Dayton Engineer

Dr. Chris Vehar Jutte ‘02, now a contractor with NASA, recently came back to her alma mater this spring to discuss engineering as a vocation for the common good. She wants to help students realize their purpose as engineers. During her discussion with current students, she shared her own vocational journey, which included being part of a group of students who started what is now the Ethos Center. 

In her junior year, Jutte went on a trip to India through Campus Ministry’s Center for Social Concern. In a rural village, she looked for ways to use engineering to help meet basic needs and was intrigued by how her perception of “needs” were different from those who lived there everyday. Her time in the village was limited, but after a conversation with a Jesuit priest during a retreat in India, she learned that having an impact as an engineer took more humility than she originally thought. 

She felt driven to listen more and better understand ‘people’ and their social influences and constraints. From this experience, she was interested in more of a community-centered approach to engineering.

In 2001, Jutte and fellow students — Bob Hawley, Jason Huart, Garrett Prom — and graduate student advisor Chris Schimdt came together to design that community-centered approach to engineering. 

The team decided to start with an online search to find potential community partners, looking for organizations around the globe who were developing technologies within their communities to help meet local basic needs. They wanted to find partners that were eager to be the leaders of the projects, rather than the UD students.

“It was important for our students to partner more as interns in order to learn from the community and maintain continuity of the projects after our students returned home,” Jutte said. 

The early days of ETHOS — standing for Engineers in Technical Humanitarian Opportunities of Service-learning, and now just Ethos — began with only a few partners. 

Jutte’s personal goal in creating Ethos was to feel like she was bringing her education in mechanical engineering to help develop solutions with — not for — a community. Jutte's vocation and call to the community was an important part of discerning Ethos and how it came to be.

“I realized that so many other students here at UD also wanted an “Ethos-type” program in the School of Engineering,” Jutte said. “We long to see and learn how we can impact others through engineering in a positive and effective way. The opportunities through Ethos enable students to engage with people outside the classroom, which helps each student put some perspective on their individual role in the world.”

Today, the Ethos Center partners with community organizations in 9 countries and 5 U.S. cities, including local organizations in Dayton. Students go on Ethos trips each year, whether it be in shorter breakouts or 10-week immersions.

Jutte is forever grateful to everyone who has grown the student-driven idea into what it is today — including more than 500 Ethos alumni.

“Ethos wouldn’t be where it is today without the heartfelt dedication of so many UD administration, faculty, staff and students,” Jutte said. “I have remained in contact with Ethos and have made visits from time to time when in the Dayton area. In the last couple years, I have been helping to strategize on how to best improve Ethos and promote Ethos to incoming or current students.”