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Engineering senior Kate Mcardle and Engineering juniors Sarah Casey and Hong Trwong discuss a water project for Engineers Without Borders.

Some Engineering students will get the chance to extend their expertise to a far-flung locale - but which locale is still being contested.

The Penn chapter of Engineers Without Borders - an organization devoted to developmental projects across the globe - is in the final stages of a competition that will determine the group's next international project.

Six teams of five to six students began developing proposals in September, and the final two groups presented their research to a judging panel on Jan. 11 - 12 to 15 students will ultimately be chosen for the trip.

The two finalist proposals involve installing a solar pump for a well in Kipingi, Kenya, and developing a gravity-based water system in Cameroon; PennEWB began its first international project last January, building a water storage facility in Honduras.

The panel expects to make its decision on the plans within the next week, PennEWB Vice President for International Projects and Engineering junior D.J. Wallman said.

"I feel that either project that we choose will be a great project for PennEWB to pursue," said College junior Hong Truong, who worked on the Cameroon proposal. "The impact will be great either way."

Wallman added that the success of the Honduras project - which is still ongoing - spurred the organization to expand its international pursuits.

The competition "is really geared toward finding a new project and also giving students more experience with environmental engineering - experience they don't get in the classroom," he said.

The panel judges have praised both proposals, and they say the upcoming decision will be extremely difficult.

"It was clear that both groups had put a lot of effort into their work," PennEWB President and Engineering and Wharton senior Alex Mittal said. "It was impressive because both were projects that could be implemented. "

Wallman pointed out that though PennEWB likely does not currently have the funds to pursue both plans, the competition has created a "bank of projects" that the group will pursue in the future.

"If we had unlimited resources, or, if we had the resources to do both, I believe we would," Mittal said.

The panel's decision will be based on the project's sustainability, the amount of research that has already been completed, the credibility of the non-governmental organizations contacted and the response from the community.

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