For the Auburn chapter of Engineers Without Borders, the journey to Quesimpuco, Bolivia, started with a 5k run.
Cupola Engineering Ambassadors sponsored the Short Circuit 5K Saturday, Feb. 20, to raise money for the Engineers Without Borders' trip to Quesimpuco this summer as a project.
This is the first year Engineers Without Borders have been represented on Auburn's campus as an official chapter.
"For Auburn to finally get an Engineers Without Borders chapter was the work of a lot of different people coming together, and it's great that Cupola has put together this event to help us raise money," said Will McCartney, sophomore in civil engineering and vice president of Engineers Without Borders.
Engineers Without Borders consists of 15 students and Steve Duke, faculty adviser.
The engineers will travel to Quesimpuco this summer to assess the needs of the land and people before returning to Auburn for a year of planning, McCartney said. The group will then return each summer to Quesimpuco for the following four years. The group will return to Auburn to design plans and return to Quesimpuco to implement those plans.
McCartney and other members of Engineers Without Borders expressed their excitement for the plans they have for the land and people of Quesimpuco, but it comes at a high financial cost.
"We're hoping that this and future fundraisers will help us offset the costs so that members traveling will only be responsible for their plane ticket," McCartney said.
Natalie McCormick, senior in civil engineering and member of Cupola, said the projected work in Quesimpuco was exactly why Cupola chose Engineers Without Borders to be their service project. "Engineers Without Borders is an organization that does great work, but needs funding to be successful and since they are just getting started, they didn't have these funds," McCormick said.
Engineers Without Borders began brainstorming on ways to help them become a successful group last summer, McCormick said. After meeting with a runner from the Auburn running group, AORTA, plans for the 5K were set. The event was a success in large part because of the help of local vendors and other campus organizations, said Emily McMenamin, senior in chemical engineering and event coordinator. "Panera and Niffers donated food and the engineering student council donated drinks which were given to the runners," McMenamin said.
Outside contributors included TCBY, Starbuck's and Chick-fil-A.
Campus organizations AICHE and Tau Beta Pi also contributed to the cause.
McMenamin said another factor in the event's success, which Cupola hopes to make an annual event, was the large turnout.
The 5K had 143 registered runners.
The event took runners from Magnolia Avenue to Wire Road to Farm Road past the intramural fields and down Donahue back to Magnolia.
In the end, an Auburn engineering student won with a time of 16:48.
David Wall, senior in mechanical engineering, said he was excited to win and to represent the engineering department.
"I used to run for Auburn, so I did this to make sure an engineer won," Wall said.
Theron Carter, an Auburn alumnus, came in second with a time of 18:04, followed closely by Robby Bishop, senior in kinesiology, with a time of 18:09.
Carol Dorn said she ran to support the cause and her son, who is interested in Auburn's engineering department.
Dorn finished first among the women with a time of 22:46; followed by Jenna Bledsoe, junior in chemical engineering, at 25:06; and Molly Johnson, an Auburn resident, finished at 26:39.
The top three men and top three women all received gift certificates from local vendors, while all competitors went home with a race T-shirt.
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