Skip to main content
EWB Cornell members on a footbridge at sunset
EST. 2009 EWB-USA 501(c)(3) Chapter 45 Members 5 Subteams

We design and build infrastructure with communities across the globe.

We are 45 Cornell students working on sanitation, water, energy, and housing systems in Barrio San Cristóbal, Bolivia; Pine Ridge, South Dakota; and beyond.

Fund a project Explore the work

FIG.01 / FOOTBRIDGE, CALCHA
EWB-CORNELL FIELD ARCHIVE

02 / The Chapter

45 students, 18 fields of study.

Students from social, environmental, and engineering backgrounds work every stage of a project, from needs assessment through evaluation, together with the communities we partner with across the globe.

0
active student members
0
women in the chapter
0
specialized subteams
0
fields of study
2009
founded at Cornell

Represented majors

AstronomyBiological EngineeringBiology Biomedical EngineeringChemical EngineeringCivil Engineering Cognitive ScienceComputer ScienceEarth & Atmospheric Sciences East Asian StudiesElectrical & Computer EngineeringEnglish Environmental EngineeringMathMechanical Engineering Operations Research & EngineeringStatisticsUrban & Regional Studies

03 / Global Operations

Where we work.

Hover a site to locate it; select one to read the brief.

EWB-CORNELL / OPS PLOT EQUIRECTANGULAR LAT -90 / +90 LON -180 / +180
ITHACA, NY HQ / 42.4, -76.5 PINE RIDGE AUSTIN, TX BARRIO SAN CRISTÓBAL BOLIVIA / -21.5, -64.7 SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA DIGITAL AG SUNUKA, TANZANIA

04 / Current Projects

Current projects.

Full project archive
A street in Barrio San Cristóbal, Bolivia
"DONDE HAY AGUA, HAY VIDA"

International SubteamTarija, Bolivia

Barrio San Cristóbal Sanitation Initiative

The 250-person community has gone without safe drinking water and sanitation since it was established over ten years ago. After a Spring 2025 assessment trip, we designed and built a public restroom and septic system there in Summer 2026. We are now redesigning the community water piping system and return in Summer 2027 to begin construction.

Implementation goal$50,000
Construction materials$30,000
Contracting & labor$15,000
Community outreach$3,000
Contingency$2,000
Fund this project Meet the International Subteam
Zero Waste Ithaca logo
Digital Agriculture/Internet of Things
Zero Waste Ithaca
Hardware and software built with Zero Waste Ithaca: a reusable CSA box for their food distribution, and new digital infrastructure for the nonprofit.
Active
Entrance sign at Festival Beach Community Garden, Austin
Domestic / Austin, Texas
Festival Beach Community Garden
Stormwater diversion, efficient irrigation, cistern-based rainwater storage, reclaimed water reuse, and solar-powered pumping to lower the garden’s dependence on potable water.
Active
Team surveying the Sustainable Housing Unit site at Pine Ridge
Domestic / Pine Ridge, South Dakota
Sustainable Housing Unit
A four-person home built with affordable, durable methods and full architectural, structural, and MEP plans, with First Families Now, to ease overcrowding.
Complete
Drone and ground rover surveying a maize field
Digital Agriculture/Internet of Things
Maize Disease Detection
An open-source NDVI drone and autonomous ground rover paired with deep learning models and desktop software to assist farmers in identifying Northern Leaf Blight disease in corn crops. ewb-dig-ag.org
Complete
Finger Lakes ReUse logo
Software / Ithaca, New York
Finger Lakes ReUse App
A mobile marketplace that encourages the community to donate, reuse, and purchase pre-owned goods, designed to be simple for users of all ages and abilities.
Active
Code on a monitor, representing the Cornell Wardrobe app build
Software / Ithaca, New York
EWB x Cornell Wardrobe App
A mobile platform that lets students browse and rent professional clothing from their phones, paired with an internal inventory system for Cornell Wardrobe.
Complete
Climate march, representing the Tompkins Climate Fund partnership
Software / Tompkins County, New York
Climate Fund App
A mobile app that connects individual climate action with local environmental initiatives, directing offset contributions to the Finger Lakes Climate Fund.
Complete

05 / Backing What We Build

What a donation pays for.

Enter an amount to see what it buys, then give below.

Toward Bolivia $50,000 goal2%
$1001 meter of sanitary sewage pipingConnects a household to safe sanitation
$750Rainwater harvesting cistern designYear-round water in drought-prone Austin
$1,000Drone & rover system materialsSensors and parts for crop-disease detection
$10,000A full septic tank unitDecentralized sanitation for 20+ households

$1,000 puts to work:

10
meters of sewage pipeBarrio San Cristóbal, Bolivia ($100 / meter)
6
solar panels for pumpingFestival Beach Garden, Austin ($150 / panel)
2
open-source tool buildsSoftware & Digital Agriculture/IoT ($500 / build)
 Become a sponsor

06 / Over The Years

Chapter history, 2009 to now.

Select a year.

2026
Barrio San Cristóbal, Bolivia

Implementation trip

Traveled to Barrio San Cristóbal and built the public restroom and attached septic system during a three-week trip, so waste no longer contaminates the new well.

07 / Partner With Us

Fund the San Cristóbal septic system.

Donations to Engineers Without Borders at Cornell are tax-deductible. Three ways to give:

01

EWB Cornell Gift Fund

Give through Cornell's official Giving page. tinyurl.com/ewb-cornell

02

Donation Form

Prefer a form or a charitable receipt? Email ewb@cornell.edu

03

Invoice

For organizations and corporate sponsors, email ewb@cornell.edu to set up an invoice.

Give through Cornell Join the chapter