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INTERNATIONAL SERVICE PROJECT - PANAMA

Panama Service Learning

In 1991, Chris McCartin, a new civil engineering graduate, moved to the Bayano region of Panama for 18 month to help build a water-supply system for a Catholic missionary priest he had never met.

So began ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ Engineering’s relationship with Father Wally "Padre Pablo" Kasuboski and his Cheypo Bayano Mission. Twenty-five years later, 15,000 local residents have access to fresh, potable water year round thanks to the efforts of more than 100 ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ engineering students and faculty. Other projects have included building chapels, schools and roads.

Today, much of ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥â€™s work in this Panama region involves:

  • Development of a sustainable water resources master plan, including dams and reservoirs
  • Vado culvert bridge design
  • Primary school design

To provide additional support for the needs of these communities, ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ engineering teams have established relationships with a number of organizations in Panama, including two engineering schools, one architectural school and the City of Knowledge non-profit organization.

Panama Service Learning

CONTACT

For more information about international service opportunities in the College of Engineering, including how you can help support our students in these experiences, contact Dr. Jordan Ermilio, director of the Center for Humanitarian Engineering and International Development at jordan.ermilio@villanova.edu or 610-519-6859.

    

IGNITING INTERNATIONAL CHANGE