Acknowledgements

I am deeply grateful to everyone who has contributed to the creation of this textbook on Humanitarian Engineering. First and foremost, this book is dedicated to the communities that have been at the heart of our work as humanitarian engineers and are the very reason for its existence. To the people of Nuku’alofa in Tonga, Buenaventura in Colombia, Kaikoura and Christchurch in New Zealand, and the broader Pacific islands, to all those developing communities that are mentioned in the case studies, examples, and the communities that inspired the hypothetical exercises and quizzes, thank you for your trust, resilience, and partnership. Your voices, challenges, and aspirations have guided every page of this text and underscore the essential need for community-driven engineering. It is with profound respect that we acknowledge the role these communities play in shaping engineering practices that are culturally informed, sustainable, and grounded in shared values.

My sincere thanks go to Senior Lecturer Matthew Hughes and Associate Professor Ricardo Bello-Mendoza, the director and co-director of the Humanitarian Engineering Program at the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand, whose invaluable support, expertise, materials, and co-authoring efforts have helped shape this book into a practical resource for students. Inspired first by our students in New Zealand, we then considered the relevance for humanitarian engineering students overseas, which led to a call for more contributions in Europe, Africa, and America. Special thanks go to Executive Dean of Engineering, Professor Saurabh Shana for his encouragement and for providing a thoughtful foreword that underscores the importance of humanitarian and community-centred engineering.

This book would not have been possible without the patience and unwavering support of my family. To the students in humanitarian engineering, your dedication to positive change is what inspired this book; without you, this project would lack purpose. I also extend my gratitude to the CAUL Open Educational Resources Collective and I thank the Library at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand, for providing funding and essential support, as well as Rachel Doherty and Stuart Broughton for their invaluable assistance.

Finally, I would like to acknowledge my colleagues and collaborators,  Professor Mark Milke at the University of Canterbury for his suggestion on the title and discussions on the philosophy and need for this book, Spyros Schimenos and Nick Brown at RMIT University, Aaron Opdyke at the University of Sydney, Dr Sandra Merchan, Professor Juan Lucena, and all the peer reviewers and contributors and co-authors whose insights and partnerships have enriched this work immensely. Thank you all for your dedication to advancing humanitarian engineering as a practice and education.

Let’s keep inspiring the next generation of engineers.

¡Muchas gracias! (Thank you very much in my mother language).

Dr Bryann Avendaño-Uribe