For Immediate Release: August 31, 2010
Media Contacts: Emma Filar, Marketing & Communications Associate
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National Building Museum Honors Engineers Without Borders-USA with 2010 Henry C. Turner Prize for Innovation in Construction Technology
WASHINGTON, D.C.— The National Building Museum will award Engineers Without Borders–USA (EWB–USA) the 2010 Henry C. Turner Prize for Innovation in Construction Technology on September 21, 2010 for its inspirational work providing clean water, sustainable energy, and needed infrastructure to communities in every corner of the world. EWB-USA is a non-profit that connects developing countries around the world with student and professional engineers. The Turner Prize jury was especially impressed with EWB-USA’s innovative approach to solving the engineering problems of communities in developing countries. EWB-USA teaches engineers about global responsibility while teaching developing communities how to effectively use engineering, thus creating a mutually beneficial relationship.
From 6:30 – 8:00 pm on Tuesday, September 21, 2010, the Museum will formally present Engineers Without Borders-USA the Henry C. Turner Prize for Innovation in Construction Technology during a public ceremony at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. Cathy Leslie, executive director of EWB–USA, will accept the award and present an overview of the organization’s work along with representatives from various EWB–USA chapters. Registration for the event is required.
How Engineering Will Save the World: Engineers Without Borders-USA in the Field
Sara Beck and Drew Quirk are active members of Engineers Without Borders-USA who will be present at the award ceremony to share their experiences working with EWB-USA. When Beck and Quirk decided to pursue their careers in engineering, they had no idea they would be using their skills to change the world.
Sara Beck has worked on three distinct projects with EWB-USA in El Salvador, India, and Uganda over the last six years. During her most recent project, Beck worked to provide fresh water and electricity to a vocational center in Uganda. By utilizing solar panels and drilling a 32-meter-deep well, Beck and her team were able to provide the vocational center with needed water and power. “Engineering can really help people,” says Beck, who changed her career from aerospace engineering to environmental engineering after her experience working with EWB-USA. “After seeing what engineering can do for a developing community, I felt that I had to be a part of the change.”
Drew Quick, an engineer from Wisconsin, found that engineering can make drastic improvements in developing countries. Quirk has been working with EWB-USA in Honduras on a project to repair a water supply system that provides water to hundreds of houses in a group of communities. The system, which was originally installed in the 1980s, has deteriorated. Quirk’s team has been able to utilize engineering not only to update the system, but also to train members of the local community to repair the systems themselves. “It is important to support the societal infrastructure as much as we support the physical infrastructure,” says Quirk. “If we have to come back in another 20 years to repair the system, we haven’t done our job.”
About the Turner Prize
The Henry C. Turner Prize is named after the founder of Turner Construction Company, which was established in 1902 in New York City. The prize recognizes an invention, an innovative methodology, and/or exceptional leadership by an individual or team of individuals in construction technology. This includes construction techniques, innovations and practices, construction and project management, and engineering design. The Turner Construction Company established an endowment in 2001 to support the prize, which carries a cash award of $25,000.
Past Awardees
• Leslie E. Robertson
• I.M. Pei
• Charles A. DeBenedittis
• U.S. Green Building Council
• Paul Teicholz
• Gehry Partners and Gehry Technologies
• Charles Thornton
Henry C. Turner Prize Jury
• Tom Turner, past vice president of Turner Construction Company
• M. Arthur Gensler, founder and chairman of the architectural firm Gensler
• Clyde Tatum, professor and chair, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Stanford University
• Hal Parmalee, past president of Turner Construction Company.
The National Building Museum is America’s leading cultural institution dedicated to advancing the quality of the built environment by educating people about its impact on their lives. Through its exhibitions, educational programs, online content, and publications, the Museum has become a vital forum for the exchange of ideas and information about the world we build for ourselves. Public inquiries: 202.272.2448 or visit www.nbm.org. Connect with us on Twitter: @BuildingMuseum and Facebook.
