As I write my blog for week two, I realize that I feel very different from how I felt at this same time last week. Last week everything was new. The project was new, the team was new, the virtual internship experience was new, everything was new. This week I feel more like a pro. In the past seven days, my teammates and I have dug so much deeper into our project, we have gotten to know each other on a more personal level, and we have figured out how to do virtual meeting that work best for us.

I learned so much this week. While I feel like I understood our project last week, the workshops from the last seven days have helped us to analyze the knitty-gritty aspects of an engineering design project. With this information, I have been able to look more closely at all of the pieces that must come together in order to create a successful product. There were aspects that I hadn’t even considered until the workshop highlighted its importance in the process.

The week started with a workshop by Dr. Wettergreen from the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen at Rice. We gave him a brief presentation on our project which highlighted the current prototype, the areas for improvement, our current ideas and solutions, and our design criteria. He gave us quality feedback on both the presentation and on our prototype. During his workshop he highlighted ways to change the framing of your project so that it becomes more manageable and of higher quality for the end user. He also gave us the tools to brainstorm more effectively and to give quality constructive feedback while respecting the effort that another person has put into a project, presentation, etc. Arguably the most important thing that we learned from Dr. Wettergreen was the prototype evaluation. Using this tool, we were able to assess exactly where we were in the design process for each specific aspect of our design. This allowed us to highlight the places where we were confident and moving forward nicely as well as the areas that we were struggling and could use some guidance. The prototype evaluation really set the tone for the rest of the week, as we now knew where we stood in the design process.

“Let’s disinfect masks so that they can be reused” doesn’t initially sound like a very challenging concept. We learned quickly that even when problems do not sound very complicated or difficult, there is a lot that goes into solving the problem. To me, our project quickly went from “not too challenging” to “where in the world do I start.” On Tuesday, we had a workshop with Mr. Repisky of Torc Robotics which went a long way to helping me mentally break down the project. I had never done problem decomposition before, so Mr. Repisky’s workshop taught me quite a lot. We learned how to break down problem or project into manageable chunks that could then be solved. At first, I had trouble seeing how this applied to our project, and our first try at problem decomposition wasn’t the best:

After some consultation with our TAs, watching a YouTube video, and some serious editing, we were able to grasp the idea behind problem decomposition and created a more useful and complete version:

This way we could start thinking about each of the independent functions that go into our design. Instead of thinking about entire solutions, we were able to start brainstorming for specific functions. This allowed me to think outside of the mental box that I had previously been in and really opened up our brainstorming (more on that later).

On Wednesday, Dr. Volz lead a workshop on online presentations and on listening. I really got a lot out of the listening portion of the presentation. Not only could active listening improve my team’s ability to connect with and understand stakeholders, but active listening could also help me to become a better teammate (both on my internship team and on my XC/track team), a better student, and a better leader. Through active listening, I am going to able to connect with my teammates on a much deeper and more personal level.

Thursday focused on Health Disparities and on Brainstorming. There is rarely a discussion on health disparities that isn’t extremely eye-opening for me. To see how the access to healthcare is so skewed both here in the US and abroad is a reminder of the why we are passionate about global health. The brainstorming session was great for our team because we were able to use the problem functions that we had defined earlier in the week as separate boxes in which to brainstorm. This kept us from having one ideal prototype in mind that would constrict our creativity. We came up with many ideas, including quite a few new concepts that we hadn’t discussed before. This helped us to further think about the specific parts of our prototype and the work that needed to be done on each part in order for a prototype to match our ideal solution.

Friday was all about the stakeholder. I don’t think I had realized how important stakeholders are in the engineering design process until Dr. Gobin gave this workshop. There were so many aspects of stakeholder relations that I had never considered. Not only is the product/design going to affect many people, but many people/organizations/regulations/etc. are going to affect the product/design. I also learned quite a bit about prioritizing stakeholders which helped us to create a stakeholder map. This way we are able to see how much of an effect each stakeholder is going to have on the project and how much we need to emphasize designing a product that caters to that stakeholder’s needs.

Throughout this week, my team got 100x closer. After each team meeting, we would chat for up to an hour or two. We got to know each other a lot more closely in this past week. We talked about everything from the school systems in the US and Malawi to our favorite music artists. We played a team bonding game on Saturday which tested how well we knew our teammates and for the most part we were spot on! It is such a joy to be working on these projects with these teammates and I honestly enjoy each and every team meeting, work session, and friendly chat that we have. I can’t believe that the first 1/3 of the internship is already over. That being said, I’m excited for the next month! I can’t wait to see what it holds.

 

-Andrew 🙂

Hello! Muli Bwanji!

As I reflect over this past week, I realize just how quickly the internship has been flying by. I have been learning SO much about my team, our devices and the context of our problem space, and the design process through the ongoing workshops, team meetings, and research. Of course, all of this has been made possible through the support of my teammates, the wonderful TA’s and mentors, and the entire Rice 360 team.

On Monday, we had a visit from Dr. Wettergreen, where we presented our devices and project status and received very insightful feedback. Dr. Wettergreen also gave us a few toolkits to strengthen our design and feedback process. Something I found very valuable was the idea of “Focus on Function First”. To expand on this further, the goal of our device is not to solve the problem, but to gain momentum to continue working on the prototype using readily available material. Framing our design process in this way made it seem so much more digestible and conducive to the iterative process given the somewhat limited scope that we have. We also did an exercise called “I like”/ “I wish”, where we were divided into breakout rooms and provided constructive feedback by highlighting both the positive aspects of the device, as well as aspects of the device that can be further worked on. I really enjoyed how we were able to interact with people from other teams and work on their device—it was really great to be able to learn more about their projects and hear about their perspectives. I think that beyond design, “I like”/”I wish” has so much applicability to general life—this is definitely something I would encourage everyone to try in giving feedback.

Later in the week, we had a workshop led by Phil Repisky that focused on problem decomposition, which is basically breaking down the components of our devices and its problem space into its essential components. We also learned about stakeholder communication from Dr. Tracy Volz, especially the principle of active listening. I really enjoyed the “Listening Assessment” we completed, as it pointed out a lot of areas that I can improve on in communication. Listening is so fundamental to any teamwork and collaboration we complete in global health, so it was an invaluable learning opportunity.

Thursday’s workshop was definitely my favorite of the week. The first half focused on the intersections of our work in global health with the Black Lives Matter movement, and specifically on health disparities that often afflict Black people worldwide. This is an area I am super passionate about and it was especially enlightening to hear the perspectives of the Malawian members of our community in discussing global health disparities. I feel like I learned so much and was really able to contextualize how important the work that we do is. I would encourage everyone to check out this website and explore the various disparities that may exist in their communities. The second half of our workshop on Thursday was focused on brainstorming. I really enjoyed this exercise—we kind of had the space to independently explore our own ideas but were really able to come together as a group and strengthen each other’s ideas. It really highlighted how valuable everyone’s perspective and contribution is to the team!

After the brainstorming session and the various workshops and research conducted over the week, there are a few focus areas for each of our devices:

Walk-through decontamination unit: From some of the feedback we have received, we think it is really important to consider the ease of use of our device, as it may not be necessarily be very intuitive to stand in a tunnel for 10 seconds as a disinfectant sprays out. Instead, we are considering various shapes of design for the tunnel, as well as different conceptions for the length/width of the tunnel, and other measures such as implementing a noise/visual sign to alert users of when they are decontaminated. We are also looking into the best chemicals to use for the disinfectant—among others, we are considering Sodium Hypochlorite and Hydrogen Peroxide.

Hands-free sanitation station: We are primarily looking at ways to cut down on the power use in the device, perhaps by removing the Arduino nano or potentially by being able to power off some parts of the device when they are not in use. We are also working on ways to really highlight the hands-free nature of the device, whether that is via a sign or some other method we have yet to think of.

 

We ended the week off with a worship led by Dr. Gobin on stakeholders and systems. We learned about the various levels and kinds of stakeholders that are involved in producing global health technologies. Our team’s stakeholder map ended up being so much larger and more intricate than I could have imagined starting off. It really put into scope how many people are invested in the success of this project and how many lives this has the potential of affecting. Friday was also Juneteenth, a holiday that marks the emancipation of slaves in Texas. After our workshop, I was able to attend a few of the lectures from the Juneteenth series being hosted by Rice. It was so interesting to learn more about the history of this holiday, especially in light of the Black Lives Matter discussion we just had.

Over the weekend, we had a bit of team bonding. I had so much fun learning some more about my teammates. We played a game where we guessed everyone’s responses to various questions—from our favorite colors, animals, movies, snacks, and other ~extremely~ important thing. It was so nice to be able to learn a bit more about my teammates. I was even able to learn how to say “Hi” in Chichiwe, “Muli Bwanji”—I was told I sound like a native (although I think my teammates may have just been flattering me 😊).

Over this past week, I have learned a tremendous amount about our devices, their problem space,  various tools to use in the design process, communication, stakeholders, and so much more. I have to say, my favorite part of the week has been getting to know my teammates better and really starting to come together. I am so excited to build on the progress we have made this week and continue learning and growing together throughout the rest of the internship!

Signing Off,

Sana

 

This week of the internship has extremely helpful in expanding our understanding of the issue we are trying to address. Previously, I, along with many others, had been looking at the prototypes we had been tasked with, the Walk-Through Decontamination Unit and Hand Washing Station, as a very 2D issue. (See images of both of our prototypes below) We were to evaluate the prototype with one mission in mind: to make sure it fits the design requirements mentioned by the design studios. However, as this week progressed, we were introduced to the ideas of Problem Decomposition and Stakeholder considerations.

First off, each problem was made of a multitude of moving parts, and each part needs to be considered before finding an appropriate solution. It is important to consider all the critical desired functions of the device and determine whether the current prototype has done a reasonable job of addressing them. I found this approach of thinking to be extremely interesting and helpful, as it allowed me to consider each function of the device independently and determine if that function was being performed adequately. The purpose of evaluating a prototype isn’t just about considering the prototype as a whole, and whether or not it gets the job done, it is considering each part and function of the prototype and considering if, given the design constraints, each part is doing what you want it to do.

My group’s stakeholder map was much larger than I had originally imagined. When one first thinks of stakeholders, they usually think of the end-users of the device. However, this isn’t the full picture. Stakeholders can range from manufacturers, policymakers, investors, and suppliers in addition to the end-users. This understanding of our devices’ stakeholders will be beneficial when we move onto stakeholder interviews in the coming weeks.

As someone who is passionate about Global Health, I found the workshop of health disparities to be quite interesting. Many people within the States think the existence of such disparities is a far-off thought common in other areas of the world. However, as shown by the Opportunity Atlas, this thought is untrue. Throughout the workshop, we got the opportunity to look at the statistics of our own hometowns, and it was shocking how much the statistics could change from even one side of the street from the other. A significant part of this apparent disparity chasm was socioeconomic factors (race, gender, and income). I had, in part, been aware of the prevalence of these disparities, but how widely the statistics varied from neighborhood to neighborhood surprised me.

Week two ended with a fun get together with the rest of my team. Earlier in the week, our TAs’ had sent out a survey, asking us questions about our favorite animals, what superpower we would want, and beyond. Going into this meeting, I was excited, but a little bit nervous about having to guess who had put what. My group has gotten to know each other pretty well over the past few weeks, but the topic of superpowers hadn’t come up in our previous conversations. In case you’re wondering, I would like the superpower of being able to understand and speak any language. I feel like this superpower could be very useful during travel and allow me to understand other cultures better. Despite this worry, my team had a great time, and we actually did pretty well at guessing who had put what, and it opened all kinds of other conversations. I’m really looking forward to getting to know them all a lot better over these next few weeks.

Signing off,

Kaitlyn

As I sit at my kitchen table, taking a break from today’s Father’s Day festivities and reflecting on the week, I’m starting to appreciate the virtual nature of the internship. While I would love to be in Malawi right now, there’s part of me that is happy I can share my experiences with my family each day at dinner, and can take a break from work by playing a Father’s Day badminton tournament. My dad asked me a few days ago what this week entailed, and when I thought about that, I realized how much work our team got done this week. 

We started off the week with a workshop on prototyping advice from Dr. Wettergreen, a professor at the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen at Rice. His work was really insightful for our group, and made us think more critically about the prototypes we had. By filling out the prototype evaluations, we realized the basic functions that the devices must satisfy, and whether they currently meet them. 

For the UVC sterilization system (arguably the prototype that is currently the most challenging for us to improve), we found that the main concerns lie in testing the effectiveness of the system. While a lot of the basic functions are certainly met in theory, like disinfection while maintaining the proper filtration on the masks, our team felt it was necessary to do more evaluation to show that the system truly works. We threw around a lot of ideas at this point for how to go about proving that the system truly disinfects the masks. Literature currently says that UVC rays kill the COVID-19 virus, but how do we know that this particular system does too?  Additionally, we want to implement a test to show that after disinfection, the mask filters still function properly and filter out the necessary aerosol particles. This seemed like a daunting task, as we felt that a lot of the tools we needed to complete these tests would cost a lot of money, and cost is already a concern with this system. 

As for the face shields, our second prototype, I did think our team had a good grasp on the drawbacks of the current technology — the materials used. The underlying concern with the current foam-based prototype is that it’s not easily disinfected. However, clinicians love these shields because they’re so comfortable. Do we replace the foam, and find a different material? Or do we stick with the foam, but find an innovative way to reuse the materials? We again tried to spew out as many ideas as we could, and the focus of the next day’s workshop was a major help in that: problem decomposition. 

Although I am familiar with the engineering design process, problem decomposition was something I hadn’t been exposed to before. In theory this is quite simple; breaking down a big problem into more tractable smaller pieces and functions.  In practice, though, it was much harder than I thought. We started by defining our inputs (the users) and the outputs (the end goal of the technology). Then, we created a user flowchart, and using that, generated a few main mechanisms that each technology had to satisfy. Based on those mechanisms, the team finally started brainstorming prototype improvements.

Honestly, by now, we had already bounced around so many ideas that a lot of our ideas were incredibly similar. However, my favorite part of brainstorming, always, is hearing the “out there” ideas from team members. It prompts a lot of great thinking, but I also think it makes the process a lot more fun and engaging for all members. Plus, brainstorming lets the creative parts of ourselves go wild, which is always exciting. One highlight from our brainstorming was when we came up with a cheap smell test to prove that the disinfected N95 masks will still filter particles effectively — if a smelly chemical is sprayed near a person wearing an N95 mask and that person cannot smell the chemical, then the mask filters effectively!

As a whole, I learned so much this week, and I truly feel like I have a much better understanding about each of the two technologies. On a more personal note, some of my favorite moments this week come from our team’s daily end-of-meeting hangout sessions. We all turn on our videos, stop screen sharing documents with our research, and just talk about our days. On Friday we all talked for an hour about our favorite musicians, and started sending each other song recommendations (we’re toying with the idea of creating a joint Spotify playlist!) — it was super cool to see the different music from totally different cultures, like local Malawian music, Spanish music, and English music. All this bonding has clearly paid off, as seen when we killed it during the “fun facts” game the TAs set up this Saturday. Favorite colors, hidden talents, spirit animals — it was all covered, and we all (in my opinion) guessed each other’s answers pretty well!

It’s hard to believe the internship is already a third of the way through, but I’m so excited for the coming weeks. My team is awesome, the projects are so timely and interesting, and the workshops are really educational. Mostly, though, I can’t wait for more Team PPE end-of-meeting hangouts. 

-Bhavya 🙂

My name is Andrew Abikhaled and I am an intern from Rice. I am a Neuroscience major on the Premed track minoring in Global Health Technologies, Business, and (probably) Biochemistry & Cell Biology. I am very energetic, and I love doing anything outside. I also love to run and am on the Cross Country and Track & Field Teams at Rice.

Okay so enough about me and more about the internship experience:

I came into the internship excited yet nervous. I could not wait to meet my team. I knew that meeting them on Zoom was not going to be quite as special as meeting them in person, but that didn’t change the fact that we were going to spend 6 weeks working toward the same common goal. I was also looking forward to doing something productive that I felt would actually mean something in the grand scheme of the coronavirus pandemic. However, I was still a bit apprehensive. Due to the circumstances, my teammates and I would not be spending hours a day at the sign studio, but rather hours a day in front of our computers. Like I mentioned above, I am a very energetic person, so that did not sound very enticing. Secondly, I had convinced myself that I was not going to be as valuable of a team member as some of my peers because I am not an engineer. Reality rarely mimics expectations, and the first week of the internship proved this once again.

 

Meeting my teammates on Zoom the first day was difficult due to connection issues. However, after the first day’s workshop, we all met on a WhatApp call. Less than a week later I can already tell that this is going to be a great couple of weeks. My teammates are engaging, fun, funny, kind, and very intelligent. After we get our work done for the day in our group meetings, we do a video chat to get to know each other better and talk about our lives. Each one of my teammates is interesting and unique, and we have a host of different experiences that we share with each other. I couldn’t have asked for a better team.

My initial reaction when the Rice 360 internship got cancelled was that I was no longer going to be able to really make a difference (pardon the cliche) this summer. Hope was restored when I learned that the internship was going virtual, but I asked myself, “How much of a difference can I really make from behind a computer screen?” The evidence from the first week of this internship: quite a lot actually. With all that is going on in our world right now, it is an amazing experience to connect with people of all different backgrounds and areas of study to tackle a pandemic that is affecting each and every one of us. I no longer feel like a bystander who is watching this whole thing happen, but rather an active participant who is trying to mitigate the effects.

Zoom can be a blessing and a curse. While it is difficult to interact in the same way that one normally would in person, Zoom also allows me to stand up, stretch, and do jumping jacks during workshops and meetings. This would not normally be socially acceptable, but nobody can see me so I think I’m off the hook. It’s also a good thing that the workshops are extremely engaging and interactive. The Rice 360 Education Team has done an incredible job of making sure that we learn from the resources available to us through these interactive sessions. There are still times when I have to get out some energy, but that allows me to continue to focus on the task at hand and makes sitting in front of the computer just a little better. I just hope I don’t accidentally leave my camera on one of these days.

Going into the internship, I doubted my ability to contribute to a team as much as others. I mean, the word “engineering” is 50% of the phrase “engineering design.” My teammates are intimidatingly smart. They are studying bioengineering, computer science/engineering, materials engineering, electronics, and many other things that I could not begin to understand. That being said, I still feel like I contribute my fair share to the group. I am able to provide a non-engineering perspective and think creatively to solve the problems in front of us. It has yet to be seen if I become less useful later on in the internship, but I am committed to not letting that happen. My teammates also have made my opinion feel valued, so I am confident that my area of study does not take away from my contribution nor will it as the internship moves on.

 

This is going to be a great few weeks. The people? Incredible. The projects? Impactful. The workshops? Engaging.

I can’t wait for what the next few weeks hold.

One week ago, I didn’t really have an idea how a virtual setting for an international workgroup would work. In my head, a design team comes together at a table, tackling issues and brainstorming concepts. Quite frankly, that was what my experience in the past had been. Entering this internship, I knew that I would have to reimagine that image and hone in on what it means to be a team.

After this week, I have been pleasantly surprised and impressed at how we have all come together—both as individual project teams and as the 2020 Rice 360 cohort—to really come to a ‘virtual’ roundtable. The zeal and the passion is 100% there. Every time my team and I get together, it is a space which we truly learn and innovate all at once, with one another. The innovation isn’t all about the design projects either. In fact, it comes through in how we innovate the collaborative element of this virtual space. Week one has taught me lesson #1 in team building: Adaptation is not just in the project, it also comes in how we break down the barriers before us.

The next lesson I learned came from the projects and my teammates themselves. My wonderful teammates, Brenald, Kaitlyn, Sana, and Mwayi are working alongside me on two devices that are to help prevent infections in public spaces in Malawi. One is a walk-through decontamination unit. The other one is a touch-free hand sanitizer dispenser.

 

Check out some of these concepts of decontamination units!

 

As someone dedicated to establish initiatives in public health, I foresee how important it is to implement these devices in public spaces. The availability of user-friendly disinfection devices is paramount especially with the circumstances surrounding COVID-19. What’s even more important is that they are scaled up easily, and cost effectively for production soon.  I am not going to lie when I say that I am nervous about being entrusted to innovate on these devices. As a non-engineering major, I always fear that I don’t have enough technical skill or knowledge to tackle designs involving electronic or mechanical components. I do however have a very supportive team and TA’s who support me in discovering how I can contribute my skills. Also, it’s just been super cool to be learning the more technical elements of design. Overall, I have surprised myself at how I have been able to develop questions and brainstorm on the designs themselves. Again, thanks to my TA’s, teammates and also the faculty mentors for guiding me and providing encouragement for me to quell my anxieties about contributing as a non-engineer. I have learned (lesson #2) how to really approach a problem from different angles than I am used to while still applying the same basic principles that I generally use when evaluating social issues.

Week one has been a great adventure. Diving right into the design process is helping me understand that the possibilities for our prototypes are endless. I think this also applies to a lot of the more abstract problems our world continues to face. The ways to combat COVID-19 itself could come in many forms and require many different people to come together from varying angles and areas of expertise.

 

I look forward to the week ahead and cannot wait for how my team and I will grow!

 

–Krystal

As the internship officially kicks off, I am filled with excitement and trepidation all at once. The stakes feel even more heightened because we are navigating uncharted territory with a *virtual* global health internship. Prior to the start of the internship, I immersed myself in learning about the context of COVID-19 in Malawi, the principles and history of the Rice 360° Institute, and various global health challenges. I was also able to explore some ethical issues that can arise when conducting cross-cultural work, diving into concepts such as cultural humility and responsiveness. I am a huge fan of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, so it was great to hear from her on the “danger of a single story”—this video points to the need for more nuance in how we discuss people and communities and frame the issues they may face. Growing up, especially as a person of African descent, I was hyperaware of only one story of Africa—that of despair and poverty. However, I know that the true stor(ies) of Africa include hope, entrepreneurship, innovation, and unbridled potential.

On the first day of the internship, after some long anticipation, our teams were finally revealed. I am in Team “Infection Prevention” with interns Krystal, Kaitlyn, Mwayi, and Brenald, along with our TA’s Ben, Aubrey, and Chisomo. It is wonderful to see such a diverse group of people—from different countries, backgrounds, academic interests, and experiences—come together for the same mission. I can honestly say that this is genuinely a once in a lifetime opportunity–we will truly be able to explore the depths of human ingenuity and creativity this summer as we stay connected across time zones and continents.

A few of the interns taking part in the Rice 360 program from California, Florida (hello!!), Blantyre, and Phalombe—as an intern cohort, we are spread out over 4 time zones and across 2 countries.

Throughout the rest of the week, we dove headfirst into learning about our assigned technologies. After conducting some preliminary research and looking through some photos from the design studio, we were able to gain a more in-depth description of the devices and potential areas of focus from the studio managers, Hillary and Will, who provided valuable expertise:

 

The first of our devices is a disinfection unit (right). The idea for this is to provide a walk-through device that sprays disinfectant on users as they pass by in public spaces that experience high levels of human traffic, such as markets. This is meant to disinfect areas of the body that are not traditionally reached via normal hand washing.

 

The second of our devices is a hands-free sanitation station (left). The idea for this is to increase touch-free disinfection practices in high-volume public areas and hospitals.

 

Later in the week, we attended a workshop prepared by two of our wonderful TAs, Alex and Nimisha, on human-centered design. This was an interesting concept that really grounds how the work we do is not focused on abstract devices, but the people and communities who will use these devices. On Friday, a few members of the Rice 360° Tech Team visited to present on the innovative devices they are working on and provide us with their insights. Christina, who is working on the “Kasupe Syringe Pump” as a Global Health Fellow, joined our team in the break-out room to provide us with feedback on both our device prototypes and our presentation. She brought up so many great points that we noted and hope to further explore.

As the first week of the internship officially wraps up, I have been reflecting on what I hope to get out of my experiences this summer. I have outlined a few goals below:

• Immerse myself in a different culture and establish meaningful connections: Given the virtual setting of the internship, this might be difficult, but I am fully committed to getting to know everyone on my team, the backgrounds and experiences that shape them, and gain a greater understanding of cultural contexts in global health research.
• Become more confident in my own abilities: As a non-engineer, it can often feel like I do not have the sufficient technical knowledge or skills to meaningfully contribute to a design team—but I am hoping to challenge this notion, dive headfirst into the engineering design process, and bring my own perspective to the team.
• Be comfortable with uncertainty: Even ordinarily, working on a global health challenge will  present unforeseen challenges. I am excited to frame these challenges as opportunities for exploration, innovation, and solutions.

Witnessing the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic and its ensuing devastating health, social, and economic consequences has affirmed my commitment to public and global health. I am even more grateful to the Rice 360˚ team, our partnership with Malawi Polytechnic Institute and Malawi University of Science and Technology, all of the donors who made this possible, and all of the hard work and dedication that went into making this program what it is. I am thrilled to be able to participate in such a cross-cultural, meaningful, and innovative project. Thank you! I am so excited to go through this journey and share my experiences with you.

Until next time,

Sana

Hello friend! My name is Austin, and I’m a rising senior from Hanszen College studying Bioengineering with a Medical Humanities minor. Through my courses, I have had the opportunity to go through the engineering design process, collaborate with teammates from various backgrounds, and learn the technical skills to create a product. During my time at Rice, I have put together an optical immunoassay, pulse oximeter, and more notably a training model for oral cancer screenings in collaboration with MD Anderson Cancer Center. When I’m not on the 6th floor of Fondren Library watching The 100 (instead of studying) or Texas Children’s Hospital (conducting translational research), I’m probably in the kitchen! I love to try new recipes and, just recently, started a a new series that I call “One Week, One Dish,” where I pick one entree suggested by friends and make it in my kitchen! In addition to taking you along my “foodie” journey (pics will be included!), I also hope to give you an insider’s view on my take of the internship.

On the first day of our internship, our team assignments were announced. I, along with my teammates Chiku, Lauren, and Ruth,  were placed on two projects around the theme of ‘Distancing Devices.’ When I first heard this, I was full of excitement. As someone who was born and raised in the Bay Area, I had already heard the saddening stories of family and friends who were significantly affected by Covid-19, whether it was being laid off or, in the unfortunate case, contracting the virus itself. I was frustrated that all I could do for them was listen to their troubles and hope for the pandemic to be over. But, with this internship, I was given a chance to leverage my unique engineering background (3D Printing, Fusion360, Electrical Engineering, and Engineering Design) to serve the interests of public health and frontline care provided in hospitals.

Project 1 – Intubation Box (aka aerosol box)

Context – The first iteration of the intubation box was designed by Dr. Hsein Yung Lai, a Taiwan anesthesiologist, and used during endotracheal intubation and throughout surgery. The importance of this, however, is that it allows the provider to freely move their arms while remaining protected from the patient’s airway, where viral particles are released into the surrounding air. Typically, if we’re talking about an ideal setting (rich with resources), a powered air-purifying respirator would be used; but with the current shortage of supplies, our team, Rice360, and the clinicians in Malawi believe that intubation boxes may be the next best solution that can provide our frontline physicians with a degree of protection.

When our team first saw this video of an intubation being performed on a model, we started to ask a few questions – How many intubations would be performed in a typical day? By what % does the intubation box reduce infection? What features should we prioritize in our design?

It soon became apparent that ergonomics and safety should be considered with this prototype. The image, as representative as it is, shows a physician hunched over to perform an intubation, through holes that may not be the exact fit to his arms (causing some leakage). Don’t take me the wrong way, I’m not saying that intubation box is outright bad, but actually quite the opposite. I think the current design is a phenomenal first step to better protecting our frontline, and we can only continue to improve and expand on it from here! Just imagine how sore his back would be at the end of a long day after maybe 30 similar procedures. Our team has some ideas to address these existing limitations, but you’ll just have to wait until my next blog post to find out what they are!

I would love to hear some of the projects that you (the reader) are working on and what you think can be improved. Please reach out to me at ah53@rice.edu!

Project 2 – Contactless Temperature Monitor

Context – As the pandemic continues, there’s an increasing need for public health measures to not only track and limit spread of the virus, but also identify the infected from the healthy. One of these measures includes temperature checkpoints, where individuals may be evaluated for a fever (a common symptom of Covid-19). But, this is not a perfect solution; there could be asymptomatic carriers and even confounding factors such fever-reducing medication that dodge detection. However, it is STILL a step towards prevention. Contactless temperature monitors eliminate physical contact and reduce the risk of infection (that’s great!) BUT can be expensive and in limited supply.

The first concern that was brought to our team’s attention was the limited amount of electrical hardware that were available in Malawi. Ordering components was an incredibly frustrating and long process – by the time a standard part of contactless temperature monitors was ordered, the business would either be out of stock OR the component would arrive 2-3 weeks later. This was a huge challenge that I was not accustomed to, having lived in the U.S. with Amazon Prime’s 2-day shipping or a short drive to Fry’s Electronics. The limited access to resources didn’t also just affect our timeline, but it also affected the effectiveness of our prototype. The current version needed some tweaking to the IR sensor (needs to be sensitive enough to acquire a signal!) and processing it (amplifying the signal so that it is detectable by a processor and filtered so only the valuable information is read!). It’s going to be difficult process, but I’m confident that my team will make strides in coming up with a solution. Stayed tuned to find out what we think of next!

Personal Comments – After 5 long days of working hard and becoming oriented to our projects, it was finally nice to talk about normal topics like our interests, viewpoints, and community (over a shared meal on Zoom!). Chikumbutso, apparently, had a green thumb (a hidden talent for gardening) while Ruth had a way with dance moves. Yet, all of us were very invested in a contested debate of what was better: dog or cats? During this time, we talked about many things, but the ones that I remember the most are about how Covid-19 had affected us and our community… and also how politics/government significantly determined public response. I was also surprised to hear that given the current Black Lives Matter movement and COVID-19 measures, “nearly everyone [in other countries] follows the news on the U.S.” since I had only ever seen U.S. news on TV. It made me wonder if the U.S., in a way, is too centered on itself? Food for thought.

Signing off,

Austin

Hello! Welcome to my blog, where I will be documenting my experience working with interns in Malawi in this virtual Rice 360 Summer Internship. Before jumping into the blog, I feel like I should first introduce myself. I’m Bhavya Gopinath, a rising junior at Rice University. I live at Wiess College, where I serve as assistant treasurer, and I am also part of the Rice newspaper, the Thresher. In my free time, you can find me hanging out with my friends or procrastinating by binging the most recent Netflix series (I try not to!). I’m majoring in bioengineering, with a minor in global health technologies. I’ve worked on different projects over the years, such as a capture assay to detect microbiological disease babesiosis, as well as an anal cancer screening teaching model. Through these projects, I’ve found that I really love the design process, so I’m really thrilled to have this internship opportunity. 

Right before the United States started to reckon with the grim reality of coronavirus, I was preparing for an entirely different summer. I was already starting to think about the essentials I’d need for Malawi when Rice announced its decision to shut down. I moved back in with my parents right after spring break. Living in New York, an epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic in the United States, I’ve seen the statistics and numbers of COVID-related deaths slowly climb in my hometown. I’ve seen family friends who are doctors in the city complaining about the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), like masks and face shields, that are available. Joining this internship has made me think of this pandemic on the global scale that it is—  if New York has this many issues with resource allocation in a dense environment filled with medical care, how is it in places like Malawi? 

On the first day of the internship, our team assignments were announced, and I was placed on Team PPE! I was thrilled to work with the team, but I also couldn’t wait to work on these prototypes — a unique and amazing part of this internship to me is that all these prototypes are COVID-specific and directly applicable to the current world climate. I have three other team members — Andrew from Rice University, Carolyn from Malawi Polytechnic University (Poly), and Yankholanga from the Malawi University of Science and Technology (MUST). They all are super kind and passionate about the project, and I’m really excited to get to know them more over the next few weeks! 

There are two projects we are focusing on — the first, developed at Poly, is a UVC light disinfection system to sterilize N95 masks for clinicians to reuse. Since normally these masks are single-use and disposable, UVC sterilization systems can make masks reusable for almost five uses. The prototype is extremely promising, but it’s still very expensive, so our team is considering ways to make the device (which usually fills a room) smaller such that there won’t be as many expensive UVC lamps needed in the design. The second prototype we are hoping to develop is a reusable face shield — a shield that can be mass-produced and made out of resources commonly available, while also being comfortable for clinician use. Trying to find materials that are soft on the face and comfortable but also reusable and easy to mass-produce has already been a major challenge and problem that we hope to address. Additionally, especially with our workshops this week on human-centered design, we want to make the prototypes as user-friendly as possible for clinicians. 

At Rice, I had only worked on designing basic, initial device prototypes from the ground-up through two different design projects. But with this internship, I now see and appreciate the nuances of developing initial prototypes and then focusing on making them cost-effective for mass production and use in developing countries. Researching and working with my team this past week, though, has also made me realize how reliant on technology I have become — how reliant everybody has become. I’ve become used to having classes and meetings while I’m sitting on my bed with the background sounds of my sister’s, mom’s, and dad’s own respective Zoom calls. Even in this first week of the internship, the importance of technology and WiFi, as well as its problems, have been amplified. On the first day, my teammates and I struggled for about an hour to get everybody on the same call with a strong enough network. It was only three days into the internship where my teammates and I could find a time to video call each other. 

Despite these challenges, I can already feel our team become closer individually, and I’m sure that will only continue! Meeting the team, the TAs, and the faculty members have been really special. I feel really lucky to be learning from and working alongside all these amazing, talented people. I’m so excited to see where this project goes, and I’m looking forward to talking more with different clinicians and stakeholders next week to get their thoughts about improving our prototypes! I really want to make sure to take in this experience, ask as many questions as possible, gain more confidence in my ability to develop these devices, and of course develop close friendships with my teammates and the other interns. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for the next five weeks!  

– Bhavya 🙂