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School of Journalism and New Media
University of Mississippi

Travels to Togo: School of Journalism and New Media student and prof cover engineering initiative

Posted on: November 1st, 2012 by

Thousands of miles away in Africa, Ole Miss students are having an impact.

The Ole Miss chapter of Engineers Without Borders traveled to Lomé, Togo on an engineering mission trip August 6-13. The team of eight consisted of three faculty members and five students, including the Meek School’s Dr. Nancy Dupont and student Norman Seawright, who traveled with the engineering group to document their efforts.

“The trip to Togo with the Ole Miss Engineers Without Borders chapter was so much more than Norman Seawright and I thought it would be.  We knew Togo had needs, but we were not prepared for the level of poverty we saw,” said Dupont.  “At the same time, we were stunned by the beauty and friendliness of the people and the way they welcomed visitors who had come to help.  It was the experience of a lifetime. ”

Seawright is producing three stories for NewsWatch, the student-run newscast at Ole Miss.  He is also working with Dupont and other Meek School faculty on a documentary.

The local Engineers Without Borders is currently in the middle of a fundraising campaign to return to Togo in August 2013 to begin work on their selected project.  To help support their efforts, you can make a donation online,  or you can participate in Trot for Togo, a 5K run/walk that takes place on Dec. 1 in Oxford.

The plan to construct a new school will take thousands of dollars, but a new building could have a major impact on the educational capabilities of the area.

For more information, please contact Dr. Cris Surbeck, Department of Civil Engineering, at csurbeck@olemiss.edu.