Dokimoi Ergatai spring 2025 Newsletter

As the Collaboratory at Messiah University celebrates 25 years, it stands as a testament to integrating faith, learning, and service. Since its founding in 1999, it has provided students with opportunities to apply academic knowledge to real-world challenges, transforming communities both locally and globally.

A defining feature of the Collaboratory is its long-lasting partnerships with communities in need. “It is especially meaningful when we have an opportunity to complete multiple projects with the same partnering community,” said Dr. Brian Swartz, a Project Manager. One such partnership with Forward Edge in Oaxaca, Mexico, led students to construct two bridges and a water purification kiosk to support the ministry’s work with children. “Each visit back we have had an opportunity to see how God continues to grow their ministry to meet the needs of more children.”

Closer to home, students developed an eye-triggered alert system for individuals with ALS, allowing them to communicate with caregivers. “The projects are all impactful,” said Dr. David Vader, co-founder of the Collaboratory. “This is perhaps the greatest impact; the lives of our graduates—lived in hope, generosity, and service.”

At its core, the Collaboratory integrates faith and learning. “The Collaboratory fosters scholarship that serves the needs of today while building character for the needs of tomorrow,” said Dr. Vader. From the beginning, it has sought “to follow Jesus in engineering [through] time and talent to love others in Jesus’ name by doing engineering work in places where people were so poor that the market was ignoring them.”

Dr. Swartz reinforces this vision, challenging the conventional divide between work and faith. “Many in our culture see work as some necessary burden through which one earns money to live. But work is a gift from God—He calls us to care for and cultivate Creation.” Through hands-on experiences, students learn to integrate faith into all aspects of life. “The Collaboratory encourages students to see all areas of life—faith, family, professional endeavors—as one comprehensive package that is an offering to God.”

While meeting community needs, the Collaboratory also transforms students. “Each of our projects has two target outcomes—one has to do with meeting our partner’s need... The other has to do with transforming the members of the team,” said Dr. Swartz. Students develop a service-oriented mindset that shapes their careers. “Even though most of our graduates do not go into full-time ‘missions,’ they take a missions and service mindset with them wherever they go next.”

Reflecting on its development, Dr. Vader said, “Looking back, the mission has not changed, but our own understanding of what God was calling us to do and our ability to articulate that calling for ourselves and to others matured over the years.” From its early days as Dokimoi Ergatai (Approved Workers) to its formal establishment in 1999 with a major gift from Harsco Corporation, the Collaboratory has consistently pursued its vision of increasing hope and transforming lives.

A key milestone was integrating the Collaboratory into the engineering curriculum, expanding its reach. “For the first ten years, we were all volunteers,” Dr. Vader recalled. The transition allowed the Collaboratory “to engage every engineering professor and student” while still keeping room for volunteers. “Such a transition is not common in the higher education landscape,” Dr. Swartz noted. “Memorable success stories are not just historic but remain likely to continue on in the future.”

As the Collaboratory marks its 25th anniversary, its impact is seen not only in the communities it serves but in the students who carry its mission forward. “Market follows capital, but God’s love goes everywhere,” Dr. Vader affirmed.

Student Perspective with Laurel Pettitt

Erin Timmins ’25

For 25 years, the Collaboratory has provided students with the opportunity to apply their skills in impactful, real-world projects that serve communities locally and globally. Through hands-on experience, students develop problem-solving abilities, leadership skills, and technical expertise that shape their college journey and prepare them for life beyond graduation. Many students find that working on projects with tangible outcomes deepens their understanding of collaboration, adaptability, and cultural awareness. Laurel Pettitt, a Student Project Manager for Stance Control Orthosis said, “My involvement in the Collaboratory has given me the chance to have a broader perspective on how the disciplines of engineering work together, and the chance to see some potential applications of engineering. Additionally, I’ve had the ability to grow closer with people that I work with through the Collaboratory and I have many closer friends as a result of it.”

The challenges of balancing project demands with academic responsibilities push students to refine their time management and teamwork skills. “The Collaboratory has prepared me for life after college because I am more practiced at balancing ‘work responsibilities’ with other responsibilities I may be juggling at the same time” Pettitt said. Working alongside peers from different disciplines fosters a deeper appreciation for diverse perspectives, a crucial skill for any career. Additionally, cross-cultural interactions provide insight into the complexities of global problem-solving, encouraging humility and resilience in the face of challenges.

As the Collaboratory celebrates its 25th anniversary, its legacy is reflected in the lives of those who have contributed to its mission. “I think the 25th anniversary is a testament to the powerful things that are going on within the program... Personally, it’s exciting to be a part of something that has been so long-lasting” Pettitt said after recalling from her experience in the Collaboratory. For students who have been part of this journey, the anniversary represents not just a milestone, but a testament to the power of faith-driven innovation and service. Looking ahead, the impacts made within the Collaboratory will continue to inspire future generations to use their skills to serve others.

Summer ’25 Site Team Trips

Our annual Collaboratory site trips are just around the corner! Throughout the year, every project works on engineering goals with our many partners, culminating in a visit to our partners in May. As we prepare for these trips, we ask for your prayers, trusting that God is at work in our projects and travels.

Cuba

Clean Accessible Water Solutions Team - The CAWS team is partnered with Forward Edge International and connected to two local churches in the Santiago de Cuba region of Cuba. This team will install water filtration systems at these two locations to increase access to clean water for the hundreds of children the churches provide meals to each week.

Guatemala

Solar PV Team - The Solar PV team has worked with Tree4Hope on a previous installation at an orphanage, and this year they are designing a system for Hope Academy. Hope Academy is an all-girls STEM school for children in Guatemala. The team will be installing the solar PV system to help provide more sustainable and affordable electricity for the school.

Honduras

Bridge Team - The Bridge team has been designing a bridge to be utilized on Mission Lazarus’ property to make movement around their campus easier for people and vehicles. Mission Lazarus provides spiritual, educational, and financial opportunities for local children and adults.

Kenya

Cunningham Clubfoot Brace Team – The CCB team will be conducting clinical research at CURE International Hospital using force sensors attached to Cunningham braces and Steenbeek braces. Their hope is to show that CCB applies similar forces on clubfoot patients’ feet as the “boots and bar brace” (Steenbeek).

Zambia

Antimicrobial Resistance Team – The AMR team will be working alongside researchers at Macha Research Trust. Their research ultimately aims to show the amount of antimicrobial resistance that exists in the Zambia population.

Sikalongo Wheelchair Team –A large group of Messiah College students will be traveling to the rural regions of Choma and Sikalongo, Zambia. They will be partnering with Ed and Kathy Barlow, missionaries who have a deep commitment to serving people on the outskirts of society. The team’s goal is to build a prototype and train local fabricators to produce wheelchairs using locally available materials. This empowers individuals with physical disabilities to gain greater independence.

A Word From the Student Director: Regan Meals

My time in the Collaboratory includes serving project partners in Guatemala, India, and Cuba for the past few years. I have been on the Clean Accessible Water Solutions (CAWS) team during this time, where I’ve traveled twice already and a third time this summer. Just outside of Antigua, Guatemala, we provided a method for a girl’s STEAM school to disinfect utility water and expand their school to include housing for orphaned and homeless students. In Sasalu, India, we disinfected water and implemented a softening system at a campus housing children from broken homes and women escaping sex trafficking. In Santiago de Cuba, we are ensuring two churches have clean water to cook for children, with the ability to store water in case of grid shutdown or disaster.

Our team’s goal is to alleviate the stress of inaccessible drinking water for our partner so they can focus on serving their communities, addressing social issues, and empowering those around them. CAWS intends to empower these communities to properly maintain their sources of water. Herein lies the true transformation: our partners control their water, hire local workers to maintain their system, and sell water back to their communities.

This is what sets the Collaboratory apart: a focus on the partner over the product, the relationship, and a passion for strengthening our partner’s ability to minister to their community. We live in a broken, unjust world that can feel impossible to solve. My hope is that my cohort can look at our work and feel invigorated to act in whatever capacity we possess. We are called to continue working alongside marginalized populations, wherever a child of God calls home. I reflect on my work with the Collaboratory—the long hours documenting, navigating team dynamics, the hiccups and surprises of travel and implementation—and believe our work has brought us closer to shalom.

Student Voices

Compiled by Erin Timmins ’25

What has been your most rewarding moment in the Collaboratory so far?