Calculated Change

On this episode, I have coffee with Diana Iracheta, better known as the Latina Engineer. Diana is working to normalize Latina women in the Engineering space one pink post at a time. She has developed a platform that has connected thousands of Latina engineers who currently  make up only 2% of employed scientists and engineers. She hosts an annual International Latina Engineer week, and is even working to provide scholarships to young Latinas entering the STEM world. To learn more about Latina Engineer, follow Diana as Latina Engineer on social media, or visit the link below to find her other platforms. https://latinaengineer.com

In this interview I spoke with Joel Baraka, a senior at UW-Madison in civil engineering. Joel started the organization My HOME Stars, which aims to make education fun, engaging and accessible to students around the world. Their first game, 5 STA-Z , targets educating the Ugandan school curriculum in the very same refugee camp Joel spent his childhood. During our conversation, Joel shares his educational journey and how he plans to pave educational pathways for the next generation of students. https://www.myhomestarsmhs.com/

In this episode, I interview Jacob Foss, the co-founder and COO of Agricycle. Agricycle is a  social enterprise that hopes to eradicate extreme poverty through empowering vulnerable communities around the world. They do this through supply chain development to rural agricultural producers around the world and their portfolio of ethically sourced brands like Jali Fruit Co.  During our conversation, Jacob explains what all that means, and tells me about how he got off the beaten career path that a lot of us can feel stuck in. We talk entrepreneurship, WWOOFing , Peace Corps, and so much more. https://agricycleglobal.com/

Waleska Crowe is the Guatemala Deputy Director of Engineers Without Borders.  Her unique identity as 50% indigenous Quiche Mayan and journey to self discovery allow her a perspective that helps her connect with the communities she works with. Waleska brings tremendous wisdom and heart into her work with rural Guatemalan communities, and I am so excited to share her story.To learn more about the racial divides in Guatemala see the resources below: Documentaries:500 YearsFinding OscarWebsite:https://cja.org/where-we-work/guatemala/Book: I, Rigoberta MenchuTo donate or support the work of Engineers Without Borders:https://www.ewb-usa.org/donate/Find episodes and  information about the show here:http://www.calculatedchangepodcast.com/Contact me at:calculatedchangepodcast@gmail.com

Listen in on our first Beers With Engineers Episode! Ryan and I reminisce our experiences volunteering in Guatemala, talk about how working with resilient communities has impacted our lives, and share a few laughs in this more conversational style episode. 

Michael is a former Chief Engineer for Engineers Without Borders and is currently the Senior Technical advisor for Covid-19 at the United Nations Development Program. He has been working in the development space for more than 20 years. Michael shares his journey into volunteer work, and how global health is directly linked to civil engineering. Mike has worked diligently to address the pandemic in countries around the world and improve healthcare systems to reduce the impacts of Covid-19.To support the work of Mike, Rebecca, and Jess please click this link:https://support.ewb-usa.org/fundraiser/2477577You can purchase Mike's book Bridging Barriers here:https://www.bridgingbarriers.com/You can read more articles written by Mike here:https://news.asce.org/tag/engineering-with-heart/

Michael is a former Chief Engineer for Engineers Without Borders and is currently the Senior Technical advisor for Covid-19 at the United Nations Development Program. He has been working in the development space for more than 20 years. Michael shares his journey into volunteer work, and how global health is directly linked to civil engineering. Mike has worked diligently to address the pandemic in countries around the world and improve healthcare systems to reduce the impacts of Covid-19.To support the work of Mike, Rebecca, and Jess please click this link:https://support.ewb-usa.org/fundraiser/2477577You can purchase Mike's book Bridging Barriers here:https://www.bridgingbarriers.com/You can read more articles written by Mike here:https://news.asce.org/tag/engineering-with-heart/

Jess Thayer is  a surgical robotics control engineer at Medtronic and alumni of the Marquette Engineers Without Borders Chapter. Listen in on Jess's story about how a pinky promise years ago put her as a lead in Engineers Without Borders response to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Listen in on how a decision made in the back of a pick-up truck in rural Guatemala lead Rebecca to the center of UW-Madison's Covid-19 response. Rebecca is now a PHD student in Industrial and Systems Engineering at UW-Madison and is continuing her work with Engineers Without Borders USA and the United Nations Development Program to respond to the pandemic and make Calculated Change. 

Here is what you can expect on Calculated Change. Calculated Change dives into the world of problem solving through the lens of the non-profit space. On this show we are having candid conversations with dynamic individuals that are using their skills knowledge and engineering problem solving  to take on some of the worlds most pressing challenges. Join us on Calculated Change as we interview individuals working to design a more just world where everyone has access to basic human needs like clean water, healthcare, education, and much more. Our goal is that these conversations inform, engage and inspire you yourself to create positive change both in your community and abroad. Our hope is that through sharing these stories, we can build a better future together.  Lets create some change.