$5 Million Endowment Supports the Creation of CU's Mortenson Center in Engineering for Developing Communities
The teaching and outreach work of University of Colorado civil engineering Professor Bernard Amadei and his colleagues in the Engineering for Developing Communities program will take a giant leap forward thanks to a $5 million commitment from Mort and Alice Mortenson, and builder M. A. Mortenson Company. A $500,000 commitment of university matching funds from the Office of the Chancellor puts CU's newly renamed well on its way to becoming self-sustainable for the long term. Professor Bernard Amadei tackles development challenges in marginalized communities worldwide-challenges such as ensuring safe drinking water for Rwandan orphans in inhospitable environments, or promoting education and economic development in Afghanistan and the West Bank. Amadei pursues sustainable community development from his base at the College of Engineering and Applied Science, where he educates and inspires students to effect positive change in areas such as hygiene and sanitation, civil infrastructure, and power production.