Engineers in Action Bridge Program at Illinois

EIA Bridge Program at UIUC is the student-run chapter under the international, non-profit organization, Engineers in Action. Students design and construct footbridges with rural communities in developing counties. The bridges we construct build opportunity and empower rurally isolated communities who cannot safely access markets and public facilities due to an impassable river. We believe a river should not be a barrier to someone getting an education, a farmer accessing their crops, or a parent getting their child proper healthcare. These projects build the leading engineers of tomorrow. Participating students gain experience in using engineering design software, planning construction and safety, coordinating with stakeholders, and more. Students also become more globally aware, as they overcome cultural and language barriers to work together with a community for something greater than themselves. The soft skills they develop on this project are ones that cannot be learned in a typical university classroom and prepares them to work in the industry. Having this initial exposure to working in a professional team setting greatly enhances the students' career prospects.