Travel Fellowship in honour of Kilash Maher Pyrke

Humanitarian Engineering explores the role and application of engineering to disadvantaged, marginalised and vulnerable communities to improve quality of life and support empowerment. It provides a connection between engineering and development, placing human well-being at the centre of engineering practice.

Kilash Maher Pyrke died of cancer several months after completing a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) degree at ANU. As a student at ANU, Kilash Maher Pyrke passionately participated in a number of experiences and opportunities to help improve the lives of others. One of the most important of these programs was the Humanitarian Engineering program.

In a reflection statement, Kilash highlighted the meaningful and valuable impact these programs had on his personal and professional development. He was able to do so in part because of financial support he was awarded through the Humanitarian Engineering Program, which enabled him to volunteer with the WindAid Institute in Peru to help manufacture small-scale wind turbines and install them in an off-grid fishing village.