Who We Are
Our WashU EWB chapter partners with communities to improve their quality of life through the implementation of environmentally sustainable, equitable, and economical engineering projects while developing internationally responsible engineers. Throughout the school year, our chapter of undergraduate students meet weekly to research, brainstorm, and collaborate on designs to achieve the partner community’s specific needs. Professional engineers and faculty from WashU and the greater St. Louis area provide mentorship in technical aspects of the projects to ensure that the students’ self-guided development process meets professional guidelines and expectations.
After months of preparation, a group of students from each project makes a trip to the partner community to complete the next phase of the project, be that an in-depth assessment of the viability of the project (through communication with community leaders), the implementation of an engineering design, or the development of a community plan for maintenance and operations moving forward.
PROJECT TEAMS
EXECUTIVE BOARD
Ritu Dave
President
ritudave@wustl.edu
Ritu is a senior from Champaign, Illinois studying biomedical engineering. She was previously a member of the Local Project’s structure team. In her free time, she enjoys reading, playing board games, and hiking.
Vincent Xu
Local Project Lead
v.a.xu@wustl.edu
Vincent is a junior from St. Louis and majoring in Chemical Engineering. In his free time, he enjoys playing basketball, viola, hiking, and doing anything generally active.
Hogan Szumski
Bulubandi Project Lead
hszumski@wustl.edu
Hogan is a senior Chemical Engineering major from Milwaukee, WI. He manages the Bulubandi project and is working to develop a rainwater cachment system to provide clean drinking water at the Bulubandi primary school. Beyond EWB, he likes to spend as much time outdoors as possible, especially camping and rock climbing.
Elizabeth Sklaire
Public Relations Chair
e.s.sklaire@wustl.edu
Elizabeth is a sophomore from Bethesda, Maryland studying Chemical Engineering with a minor in Environmental Engineering Science. As the Public Relations Chair, she is excited to share project developments and assist with chapter visibility around campus and the greater St. Louis area via social media. In her free time, she enjoys running, hiking and chocolate.
Ahmed Ahmed
Fundraising Chair
a.i.ahmed@wustl.edu
My name is Ahmed Ahmed (yes, I do have the same first and last name). I am a junior studying Biomedical engineering on the pre-med track, and I am the fundraising chair for the Engineers without Borders Club. I started out as part of the electronics team in the local project which made me appreciate the work EWB does and I immediately wanted to get more involved. I have been fundraising chair since Fall of 2021. Outside of class, I am an RA for Park (Go panthers!) and I love playing and watching soccer, fouling people in basketball and playing FIFA!
Ricky Illindala
Professional Outreach Chair
illindalaritvik@wustl.edu
Ricky is a senior from Kansas City studying biomedical engineering. He was a previous president of the WashU EWB chapter and is now serving as the professional outreach chair. In his free time, Ricky enjoys solving puzzles, practicing the guitar, and playing a variety of sports.
Caleb Martonfi
St. Francis Project Lead
c.j.martonfi@wustl.edu
Caleb is a junior majoring in Chemical Engineering and is from Eldon, Missouri. He is currently the project lead of the St. Francis Project. He has been involved in research, campus ministries, and Deneb Stars. In his free time, he loves to read, jump rope, bike, run, and swim. His favorite board game is Settlers of Catan, and favorite sport is Ultimate Frisbee. Feel free to contact him if you want to learn more about the project!
Mohammed Kuziez
Treasurer
kmohammed@wustl.edu
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David Zhang
Engagement Chair
zhang.david@wustl.edu
David is a junior from St. Louis majoring in biomedical engineering with a minor in computer science. He is currently serving as the engagement chair for the WashU EWB chapter. He is also currently part of local project team, where they are currently working on designing a self-regulating germination for the Flange Learning Center. In his free time, David enjoys playing tennis, watching movies, and eating out with friends.