Buckeye engineers help in Haiti, win on campus

Posted: 

t.v.jpg
Biomedical engineering student Eric Moyer first realized the Solar Education and Outreach (SEO) group was making a difference during a community empowerment trip to Haiti, when the entire neighborhood gathered with him and his fellow Ohio State students around an old television.

As a recently installed solar electrical system was turned on, there was a rush of excitement and emotion from the residents and the students as a soccer game on the television sprang to life.

Every spring break for the last three years, SEO group members have traveled to Croix-des-Bouquets and Cabaret, Haiti to install solar panels in partnership with impoverished communities to provide lighting and electricity in schools and community centers.

“Although it was a replay of the game, everyone was happy just to be a part of that moment,” said Moyer, president of Ohio State’s Solar Education and Outreach organization, “to come together as distant members of a new family and to enjoy an experience that was made possible through the hard work of the community members and Ohio State students.”

A sanctioned College of Engineering student organization, SEO is a group of solar enthusiasts who want to spread the use of solar energy. Their goal is to make the world a better place using the power of the sun. Group members who joined Moyer on this year’s trip are Jason Mulligan (Electrical Engineering), Ben Aring (Civil Engineering), Alex Broadstock (Mechanical Engineering), Amanda Broseus (Chemical Engineering and Food, Ag, and Biological Engineering), Joshua Hayes (Civil), Michael Kahle (Mechanical), Phillipe Kenny (Mechanical), Brian Li (Engineering Physics), and Archie Tram (Biomedical Engineering).

The group’s dedication and impact are impressing folks closer to home too. Moyer and his teammates took home a lot of hardware at The Ohio State Leadership Awards Ceremony held at the Ohio Union in April. Each year the Ohio Union and Office of Student Life recognize individual students, student organizations, and advisors for programs, commitment to leadership development, and efforts to better the Ohio State community.

Team with Ohio State award,
SEO’s first honor was The Spirit of Ohio State Award, the most prestigious organization award of the night. It celebrates student organizations that “represent the values, traditions and spirit of Ohio State through their engagement in and commitment to the campus community and have added to the honor and pride of the University in a meaningful way.” Solar Education and Outreach was the only organization to receive this honor, and it was the first award in its short history.

The group captured its second honor, the Student Organization Programming Award in the Technology Category, for its outstanding website. This award was in large part due to the initial design work put in by freshman Archie Tram, and also to frequent content contributions by group members.

Moyer individually received the 2013 Kaplan Humanitarian Award for leading the group’s international outreach work in Haiti. The Kaplan Humanitarian Award was first awarded in 1961 to honor Rabbi Harry Kaplan who served as director of the B’nai B’rith Hillel foundation for 34 years.

“Receiving the 2013 Kaplan Humanitarian Award for my international outreach work in Haiti is an amazing honor and brings my Haiti experiences together with the many fond memories I have at The Ohio State University,” said Moyer. “While I am Ohio State’s sole recipient of this award, I share it with all of those that helped me, especially the members and supporters of Solar Education and Outreach who made all of our successes possible.”

Moyer also received the 2013 Scarlet, Gray and Green Student Leadership Award, for students who have shown outstanding leadership in furthering sustainability efforts, and an Outstanding Senior Award for significant contributions to the University and community.

“I am glad I had the opportunity to lead Solar Education and Outreach and establish it as one of the many traditions of The Ohio State University,” said Moyer. “We’re an example that every student has an opportunity to make their mark on the University and the surrounding community.”

For Moyer and his fellow group members, that surrounding community just so happens to include Haiti.

To learn more about Solar Education and Outreach or donate a gift click here.

Categories: OutreachStudents