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Evan Thomas is the director of the Mortenson Center in Global Engineering and the Global Engineering Residential Academic Program, and holds the Mortenson Endowed Chair in Global Engineering at the Â鶹ӰԺ. He is a tenured associate professor jointly appointed in civil, environmental and architectural engineering and Smead Aerospace, as well as an affiliate faculty in environmental and occupational health at the Colorado School of Public Health. Evan is currently a member of the NASA and USAID SERVIR Applied Sciences Team.

Evan’s technical background is in water and air testing and treatment applied in developing communities through to operational spacecraft. He founded SweetSense Inc., which is supported by USAID and the National Science Foundation to develop and apply satellite connected sensors monitoring drinking water services. Daily, the team is monitoring millions of people’s water supplies across east Africa.

What is your motto? 

Don't waste time. 

What has been your favorite work or personal project so far? 

I have been working in Rwanda since I was an undergraduate at CU Â鶹ӰԺ in 2003. Over the past 17 years, we have run national public health programs, published novel research, started companies, and are now working closely with Bridges to Prosperity, a Denver nonprofit run by several CU Engineering alumni helping to reduce rural isolation. 

What’s something most people don’t know about you? 

I was one of three civilian finalists out of a total of over 4,000 applicants for the Canadian Space Agency's astronaut selection in 2017, along with another CU alum. They picked the third person. 

Who would you most like to meet and why?

Bill Gates. I'd like to try and convince him that some of the world's greatest challenges can be solved with well-known solutions. We need to pay for things like water or energy services and that inventing new gadgets won't solve underlying causes of poverty. 

What is your guilty pleasure? 

Peanut butter toast and milk. 

If you were stranded on a deserted island, which coworker would you want to organize your rescue party, and why? 

Dr. Laura MacDonald would be there with a rescue chopper and a picnic before I even realized what was happening. 

Which TV show do you never miss? 

Star Trek Picard. 

What do you most like to do to unwind? 

Mountain biking, skiing or hiking with friends.