ChiEAC Community Engineering Fellowship: Open to ALL Engineering Fields

ChiEAC Community Engineering Fellowship

Description

The Chicago Education Advocacy Cooperative (ChiEAC) is launching the Community Engineering Collaborative, a volunteer program that invites international and domestic students across all areas of engineering to contribute their skills to real-world projects that strengthen underserved communities in Chicago. This role is structured to meet OPT and CPT experiential learning standards by providing supervised, project-based training that connects academic study with applied practice.

Participants commit 20-25 hours per week in a flexible, remote or hybrid format. They will gain professional development, mentorship, and cross-disciplinary collaboration experience while applying engineering skills in service of equity, education, and community well-being.

Open to ALL Engineering Disciplines

• Mechanical Engineering
• Apply design and prototyping skills to create assistive devices, affordable mobility solutions, or community-based renewable energy tools.
• Electrical Engineering
• Support projects involving power systems, circuit design, and energy-efficient community technology applications.
• Civil Engineering
• Contribute to infrastructure and design planning, including safe community spaces, resource distribution models, and sustainable construction concepts.
• Computer Engineering
• Design and optimize embedded systems, smart devices, and technology solutions that enhance education and community services.
• Industrial & Systems Engineering
• Improve processes and workflows for ChiEAC programs, developing efficient systems for resource allocation, logistics, and service delivery.
• Environmental Engineering
• Lead projects focused on sustainability, clean water access, pollution reduction, and renewable energy integration in community spaces.
• Biomedical Engineering
• Research and design affordable health-related technologies, assistive devices, and wellness tools tailored to immigrant and low-income communities.
• Software Engineering
• Collaborate with ChiEAC’s Data Science Alliance to build applications, dashboards, and digital tools that improve service access and track community outcomes.
• Other Engineering Disciplines
• The Collaborative is intentionally open to all engineering fields. Allstudents are encouraged to bring their unique expertise to interdisciplinary projects that blend technical rigor with community impact.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

• Engage in supervised, project-based learning aligned with engineering discipline and ChiEAC program needs.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams of engineers, data scientists, educators, and community advocates.
• Document findings through technical reports, presentations, and prototypes.
• Participate in weekly mentorship sessions and evaluations for professional growth.

Professional Time Commitment

20-25 hours per week. We offer a flexible schedule, with remote or hybrid participation offered.

Impact

Students in the Community Engineering Collaborative gain hands-on professional experience that directly benefits marginalized and immigrant families in Chicago. By linking engineering knowledge to community needs, volunteers develop applied skills while advancing ChiEAC’s mission of expanding opportunity and fostering equity.

Watch our video to learn more: Emely Oviedo's "Motivación"