Join the Club

An eclectic collection of images, including a partial skeleton, a robotic arm, an Erlenmeyer flask, a building under construction, a diagram of a molecule, and a phone battery symbol.

JOIN THE CLUB

You can put the “E” in “Extracurricular” by joining an engineering-themed student organization and put your skills and knowledge to work alongside equally passionate peers. Explore just three of these clubs below.

DESIGN FOR SOCIAL GOOD: Problem-solving is messy. People often brainstorm first and then realize their idea doesn’t solve the right problem or carries unexpected issues. Design thinking is a process that prevents either scenario, making it an essential skill for modern engineers. For this reason, one of Tufts’ newest clubs, Design for Social Good (DSG), is rapidly rising in popularity as members are trained in design thinking and take on challenges to help the community. DSG focuses on user-centric solutions. Students aren’t just building—they’re learning to be empathetic by talking, interviewing, and discussing with clients. Through workshops and hands-on projects, they identify problems, brainstorm, and prototype. Through partnerships with other engineering clubs, any DSG student can learn to code, solder, and more. DSG’s first partnership was with a retirement center. Students added GPS capability to the center’s life alert system, allowing nurses to identify the locations and needs of patients. DSG’s second partnership was with the immigrant nonprofit group The Welcome Project. Students designed a low-cost sound dampener to minimize the noise pollution disrupting people’s lifestyles. They also created a collapsible device to help the nonprofit organize their paper documents better. DSG is part of Tufts’ Maker Network. This network also includes Tufts’ MAKE Club, which is dedicated to helping students access the tools, knowledge, and space needed to build their next great inventions. From offering tours of engineering companies to hosting Python workshops, both clubs embody the supportive spirit of Tufts engineers.

ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS: Tufts’ Engineers Without Borders (EWB) is an incredible student organization that designs and implements sustainable engineering projects in developing communities. The club’s goal is to build a better world through engineering projects that empower people to meet their basic human needs. Founded in 2004, the club has since grown to 17,000 members (current students and alumni!) and welcomes students of all majors in order to integrate the strengths of liberal arts, fine arts, and engineering. Talk about a triple threat! The club also partners with professionals and faculty members and builds robust relationships with partner communities. Previous communities that the club has worked with include: Shilongo (Uganda), Porvenir and Arada Vieja (El Salvador), and El Cristal (Ecuador). In recent years, the club has partnered with two nonprofit organizations. The first organization is Joshua Orphan and Community Care (JOCC) based in the Solomoni Community in Malawi, Africa. The project for the club’s Malawi chapter is called Clean Water Access. Tufts students are designing, testing, and developing a system that would help residents, particularly primary and secondary school students, access clean water. The second organization EWB is now collaborating with is the in-country office in Silvio Mayorga, Nicaragua. A wildlife refuge, Reserva Silvestre Quelantaro, is also involved to monitor any environmental impacts of EWB’s work. For this particular project, Tufts students are planning to improve the community’s central water storage tank, pump, and distribution system. For each partnership, EWB members travel to the community to experience the environment firsthand and form connections with the people they’re serving. They also conduct interviews, test samples on-site, and supervise construction. EWB projects are a fantastic example of the hands-on experience offered by Tufts, as students not only apply their classroom knowledge, but also develop new skills such as CAD modeling, site evaluation, and negotiation. To learn more about their projects, check out EWB’s website!

STEM AMBASSADORS: Run through the Center for STEM Diversity (CSD) and the Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, STEM Ambassadors is a professional development and mentorship program for students in the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering. STEM Ambassadors partner with local high schools to lead workshops on various relevant, engaging STEM topics. In creating and leading these workshops, ambassadors become stronger communicators and leaders. As first-generation, underrepresented students themselves, STEM Ambassadors are inspiring the next generation of STEM students. For this most recent academic year, 21 Tufts students are part of STEM Ambassadors—the largest group in the program’s history! With an increase in size, the program has been able to increase its presence in the local community and expand its curriculum to include Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and special needs classrooms. One of their most popular lessons covers the fundamentals of kinetic and potential energy. In this activity, students build roller coaster tracks throughout their entire classrooms using foam tubing. STEM ambassadors inspire students to gain new scientific perspectives on everyday activities. STEM Ambassadors are passionate about issues surrounding accessibility and representation in STEM fields. Kamar Godoy ’22, a mechanical engineering major, shares his connection to the program: “I am a STEM Ambassador because it allows me to give back to the community that encouraged me to get into STEM and pursue a college degree. High school students need to see other students of color excelling in college and in STEM… I want them to know that they have everything in them to be as successful as they want to be and that it is their culture, beliefs, color, and community that make them far more important than they could ever imagine.” In forging connections with underrepresented students, STEM Ambassadors are redefining what it takes to succeed in STEM. Follow their Instagram, @stemambassadors_tufts, to meet more ambassadors and to learn about their projects!