Senior Design Team Helps Habitat for Humanity

Marylou Harner, Lynura Jones, Thomas Powell, Gregory Schnieder and Mary Sniezek

CAEE senior design team traveled to New Orleans during term break to volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and conduct research for their Senior Design Project, which was to design a sustainable, energy-efficient, realistically flood resistant home that will be affordable for low income families and can be used as a model for Habitat for Humanity's efforts to rebuild New Orleans in the wake of Hurrican Katrina.
During the visit the volunteers spent 3 days working on constructing new housing for residents of New Orlean's East Village. While volunteering, the students spoke with potential home owners to understand the experiences and difficulties they have encountered rebuilding their own homes. After working with Habitat for Humanity, the students met with their adviosr, Dr. Joseph Wartman to review their project site and the areas studied by the American Society of Civil Engineers' New Orleans Lavee Assessment Team (LAT). Dr. Wartman, a member of the LAT, guided the students to father first hand observational environmental data they would need for their project.