The Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship (HESE) Program brings together passionate students and faculty from various disciplines across campus to develop innovative and practical technology-based solutions to address compelling global development challenges. For Spring 2015, engagement is via a three-credit effort open to upper-division and graduate students from ALL majors. Lower division students might be able to participate with instructor approval.
Here’s a two minute video capturing the essence of HESE…and here’s a 21-minute TV program.
Students need to sign up for two Engineering Design courses:
– EDSGN 452 (2 credits: Projects in Humanitarian Engineering)
– EDSGN 453 (1 credit: Design for Developing Communities)
Pre-requisite: Fifth semester standing.
(Lower division students with significant community engagement or international travel experience are encouraged to contact the program)
The EDSGN 452 class has three sections:
- Section 1: Essential Design (Mozambique, Sierra Leone): Ventures include Low-cost Greenhouses, Mango Waste Briquetting systems, Mobile Payment Systems, etc. (All Majors Welcome)
- Section 2: Mashavu Telemedicine System (Kenya, Mozambique): Work continues on various aspects of scaling up the Mashavu pre-primary healthcare system in collaboration with the CYEC, Kenyan and Mozambican Ministry of Health and UNICEF. (All Majors Welcome)
- Section 3: Mashavu Biomedical Devices (Kenya, Mozambique): Design and prototyping of low-cost biomedical devices like inkjet-printed test strips for detecting UTIs and Diabetes, 3D-printed prosthetics, etc. (Engineering, Sciences, Design preferred)
This is a rigorous and intense integrated learning, research and entrepreneurial engagement experience that requires strong commitment. Multidisciplinary student teams will work on various aspects of research, design, testing and implementation of these ventures in the Spring 2015 semester with (proposed) travel to Kenya and Mozambique for three weeks in May/June. Travel is optional and contingent on successful completion of spring classes, necessary approvals and participation in a half-credit course (EDSGN 454) in the Maymester.
These courses, in concert with classes in Social Entrepreneurship and HESE Reflection and Research Dissemination, count towards the 12.5-credit Certificate in Engineering and Community Engagement, and form the Social Entrepreneurship cluster in the Intercollegiate Minor in Entrepreneurship and Innovation. These courses count as some form of elective for most departments.