ESW-CIT – Engineers for a Sustainable World
California Institute of Technology Chapter

ESW-CIT brings together those with interests in sustainable development, scientific problem-solving and social entrepreneurship. Our parent organization is ESW National. The objectives of ESW-CIT are to:

• Coordinate research and learning opportunities, including new Caltech coursework, in sustainable and socially responsible development.
• Organize forums and workshops on working in surrounding communities. Provide opportunities for students to participate in engineering development and community service projects both in the USA and abroad.
• Organize seminars to raise awareness of sustainable development issues and the critical role of engineers and scientists to engage in environmentally and socially responsible endeavors.

Our club will meet every other week at noon in the SFL study room.

[2010 Make a difference day at Environmentally Chartered High School]

We formed a team with Southern California Institute of Architecture to participate in the Solar Decathlon 2011 competition. The Solar Decathlon joins 20 college and university teams in a competition to design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered house. People who signed up for the Solar Decathlon classes are required to attend each talk. A sign up sheet would be posted at each session. It is essential for you to attend each talk so you can gauge your interest in a particular aspect of Solar Decathlon, as you would be paired up with a SCI-ARC team. SCI-ARC students would also attend each talk. For further information, please visit SCI-ARC/Caltech team website http://solardecathlon.caltech.edu.

[The conceptual model, named CH:IP/Compact House: Increasing Possibility, combines a minimal footprint with solar technology for a house that could fit into various urban locations]

We are organising a outreach program at the John Muir High School, and are currently visiting the school once a week on Thurs for the Solar Cup competition. Solar Cup is a seven-month program that begins in the fall, in which high school teams totaling about 800 students build and race solar-powered boats at Lake Skinner, in Temecula Valley, learning about conservation of natural resources, electrical and mechanical engineering, problem solving and much more. For further information, please visit the Solar Cup website . If you are interested in the outreach program, please contact Michael CHENG at mmhcheng@caltech.edu.

[2010 solar boat making at John Muir High School]

The Biodiesel club is actively working on a reactor to convert used fryer oil into useable fuel. The club is seeking volunteers to perform various tasks, including getting the gas chromotography experimental data. For more information, please contact Seth John at sjohn@gps.caltech.edu or John VanDeusen at jvand@caltech.edu . The club right now meets regularly on every Friday at 10am-noon, but the meeting time is flexible according to the participants.

[Richard Nelson was talking about biodiesel quality as well as resource assessment on the 2009 Sustainable Speaker Series]