New York, NY – The drawings are finished, the plans are almost complete, and NYIT students are nearly ready to build the community-run recycling and education center they designed for a Costa Rican coastal village.

Their next goal: raising $15,000 to help fund living expenses for the student team building the center in Nosara. A portion of the money also would cover the cost of a professional documentary about their project.

"It's a great experience to have them see something built that they have designed," said Tobias Holler, assistant professor in the School of Architecture and Design and a faculty co-leader. "And by helping to build it, they're going to learn so much about construction."

Nine students visited the site in January to present their initial ideas to residents, hear their responses, and learn more about the project area. Most of the 25 architecture and engineering students participating in the project hope to spend a week or two at the building site between July 1 and August 31. The local community has embraced the project; a civic association donated the land, local construction professionals are offering their services at no cost, and the community is raising funds for construction materials.

The team launched a fundraising campaign this week on Kickstarter.com. The online platform allows donors to watch a video about the project and make a contribution by May 21. There is one catch: the entire amount must be raised by that date. On May 3, the students will host a reception and screening of a 30-minute preview of the documentary at the NYIT Auditorium on Broadway. They are also publicizing their fundraising efforts on their Facebook page.

The NYIT-designed recycling center will include a sorting facility, an open lobby, and community education space. In stark contrast to much of the country's natural beauty, a shortage of solid waste management policies and infrastructure leads to the deposit of tons of waste and pollution in rivers and forests. The 3,000-square-foot center will reduce the amount of recyclable waste sent to a nearby inadequate municipal dump.

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About NYIT

New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) offers 90 degree programs, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees, in more than 50 fields of study, including architecture and design; arts and sciences; education; engineering and computing sciences; health professions; management; and osteopathic medicine. A non-profit independent, private institution of higher education, NYIT has 14,000 students attending campuses on Long Island and Manhattan, online, and at its global campuses. NYIT sponsors 11 NCAA Division II programs and one Division I team.

Led by President Edward Guiliano, NYIT is guided by its mission to provide career-oriented professional education, offer access to opportunity to all qualified students, and support applications-oriented research that benefits the larger world. To date, 89,000 graduates have received degrees from NYIT. For more information, visit nyit.edu.

Elaine Iandoli
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