Engineering for Change in Hampton Roads provided students the opportunity to be tourists in their own community, introducing them to the engineering challenges and opportunities of Hampton Roads, shifting their perspective, and deepening their understanding  of the importance and relevance of their Fellows work.

Blog post by Kevin Smedley, ’19

Today, the group left the hotel earlier than most days in order to take a tour of the Brock Center, Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s new building off the lynnhaven bay. EDI is interested in the building because it received an LEED Platinum award for being as environmentally friendly as possible.

After taking a tour of the building and seeing all they do to help the environment, the group went on a walk throughout the many trails of that area. We were even able to see some real changes the Chesapeake Bay Foundation had made to improve the water and the environment. Following that, the fellows were dropped off back at school to look at the new school plans and to see how they lined up with everything we had learned that week.

It was then time to get back on the bus and go see Mrs. Newland’s boat. On the way, we saw problems with homes and communities and initiated discussions about what caused them and how can they be fixed. We then took a tour of Mrs. Newland’s boat, and saw what it was like to live on a ship. At last, after seeing the ships’ modifications, the group got back on the bus and headed back to the hotel.

The day concluded with Pizza Hut and movies.