e4c presentation ieee humanitarian tech webinar aug 2011
DESCRIPTION
IEEE Humanitarian Technology Webinar: Presenting Engineering For Change - Aug 2011TRANSCRIPT
the engineer and the global humanitarian
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Water Energy Sanitation Structures
Agriculture EducationHealthInfo Systems
The Need
Engineers are being called upon to devise cost-effective, appropriate solutions to increase access to food and clean water, effective sanitation, energy, housing, and other basic needs.
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The Engineering Toolbox
Need to contribute to society
Trained to inquire, problem solve and collaborate
Ability to devise technical solutions to meet basic needs
Propensity to innovate
Interest in development efforts to reduce poverty and it’s effects
Engineering students and professionals are driven by:
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Benefit to Society
Impact on communities worldwide
Spread of technical literacy
Trickle up innovation.
Broader world view
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The Gaps
COLLABORATION
Development organizations (NGOs) often need engineering insight but lack access to technical community
CONTENTInformation is anecdotal and disparate, often leading to ‘re-inventing the wheel’. Need for a centralized community of practice as an additional training and validation groundCOMMUNITYEducational opportunities for students and professionals vary regionally. Lack of a centralized hub where knowledge can be captured & leveraged to advance the field
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The Opportunity• Build a “network” that brings volunteer engineers across
professions together to work as virtual teams with local organizations, schools and communities
• Aggregate content and be an open knowledge source for a range of workable solutions for meeting basic community needs.
• Be a resource for developing effective solutions that could be adapted and improved across diverse communities and regions
• Highlight how engineers and the engineering profession play a critical role in addressing quality of life issues
• Virtually connect educators and students to on-the-ground projects and identify opportunities for service learning
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Our Mission
A dynamic and growing community of engineers, technologists, designers, scientists, NGOs and community advocates dedicated to improving people’s lives around the world.
Our mission is to bridge technology and humanitarian development and transform communities using open-source technology.
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Design Principles
Appropriate technology development involves co-creating innovative solutions that are sustainable, affordable and reliable.
1. Develop appropriate solutions, not technologies
2. Consider the context
3. Create transparent technologies
4. Embrace the market
5. Design for DIY (Do It Yourself)
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Develop appropriate solutions, not technologies
Goal: Design meaningful and innovative solutions that are desirable to your constituents and serve their needs.
Techniques:
- Understand communities’ needs, hopes and aspirations for the future: Needs assessment
- Capture peoples’ stories: interviews, video, group-sessions, one-on-one visits
- Research: what other approaches have been effective/ineffective
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Goal: Design solutions that are feasible for the community.
Techniques:
- outline the constraints by considering context (social, technical, economic, cultural)
- get personal experience: spend a week living on $2 a day to begin to understand the trade-offs
- identify patterns and brainstorm ideas
- share ideas with the end users to get frequent feedback/input and incorporate input to co-create and whiteboard solutions
- supplement your team with experts
Consider the context
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Embrace the market& create transparent technology
Goal:
Ensure viability of the solution.
Techniques:
- create, document and share prototypes, test, and iterate
- identify necessary resources to maintain
the solution:
> materials, skills, funds
> is the solution affordable and
economically sustainable?
- measure and monitor the impact
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Design for DIY (Do It Yourself)
Technique:- involving the community in the design
process builds capacity - not just products. - ex. Appropriate Infrastructure Design Group
- The end goal should be to build local
capacity, skills, knowledge, experience and
expertise that allows societies to meet their own needs.
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Solution Development:Case study
Newborn babies often face hypothermia: they are not able to regulate their own body temperature, and can’t stay warm. How to prevent hypothermia in rural clinics in the developing world?
CHALLENGE:
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• Develop appropriate solutions, not technologies:
current approaches and needs (desirable)
Challenges = opportunity!
Existing solutions
Cost: ~$40,000 US
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• Considering the context:
> Constraints:
- Cost
- Training
- Maintenance
Goal: Design solution that is simple to make,
to use, understand and maintain (feasible)
Solution Development
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Appropriate and affordable solution: Viable!Embrace incubator cost <1% of traditional incubator
Final Product
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Tool for success: engineeringforchange.org• Work and connect with peers, organizations “on
the ground” and local communities
• Create workspaces to post challenges, brainstorm ideas and solutions
• Read stories on how technology solutions have improved quality of life
• Connect with a technical mentor
• Learn about educational opportunities
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CONTENT
E4C features an open, innovative, user-friendly online platform that promotes..
COMMUNITY
COLLABORATION
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TOPIC PAGESite organized by topic areas: Health, Energy, Water,
Sanitation, Structures, Information Systems, Agriculture
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SOLUTIONS LIBRARYA free, open source archive of technology
solutions from around the world that can be replicated and adapted across regions
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SOLUTIONS LIBRARYExample: AIDG’s Water Powered Bucket
Generator
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E4C NEWSNew Stories published weekly and RSS feeds
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LEARNING CENTERDesign Principles, educational resources, site how-
to’s
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CONTENT
E4C features an open, innovative, user-friendly online platform that promotes..
COMMUNITY
COLLABORATION
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MEMBER PROFILESMember Profiles that highlight expertise and link
out to individual’s social media accounts
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SOCIAL MEDIAConversations across various channels
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EVENTSMembers Meetings, Supporting AT Programs,
NGO Matching
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CONTENT
E4C features an open, innovative, user-friendly online platform that promotes..
COMMUNITY
COLLABORATION
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E4C WORKSPACEOnline spaces where challenges can be posed and
multi-disciplinary teams can collaborate on new solutions
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Deforestation in rural India due to unsustainable fuel source for cooking…
Considering the context
Identifying community needs:Who cooks mostly?When do they cook? What do they cook?How do they cook it?Who do they cook with?Who manages kitchen equipment?
Currently crowdsourcing alternatives.
PROPOSED SOLUTION:Climate Healers
CHALLENGE:
TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGIES
31E4C WORKSPACE: Climate Healers
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In Guatemala, like many places around the globe, thousands of rural families do not have regular access to electricity in their homes….
Family sized wind-mill!
• Generate 10-20 Watts at target wind speed (~15mph)
• Charge car batteries for use with LED lights, radios, and cellular phones
• Occupy a small footprint (~ 2×3 ft)• Manufactured with local materials &
skills in Quetzalenango, Guatemala• $100 US manufacturing cost
TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGIES
SOLUTION:
Catapult Design
CHALLENGE:
33E4C WORKSPACE: Catapult Design
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This design is open-source and adaptable
to other regions of the
world
Today: Guatemala
Tomorrow: the World?
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Appropedia is one of the world’s largest wikis focusing on collaborative approaches to sustainability, poverty reduction and international development.
The Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group (AIDG) helps individuals and communities get affordable and environmentally sound access to electricity, sanitation and clean water.
Founded in 1966, Practical Action works with poor communities to develop appropriate technologies in food production, agroprocessing, energy, transport, water and sanitation, shelter, climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.
D-Lab is a program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that fosters the development of appropriate technologies and sustainable solutions within the framework of international development.
Based in India, Honey Bee Network is a crucible of innovators, farmers, scholars, academicians, policy makers, entrepreneurs and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from over 75 countries.
In addition to donated content from EWB-USA and IEEE-HTN, the Solutions Library will feature solutions from several high-profile NGOs
and academic institutions:
Centre for Technology Alternatives for Rural Areas (CTARA) was established at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay in 1985 for the purpose of responding to the technological needs of rural areas..
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Programs to Support Content and Community Growth
• Partnership development working with local NGOs to articulate challenges and with universities to advance curriculum, student projects and ventures for social impact
• Expand E4C’s reach with greater information access and communication exchange (e.g. mobile apps and SMS text messaging capability)
• Continue to build an extensive solutions library with cutting-edge search capabilities and expert & user reviews
• Tell the stories of engineers & scientists and their impactful work on humanitarian challenges through articles, videos and podcasts targeting the public and K-12 students and educators
• New E4C programs: conferences, traveling exhibits, standards development and a fellows program
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The E4C Coalition
FOUNDING PARTNERS:
SUPPORTERS:
Join the partnership & be a part of the vision!
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Thank-You.
Questions?
Use the question box on your screen to pose a question.
Contact Information:Iana Aranda, E4C