Bethany Forrester, senior civil engineering major in the cooperative engineering program between Missouri State University and the Missouri University of Science & Technology, was selected to attend the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGIU) held March 30-April 1 in Washington, D.C. Only 1,200 students are invited to attend the event and are chosen for their commitment to a project which addresses a global need.
“Our project is to design and build a rainwater catchment system in Bluefields Bay, Jamaica, which is a very poor area,” said Forrester. “They have a community center where they hold educational classes to improve the community, and we will be using the captured rainwater in the toilets and sinks, helping the center become independent from government water, so they can use the saved money to provide more classes.”
Forrester is working on the project with MSU graduate Bryan Simpson, who also attended the event. The CGIU challenges college students to address global issues with practical, innovative solutions that include taking concrete steps to solve the issues through building relationships, creating action plans, participating in hands-on workshops, and following up as they complete their projects.
“I was really exciting to be chosen to attend, because every student chosen was doing amazing project all over the world,” Forrester said. “It was a neat feeling to know that our project was comparable to all the other amazing projects, and exciting to see students committing to making a change to improve the world.”