Spring 2007

ALL-USA COLLEGE ACADEMIC TEAM SELECTION ERIC CLIFFT

Combining all of these skills, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology senior Eric Clifft was named to the 2007 All-USA College Academic Team, featured in USA Today. He was one of 60 students named to the first- second- or third-team lists from more than 600 undergraduate students at U.S. colleges and universities.

This marks the fourth time that Rose-Hulman has had a student recognized on this prestigious academic team, joining alumni Dylan Schikel (Mech. Eng., ’93), Rachel Lukens (Elect. Eng., ’03) and Chad Zarse (Applied Biology/Biochemistry, ’05). Other colleges with students honored this year included Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Duke, Georgetown, Georgia Institute of Technology and the service academies.

Clifft, a mechanical engineering major, helped form an Engineers Without Borders student chapter at Rose-Hulman after reading an article in Mechanical Engineering magazine that described the lack of infrastructure hindering economic development in Africa. He immediately recognized how useful the Rose-Hulman community of engineering faculty, alumni and students could be in alleviating some instances of debilitating African poverty. He distributed an e-mail message throughout campus seeking students to form an EWB chapter. Ten students answered that original message. Two years later, the chapter is thriving, raising approximately $45,000 from alumni and business donors to construct a poultry house capable of raising 2,000 dayold chickens every eight weeks to sell to farmers throughout southeastern Ghana.

Last summer, Clifft joined nine students in going to Obodan, a rural village of 2,000 people, to construct the building in 10 days for the Obodan Sustainable Development Center. The brooder house has already raised more than 1,000 baby chickens, having an important economic and nutritional impact on local residents. The project benefits nonprofit organizations such as the Ghana Poultry Network, the Tropical Agriculture Institute and Sankofa Foundation. The brooder house is establishing collaborative partnerships with farmers, universities and research institutions. The facility is becoming a model for other villages throughout Ghana and has caused the residents of Obodan to begin plans to become a United Nations Millennium Village.

This school year, Clifft and other EWB members have developed a strategic plan to carry out community development projects to complement the management of the brooder house. These projects include the supply of portable water to Obodan and surrounding villages and the addition of donated computers to a local school. EWB also plans to complete smaller domestic projects in the Terre Haute area.

“Eric Clifft is a dynamic and inspirational leader who thinks of others first . . . He is enthusiastic about learning and about making a difference,” stated Lee Waite, head of Rose-Hulman’s Department of Applied Biology and Biomedical Engineering and EWB chapter adviser. He has visited Obodan to witness the impact the brooder house is having on citizens. “It is seldom that a college student comes along who has the potential to significantly impact the world in which we live. Eric Clifft is one of those students.”

Anthony Akunzule, executive director of the Ghana Poultry Network, added, “Eric proved to be a natural leader, playing a significant role in keeping the (EWB) students focused on completing the project. He physically helped in the building’s construction (planning and cutting timber to approximate sizes; leveling the house’s foundation; drilling timber for bolts) and assisted in the purchase of building materials.”

Those testimonials make Clifft smile with pride when considering the personal accomplishment and blush in embarrassment from the recognition that he’s now receiving.

“Frankly, I get far too much credit for a great idea that was accepted by others. I had a major role in laying the foundation for the (EWB) chapter and brought the (Ghana project) idea to the chapter. Then, 10 people and several faculty members (including Professor Jerry Fine) were willing to give it a shot,” he admits. “After starting the process I left for one year to study in Germany. I returned and fund-raising was well under way and the groundwork was in place for the project. I just stepped back and admired all of the work by several talented people. I was extremely proud to be at Rose-Hulman at this special time.”

Besides studying at Fachhochschule Ulm (Ulm, Germany), Clifft also participated in a cultural experience in Japan, led by Professor Scott Clark –- exciting international adventures for a student who hadn’t traveled outside of his hometown of Paragould, Ark., before attending college.

“I looked at college as the perfect time to acquire new perspectives and to satiate my innate curiosity about different cultures,” he states. “I realize that my inclination to accept opportunities and desire to help others have been the hallmarks of the last three years of my life.These two characteristics have taken me around the globe on multiple occasions and enabled me to rapidly improve the lives of numerous people.”

Later, Clifft adds, “I went all over the world trying to figure out what I wanted to do. I think I have a good grasp on where I’m at and where I want to go from here. It’s been a great experience. I have learned a tremendous amount, much more than I thought I could before coming to Rose-Hulman.”

Those educational experiences have included working on an entrepreneurial senior design project, the Rose Chiller. Clifft had an idea to fabricate a machine that rapidly cools canned beverages. The venture has been sponsored by Rose-Hulman Ventures, and Clifft has joined three other students in making modifications to the original design, along with examining potential markets for the product.

“Eric is driven by the application of what he has learned, not just the search for knowledge,” states Donald Richards, professor of mechanical engineering, who has consulted on the Rose Chiller project. “Eric has exhibited leadership skills that have kept the team focused and moving toward their goal . . . He never meets a stranger, and he greets all with a sparkle in his eye and a good sense of humor. All of this makes him an easy fit with any group of people, earns him the confidence of others, and helps him make the connections with others that lead to success.”

Clifft also maintains a 3.87 grade point average, received the Garland Duncan Scholarship from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, earned Rose-Hulman’s Student Leader of the Quarter and Greek Member of the Year Award (Sigma Nu Fraternity), served as a representative to the Student Government Association, and is a member of the Blue Key, Tau Beta Pi, Pi Tau Sigma and Alpha Lambda Delta honor societies.

In the future, Clifft wants to continue his studies at the graduate level in Stanford University’s unique Department of Management Science and Engineering, which provides education and research opportunities associated with the development of knowledge, tools and methods required to make decisions, and to shape policies, to configure organizational structures, to design engineering systems, and to solve problems associated with the information-intensive technology based economy.

“I still want to stick with my interests in engineering and technology, but I also have started to recognize my interest in business,” admits Clifft. “That may lead me to becoming an entrepreneur, a venture capitalist or an international businessman. I want to make a difference by doing things I have a passion for.”

The residents of Obodan are now benefiting from that passion.