A different path to internationalization of engineering education

The collaborative team of Engineers in Technical, Humanitarian Opportunities of Service Learning (ETHOS, formed by students and staff at Iowa State University, University of Dayton, and Seattle University), has taken a new path to internationalizing engineering education. ETHOS has helped students gain awareness of the social and cultural fabric of the poorest nations in the world and has allowed them to perform research and design focused on improving the ability of people living in these nations to meet their basic needs. These activities are being implemented via on-campus curricular and immersion service experiences. Collaborations between these universities have been focused on helping two international nongovernmental organizations improve the efficiency and durability of the wood-burning stoves typically used for cooking by the world's poor This paper discusses the initial successes of and lessons learned from this collaboration, as well as its future activities.