Engineers Without Borders UK, the environmental engineering charity, has celebrated its 15th anniversary with a special evening for its members, partners and trustees.

Held at the London headquarters of its sponsor Anglo American – in St. James’s – the event aimed to bring together those that had played a key role in the organisation’s history. The gathering also highlighted the charity’s achievements and shared its vision for the future.

  “We have no planet B and time is running out,” said Katie Cresswell-Maynard, Chief Executive, Engineers Without Borders UK. “This is the only planet we’ll ever have, and that’s why it is our global responsibility to look after it. Engineers Without Borders UK does vital work to educate, inspire and empower engineers to transform the world around us to be fairer, greener and safer.”
  
  “We might be a small organisation, but we are a mighty one. Since the beginning, our members and partners have been instrumental in helping raise awareness of the power of responsible engineering. These first 15 years have been fantastic, just imagine how much more we can achieve in the next 15?”

Founding

The charity was founded by students at Cambridge University and has now grown to be an organisation with 2,000 members and Chapters in 25 universities.

It plays a crucial role in STEM education in the UK, it highlights, with outreach programmes in schools and universities. These include the award-winning Engineering for People Design Challenge, which has reached 34,500 undergraduate students.

  “One of the reasons why our partnership with Engineers Without Borders UK is so important is because we want more engineers that are coming out of university to understand how to build alliances in communities rather than being a huge imposition,” said Jonathan Samuel (pictured), Group Head of Social Performance and Engagement at Anglo American.

  “We want them to understand the importance of being good neighbours and involvement with Engineers Without Borders UK either through a university chapter or through the Engineering for People Design Challenge does that.”

EW BrightSparks

Katie Cresswell-Maynard was one of the keynote speakers at the EW BrightSparks 2018 awards (pictured, right). She shared insights into how engineers can use their skills to make a positive contribution to societies around the world, and the planet as a whole.