Autodesk Foundation Team
For the third consecutive year, the Autodesk Foundation is supporting a cohort of early-career engineers and technical professionals through the Engineering for Change (E4C) Fellowship program. The Autodesk Foundation supported 24 E4C Fellows in 2022, 24 in 2021, and is supporting 29 more E4C Fellows this year.
During the five-month program (May to September), the 2023 Fellows will complete projects in 14 countries and five continents alongside 23 Autodesk Foundation portfolio organizations plus two nonprofits in the Autodesk Technology Impact Program. Collectively, the 2023 E4C Fellowship cohort will support impact projects advancing nine of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Engineering for a better world
The E4C Fellowship is an engineering workforce development program empowering rising technical professionals to solve the world’s most pressing social and environmental challenges. The program equips Fellows with professional skills and enables international opportunities for mentoring, networking, and leadership development, preparing the next generation of engineering leaders to design, make, and deploy sustainability-focused solutions around the globe.
Given the diverse skill sets, backgrounds, and disciplines of each E4C Fellow—and the unique missions of the organizations they’re working with—their respective impact projects range in complexity, geographic focus, and impact outcomes.
Fellowship perspectives
“By harnessing technical expertise, professionals can design resilient infrastructure that not only addresses current concerns, such as the impacts of climate change, but also ensures the sustainable use of natural resources.”
— Sheilla Constance Apio, 2023 E4C Fellow
Sheilla Constance Apio, a Ugandan civil engineer, will be providing the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees with technical design support to enhance its ability to deliver sustainable water services to displaced populations.
“As technical workers, it is a huge opportunity to save the world by improving our work, testing new innovative and creative ideas to solve existing local and global challenges.”
— Niyikiza Samuel, 2023 E4C Fellow
Niyikiza Samuel, a Rwandese architect and cofounder of Ark Design, a small architecture firm based in Kigali, Rwanda, will use BIM technologies to optimize and visualize EarthEnable’s construction of rural settlements in remote Rwandan towns and villages.
“Engineering and technological innovation are essential for developing solutions that can help us transition into a more sustainable and clean energy-dependent world.”
— Rutvik Shailesh Solanki, 2023 E4C Fellow
Rutvik Shailesh Solanki, an Indian graduate engineering student at the University of Toronto, will support the development of a product roadmap for BamCore‘s digital fabrication platform using Autodesk Platform Services (APS; formerly Forge).
Looking ahead
This year’s cohort of E4C Fellows is on its way to making a positive, lasting impact on the world while gaining real-world experience, honing their expertise, and developing in-demand leadership skills.
Follow the Autodesk Foundation on social media to track the 2023 E4C Fellows’ progress.