Since 2009, the Mortenson Center has been a leader in global engineering education. Our students are paired with 80+ partner organizations worldwide, where they engage in immersive, hands-on, field practicum experiences in low-resource contexts. These partnerships prepare students to work effectively across cultures, sectors and constraints.

With support from a Mortenson Center Fellowship, Olivia Wilburn, a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering pursuing the Graduate Certificate in Global Engineering, completed a summer practicum with Engineers Without Borders–Australia, splitting her time between Australia and Cambodia.

“The opportunity to live abroad and immerse myself in a community with proper preparation and contextual understanding has been the most distinctly transformative aspect of my education,” Olivia said. During her practicum, Olivia helped facilitate a summit for undergraduate engineers focused on cultural awareness and global responsibility. While the work was technical, its lasting impact came from building relationships and understanding how engineering solutions are shaped by social, political, and cultural realities. The experience reshaped how Olivia approaches engineering and reinforced the importance of humility, adaptability, and systems thinking when working in low-resource contexts.

Donor support makes experiences like this possible, preparing engineers to engage thoughtfully, navigate complex challenges, collaborate and deliver impact where it matters most.