Dartmouth alum to build affordable housing project in Costa Rica

Posted 02/15/01

Note: This story originally appeared in the Winter 2000 issue of Tucker Points ,the newsletter of Dartmouth's Tucker Foundation.

Casey Bynum, Dartmouth Class of 2000, received a $6,850 Richard D. Lombard Public Service Fellowship and a commitment of up to $10,000 from the Thayer School of Engineering to continue construction projects originally started during his Winter 2000 Tucker Fellowship with the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation in Santa Ana, Costa Rica.

During Bynum's Tucker Fellowship, he worked in Santa Ana on constructing a grade school and other community development projects. Upon returning to Dartmouth, Casey said he wanted to find a way to continue his service to the community. He decided to develop a senior thesis project for his Engineering Sciences modified with Studio Art major. Under the supervision of Engineering Sciences Professor Francis E. Kennedy and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Architecture and Assistant Director of Facilities Planning Jack Wilson, he designed a low-cost housing project for the area. Criteria he used while researching techniques, materials, and designs included cost efficiency, aesthetics and functionality. He developed a complete set of floor plans and construction details for two-family houses, which will be built in a low-income section of Santa Ana. Casey is advised throughout this process by Gail Nystrom, Executive Director of the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation.

The Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation provides opportunities to exchange friendship, goods, services and small financing between differing cultures, socioeconomic classes and language groups. The organization is committed to creating a better quality of life for all of those with whom they work, supporting at-risk populations to better provide more choices for their futures, while fostering greater sensitivity in populations providing services. The Humanitarian Foundation is one of the most popular Tucker Fellowship placements.

After his graduation, Casey will return to Santa Ana and act as Construction Supervisor for the affordable housing project. He will coordinate volunteers and members of the community to complete the project. The Tucker Foundation Costa Rica Environmental and Community Outreach Alternative Spring Break will assist on the project during their 10-day March trip.

Casey said he is looking towards his own future as well as this immediate post-graduation public service project.

"This project not only directly relates to my past experiences, but also to my future plans and goals," he said. "I am very interested in architecture, and with an engineering background I plan to go to graduate school to earn a Masters in Architecture. With a concern for people, and an interest on community service, in the future I hope to continue with related projects to better communities and the lives of those who live within them."

Tucker Foundation Director of Fellowships and Internships Mary T. Comeau said, "Casey has found a way to use his Dartmouth education and concrete skills to serve an economically challenged community. I can think of no better example of the global leadership Dartmouth seeks to foster in her students."