This past spring break, four engineering students traveled to the Bible School of the Americas in Panama City, Panama, in hopes of designing and implementing a solar energy system there, according to department chair Dr. Zane Gastineau. For a week the students worked together to survey the property’s electrical usage, complete construction projects and fellowship with the community.
The trip was organized through Harding’s engineering department under the supervision of professor Richard Wells Gastineau. Wells said the trip was tailored specifically for engineering students and focused on teaching students how to use their skills to benefit others.
“God wired our brains for math and science, and there are ways to honor him with that,” Wells said.
However, the trip would not have happened if it had not been for a conversation between Wells and Harding alumnus Jack Farber, according to Gastineau.
Farber is the current director of Latin American Missions — a missions organization through the Forrest Park church of Christ in Valdosta, Georgia. The organization oversees Bible School of the Americas and focuses on native preacher training, primarily by providing men throughout Central and South America with a Christian education, according to Farber.
According to Farber, the school is in desperate need of a solar energy system because they frequently encounter brownouts (faulty lighting) and lightning strikes. In addition, they have been spending thousands of dollars on electricity every month and would like to reduce costs to use donor funds more effectively
Therefore, the goal of the trip was to survey the situation and see where electricity is being used the most. Then the students could use the information to develop a proposal to access the long-term the return on investment of installing solar panels. While they were there, the students surveyed the property by counting the number of lights, fans, refrigerators, computers, and anything else that used electricity.
“It’s the (application) for engineering students,” Wells said. “I’m always looking for how engineering students can use their math and science talents more directly for God’s work.”
Since 2013, Wells has been involved in three solar energy system installations with Harding engineering students in Haiti. The project in Panama is a much larger endeavor, and it is estimated to take five to 10 years to convert the majority of the campus to solar, according to Wells.
Wells said future involvement will depend on funding and student interest.
Sophomore engineering major Emily Sheffield said she loved the experience and would definitely return to Panama.
“Meeting those people and seeing how blessed we are compared to that, like the fact that they need solar panels when we can just plug something in and not be worried about brownouts of anything, that really impacted me,” Sheffield said.
Junior mechanical engineering major Ryan Bliss was also on the trip and said he was encouraged by the experieince.
“Working in Panama reminded me that doing God’s work is not always about the amount or quality of work you do, but rather the people you touch while doing it,” Bliss said.
