of speculative fiction, combining elements of First Contact science fiction and a tense courtroom drama.” People have really appreciated her novel. Entertainment Weekly wrote about this book, “Important novels leave deep cracks in our beliefs, our prejudices, and our blinders. The Sparrow is one of them,” whereas, Milwaukee Iournal Sentinel wrote about it, “The soul- searching nature of the story of ‘The Sparrow: combined with Russell’s incredible grasp of narrative structure and control of character development, make this novel an experience not to be missed.” The event is free, but The Office of Spiritual Life and Service Learning will really appreciate it if you will RSVP at http://tinyurl.com/ TheSparrowIIT. After the panel, everyone is invited to join them in the MTCC Welcome Center, where Dr. Russell will be signing copies of her books, “The Sparrow” and “Children of God.” Both the books are available for purchase in IIT’s bookstore, so make sure you get your copy beforehand and personally get it signed by Dr. Russell. n returns to campus be easy to overlook what else the community has to offer. IIT is not just a space where one can gain knowledge and skill in a technical field. It is also a place where one can become a well—rounded human being, encounter new friends and cultures, and engender a broader understanding of humanity’s context in the world. This is the view put forth by the Hawk Pride IPRO. The competition is about the win- ners, Mr. and Ms. Hawk, but it is also about ev- eryone present—all the competitors, the entire audience. This event is here to gather people and restore the feeling of a tight-knit commu- nity, perhaps bring together those who would never meet otherwise, and unite everyone in a celebration of IIT school spirit and the many great talents of the student body. With enough support, this event could become a yearly IIT tradition anticipated months in advance. People are kindly asked to bring a small donation of canned food if at all possi- ble. These donations will benefit the rest of the community and help the warmth spread be- yond campus in the upcoming winter months.