UK Engineering Senior Helps Design a Future for Ugandan Students

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 13, 2015) — "Despite how challenging of a major or career it is, it's worth it to me because I know it's going to make other people's lives better," said Jonathan Kellogg, a senior at the University of Kentucky.

The path he chose: civil engineering, which affects everyone, every day (think about the pavement you drive on, the water you drink, the air you breathe).  

It's true — civil engineers are responsible for shaping the society around them and have made modern lifestyles possible, and are still working to improve conditions for others around the world. Kellogg, not yet graduated, has already begun to channel his skills and education into advancing the lives of others. 

He journeyed to the Ugandan cities of Kampala and Jinja in the fall of 2014, where he spent the semester not only gaining hands-on experience as a soon-to-be engineer, but also devoting himself to a greater mission: laying the groundwork for the Amazima Academy, eventually educating hundreds of Ugandan students.

"To be able to work and knowing that all the hours I was spending in AutoCAD, our software for drafting the design work, knowing that those designs would one day be built and that eight to 900 children — who would not otherwise have had an education  would be able to have that. It's a tremendous privilege," Kellogg said.

A large-scale project ($6-$7 million), the Amazima Christian boarding school will provide education to secondary students, focused on problem solving, creative thinking and the entrepreneurial skills necessary for students to better themselves and their families after graduation. Still in its early stages of development, the organization has utilized volunteers from abroad to design plans for the campus.

Kellogg, who views civil engineering as a public service, completed his trip through Engineering Ministries International, a nonprofit Christian development organization comprising architects, engineers and design professionals who donate their skills to help children and families around the world. Still enrolled as a full-time student and earning credit for his work in Uganda, Kellogg also received scholarships from the UK College of Engineering that helped fund his trip.

Although it was an opportunity that no doubt offered unique professional experiences to Kellogg, he personally viewed it more as a mission trip, following in his grandparents footsteps who served as missionaries in Kenya. "My faith was the main motivator," he said.

But his education and experience also helped him succeed in a variety of tasks — some that may seem to have little impact in the U.S., but are significant improvements in the East African country. Kellogg drafted the site utility plan and electrical and plumbing plans, created a water distribution model, and designed the wastewater treatment system, among other responsibilities.

"The wastewater was a unique situation because there was no municipal city wastewater line to tap into. So all of that has to be treated on site and that was a big responsibility for me towards the end," Kellogg said. "It was probably the most intense part of the project…figuring out how to treat all of this wastewater for 800 students, plus however many faculty."

Not only was the scope of the project intense, but so too was the impact. Without the system, contaminated water and soil could cause illnesses ranging from viral gastroenteritis to cholera. According to World Health Organization data, 2 million annual deaths are attributable to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene. As organizations around the world continue their efforts to reduce that number, the plans Kellogg worked on are especially important for the success of the school. 

"As a school and as a country, as they develop, there needs to be a change in the mindset of people…structures and roads need to support clean water and an effective wastewater system," Kellogg said.  

But Kellogg realizes the change has to be a realistic improvement for it to be lasting. Take, for example, his plans for pit latrines, instead of western plumbing systems.

"These children, you know, they don't grow up with toilets and luxuries of the Western world, so for them, actually, this is a huge step up. We have the capabilities, the funds, engineering expertise to create very Western accommodations for them, but that isn’t the mission of the school.

"They don't want to just take these kids from a third-world country and kind of box them into this very Western living style, then try to educate them and then reinstate them back into the community where they would feel almost alien to," he said.

Instead, the goal of the project is to come alongside the local community, joining them in the process of development. And that's just what Kellogg did, contributing more than just his engineering expertise.

He also personally served those in need around the community. On Saturdays, he ventured into neighborhoods where he and others would reach out to orphans — feeding them, teaching scripture and playing games with them. 

After returning to the U.S., Kellogg realized how beneficial it is to study engineering here, having more expertise to bring to the table when working in developing nations. Every country has a different climate, soil types and engineering problems, but that fundamental base of engineering education is essential, he said.

The civil engineering senior is also pursuing a master's in business administration at UK after he graduates, but his goal isn't necessarily to become a CEO or to revamp an entire third-world nation; he says it is to simply live his life "with excellence and to serve wherever I am, however I can."

 

 

 

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Harder, 859-323-2396, whitney.harder@uky.edu

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