Drexel Engineers are continuing to increase our global community, thanks to the efforts of a Drexel Mechanical Engineering Senior Design team that is bringing sustainable technology to the people of Karatu, Tanzania this August.

Drexel engineering students Alpha Bah (’08), David Droz (’08), Josh Raizman (’08) and Shreyansh Shah (’08) will journey to Karatu, situated underneath the majestic Mt. Kilimanjaro, to educate the local craftsmen, children and young adults on how to build a wood-turning lathe; a simple machine that is created from scrap material and used to cut and shape wood. The wood-turning lathes will provide the citizens with a manufacturing technology that will enable them to sell goods from renewable energy sources and local materials. In addition, the senior design team created an instruction manual that will assist local citizens with building the lathes.

The students have been planning the trip with the assistance of Assistant Professor, Dr. James Tangorra and Student Advisor, Alex Moseson. All graduating Drexel Senior Engineering students are required to complete a Senior Design project, teaching students the engineering design process from conception to production.

For more information on the project, please visit the team’s website at http://www.lathesforafrica.org/

The team's journey continues: find out more about mentor Dr. Lew Lama