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 🙂

This week has been a great start to the internship!

I was a little nervous at first, unsure how this previously very in-person interaction internship was going to be online, but the Internship directors have done a great job. The week started off with the assignment of our teams and descriptions of the prototypes we would be evaluating for the next two weeks. I was very excited to get assigned to the infection prevention team, with the prototypes of a Walk-Through Decontamination Unit and a Handwashing Station as I have had some previous experience in working on infection prevention devices through my Rice coursework. With device assigned and thoughts underway about the prototyping direction, we were released to our team’s breakout rooms. Once there, our TA led us through a variety of getting to know you activities that touched on not only us as a person but our communication and teamwork preferences as well. I felt like this was a great exercise, as it helped to figure out some of the group dynamics and introduced us pretty well to each other, despite not getting to meet in person. By the end of this meeting, everyone was very much anticipating the technology presentation the following day that would explain the specifics of what we are to look for in the prototypes.

As the daily meeting went on, our understanding of the prototypes we were evaluating expanded drastically. The projects we had been pondering about the night before sprung into life, and we began our research to get a better understanding of the context and potential areas for improvement. The area of most interest to me for the Decontamination Unit was the selection of which chemical compound to be sprayed. I found myself embedded in looking up previously used chemicals for similar circumstances and the relative toxicities and hazards of them. The key question being what chemical would be safe for human contact while also having a high enough concentration to kill the virus. My favorite prototype though would have to be the Hand Washing Station. I had worked on a similar project this past semester in a design class and it was quite interesting to see how another group had responded to a similar issue with a different implementation area in mind. I really look forward to extending my overall knowledge of infection prevention over the course of this internship.

The workshop on Thursday touched on an area of design that I had never really previously been aware of: human-centered design. In previous design projects, the experience of users had been considered, but never in the frame of mind of human-centered design. Human-centered design is a problem-solving approach that makes sure to involve the human perspective in all parts of the design process. I feel like this strategy will be of great help moving forwards, both in this internship and in future design projects.

Thursday after class, my design group had a Zoom call to discuss the upcoming presentation on Friday. While the main focus of the call was on the presentation, it also gave us the opportunity to get to know each other in a less structured setting. We shared aspects of our own lives and cultures and just overall got a better sense of group members as a person, not just a name.

Friday. The day of much anticipation. I had volunteered to be the person in my group to present the Walk-Through Disinfection Unit and was kind of nervous because I’m not a huge fan of public speaking. While I knew it would be stressful, I also knew it would be a great learning opportunity for the many future engineering design and prototype presentations that are sure to come up over the course of my undergraduate and further education. When it was time to present, I was nervous but I surprisingly found myself quite excited for the opportunity to speak about something that I was passionate about. Signing off now, with another presentation on the horizon, I really enjoyed the first week, and can’t wait to see what the rest of the internship will hold.

Hello everyone,

Its almost the end of week 5 of SEED. This week has been the most exciting and exhausting week to me so far. But let me tell you how i finished off last week first.

Last week was pretty short because of the 4th of July celebration. We ended up blogging on Wednesday. After blogging, we all met up at 18:45 to head to the BBVA stadium to watch a soccer game between the Houston dynamos and the New Red Bulls. It was an exciting game. The Dynamos took the win in the end after scoring four goals and the Red Bulls scoring none. The one dollar hot dogs that were sold at the stadium even made the game more exciting. After the game, there was fireworks. Lots and lots of fireworks. It was  a glorious experience. I have never see so many fireworks in my life. The dynamos win and the fireworks were a perfect way to begin the long weekend.

The SEED teams after the game(left) and that’s me in midst of cheering after the second goal was scored(right)

Independence Celebration

On Friday, we drove to Dallas where we had a Malawian themed dinner to celebrate of the Malawian independence. We met so many people. It was really nice to spend some time to talk about some things about home. There was food, drinks and music. we danced till dawn. On Saturday, we had a soccer game between the Malawians in Houston against those in Dallas. The Houston team won.In the evening, we had a bar barque where we met so many people who inspired and motivated us to always strive for greatness.

At the Malawian Independence Dinner

 

On Sunday, we had a prototyping session from 4 pm to 8 pm. This is where we finished off the medium fidelity prototype and put 50 pounds of weights on it. This is  to simulate the amount of weight that will be applied by the camper when sitting on the chair. We hang it up and left it over night.

Monday, July 8. 

In the morning, we had a meeting with Dr Hunter and Dr wettergreen. They encouraged us to shift from the rigid chair design that we had been focusing on to something more flexible, just like the petzl triangle that is currently used at the camp. From the meeting, we went straight into prototyping. The main idea is to design something that will have some features of a rigid chair design and the petzl triangle.

We managed to make the low fidelity prototype for this new design. The main problem we had was that this felt like we are starting all over again. This is because most of the research we made was concerning the rigid chair design. But in the end we did some more research on hammock chair designs and made some detailed drawings for our full scale medium fidelity prototype.

A picture of the the second low fidelity prototype.

 

 

Tuesday, July 9

In the morning, we went ahead to make the medium fidelity prototype. We cut out some nylon fabric and made some pockets in the sides. These pockets would accommodate the wooden rods that would provide structural support to the design.

We managed to finish this medium fidelity prototype in the afternoon and had Dr wettergreen sit in it and give us his views. We noted down the strengths and the weaknesses of this design.

In completion of this medium fidelity prototype we faced a lot of problems with the sewing. First of all, we had challenges to set up the machine and had to get assistance from grant and adulfor. Another problem was that only one member of the team knew how to sew. This was a problem because the majority of this new approach required sewing. For the team to finish everything in time ,we needed everyone to be good at sewing. Due to this, each member had to learn how use the sewing machine.

 

and that’s the story about how i learnt how to use a sewing machine.

A picture of the first medium fidelity prototype.

Dr wettergreen testing the medium fidelity prototype.

Wednesday, July  10

In the morning, we worked on improving the medium fidelity prototype. We noted down the weaknesses and strengths of the design. After that, alexus and i together with Dr Hunter to a buy some more fabric for prototyping. Chisomo and Andrew were learning more about sewing patterns and techniques at this time. From the shop, we cut out the fabric and started making the second Medium fidelity prototype. We managed to finish it in the afternoon.

A picture of the second low fidelity prototype made out of muslin fabric.

This prototype had a wider seat and back support compared to the first one. We had one of the members of the team sit in the design for testing but it tore off.

Thursday, July 11

In the morning, we cut out the fabric with the purpose creating another prototype exactly the same as the second low fidelity prototype. We agreed to make the stitches stronger so that it does not tear off this time. We also decided to make another prototype with a wider seat and a narrow back support. We are still working on these prototypes and hopefully you will see them by next week.

We were unable to get the prototypes finished because all the sewing machines were not working. Dr hunter and Grant spent more than 30 minutes tying to fix the machines. As this was happening, our team decided to sew some parts of the design by hand. Only Chisomo knew how to sew by hand. she had to teach everyone to sew by hand.

These sewing problems have really slowed down the whole prototyping process this week but we got one machine fixed so we are all good now. On the other hand, these problems have made us learn how to sew both on the machine and by hands.

These past days have been so hectic.I could not find a window for my laser cutting project. I plan to do it tomorrow  though and you will hopefully see it on Monday.

 

 

Hello everyone,

Before i jump into this weeks happenings, let me briefly tell you how we finished the third week of SEED. On Friday, we had the morning meetings as usual and went on to the Pugh screening to obtain the best brainstormed ideas. We then did the Pugh scoring in the afternoon. Honestly, scoring the ideas was really hard because most of the ideas were kinda similar. Despite the similarities, we managed to score the brainstormed ideas in terms of comfort and support, Range of motion and durability. It took us so much time that we were unable to finish everything. We decided to finish up the next Monday.

In the evening, we some time to hang out with some of the rice students; Cordbin and Andrew by the benches at Martel college. It was really nice.

Monday, July 1

Monday marked the beginning of the 4th week of SEED.

Without wasting any time on Monday, we jumped straight into the Pugh scoring. We managed to finish scoring all the ideas and the one that scored the highest was called the “Iron Throne“. This was an idea that was based off the previous teams design. It consists of a chair with a metal frame made of aluminum, a ratchet hinge for posture adjustment, a travel pillow neck support and side supports for the head.

In the afternoon, Andrew and i focused on the CAD drawing of the iron throne while chisomo and Alexus made the presentation for the Midsummer Presentations that were scheduled on Tuesday at 1 pm. As the saying goes, “practice makes perfect”, Chisomo and Alexus practiced their presentations in front of adulfor and Grant. They gave very helpful feedback to prepare them for the presentations the next day.

CAD drawing of the iron throne.

Tuesday, July 2

In the morning, we all worked on the presentation, to make it as perfect as possible. Chisomo and Alexus practiced and practiced so much until they memorized the words in the slides. Then Andrew and i made the low fidelity prototype of the iron throne.

Picture of the Low fidelity prototype of the iron throne.

It is similar to previous design with improvements in terms of lower back support and head and neck support. After lunch, we had the mid summer presentations. All the teams presentations were amazing. Questions were fired after each presentations to get clarification and perhaps more detailed explanations on a particular part of the presentation.

Wednesday, July 3

Today started off with the morning meeting as usual. We then  went over the comments made by our TA’s concerning yesterday’s presentations. After that we started working on the medium fidelity prototype that you will get to see next week after its completed.

I also took the safety quiz for the laser cutter and i am waiting for approval. On Monday, i plan to work on a personal project to learn more about laser cutting, i can’t wait.

We plan to return to the OEDK again on Sunday to continue prototyping. What a long weekend it is going to be. My friends and i are going to Dallas!!. It just so happens that we are celebrating the Malawian independence on 6th July, which this Saturday. Enjoy your holiday.

Happy 4th of July!!

My name is Aubrey Mphatso Chinkunda, i’m 21 years old and i am a Malawian Student from the Malawi University of science and Technology currently studying Biomedical Engineering. I’m in my fourth year.

wow!

A lot has happened this week. I will try my very best to cover everything. I arrived on 08 June from Malawi after 22 hours of travelling, i was so exhausted. I ,together with my fellow Malawian interns met up with Dr Leutaud who bought us Chipotle (this was my first time have it) and gave us a quick tour of the Martel college. We then met up with our TA’s, Grant and Adulfor who showed us the South Servery and the different churches all over campus.

Boot Camp officially started on Monday, in the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen. We had to introduce ourselves mentioning which college we are coming from, our major and the year we are in. Then ice breakers kicked in. We through a ball that had so many questions around. Once you catch it, you had to answer the question next to your thumb. My question was “what do you look like when you are being yourself?”. And the answer to that was ………. We then went on to get our Rice IDs  at the Rice Police Department ,which took longer than expected. We ended up missing the Houston Zoo visit. After sorting out the complications we the IDs, we went straight to the south servery and had an early lunch (i don’t really think there is such thing as an early lunch, lunch is lunch, despite the time).

After that, we went over the general Schedule of the  summer internship program which showed that the first was going to be as hectic as it gets. Then we went to the Office of International Students and Scholars to check in. This also took longer than planned. one of the reasons might have been because there was some free food involved. We then went back to the OEDK where we were introduced to ENGI 120. We ended up finishing later than the required time because of all the delays at the OISS and RUPD.

On Tuesday, we skipped the ice breakers because we were running behind schedule. We went straight to the official tour of the OEDK. This was very interesting because almost everything was found in the OEDK. We even went into a room with a TV and an Xbox. After that, we watched a video about Safety and took a mandatory Safety quiz. After that the fun began. We were split into teams to  deconstruct different devices. On our team, we dismantled a Printer/Photocopier. We found a bunch of dc motors, gears and lots of ink.( i never knew i printer had motors inside). It was a nice experience. In the afternoon we made presentations  in groups about our different cultures here in the USA and in Malawi.

After that we got the presentation on the Zoo Project. We are supposed to design an enrichment tool, something like a puzzle feeder for a 6 year old Red River hog from the Houston Zoo to make it physically and mentally active.

In the evening we had a bunch of videos to watch and quizzes to do. There were so many videos we had to watch each at twice the normal speed with subtitles on.

On Wednesday, we divided into our Zoo Project teams. I’m part of team Bear. We jotted down some questions to ask our client and then went to the zoo for an interview with the client. We also went to the hog’s pen and looked at the existing puzzle feeders.

 

We then came back and had a challenge among the teams to come up with a stand using 6 plane paper rolls, tape and a string. As you would have guessed, Team Bear took first place.

I’m really proud to be part of SEED 2019. I want to use this opportunity to learn so much about designing and engineering as i can. In Malawi we don’t really get so much practical with our school programs so i feel like this is something that will equip me with a unique set of skills.

Here are some of the pictures we took this week.

 

Team Bear with a book stand made from 6 plane paper rolls, tape and a string.

Brainstorming!!!!

Next week i will tell you about how crazy our brainstorming station got.

Hi everyone,

Today was the biggest day that i had being looking  forward to met,its was so happy to have a final presentation with at most all the constraints and objectives that we had set in our team being met at last.I had a great feel when presenting into audience of several peoples with inclusions of high peoples(education & social status).It helped me much to build my confidence and skills in the area of presentation in all different type of people.What is left now is to do nice documentation on all things that as a team have gone thru in all time when we started  working on this device up to the end.Its a sad feelings to leave behind all my new friends that i have made during this summer period especially my team mates,But I have believes and hopes that someday we may met again.

I would like to thanks everyone that in one way or the other have made the SEED program possible since the the day it was first started  with at most appreciations going to the SEED program donators and staffs .It was a good experience to learn new skills  technically on solving different challenges that we may have in our society,I hope this feels continue also to other international students that are there in the world especially in the developing countries (Africa).

Lastly, I would like to invite all to come visit Tanzania to see several life adventures that are found there like the fourth greatest mountain in the world “KILIMANJARO” ,living culture of different 120 tribes that we have in the nation and inclusion of large number of wild animal that are in several numbers of “Natural National Parks”.I will be more like happier to get in touch with you if anyone ever comes,just write an email on ”novathcharles96@gmail.com” and i will gladly meet with you and show you around during you time there .

After saying all this I will  like to leave you with some quotes that we have in Tanzania which  are “There is No begin that have no end” , “no heights without ends” ”Floor races end up on the Edge” so with from quotes i will like to acknowledge and appreciate that my beautiful summer period has ended this week .With addition of one more quote “Mountains don’t meet but human beings do” so until we ever meet again  then i would like to wish you all  a health and success life.

“KWA HERINI,NAWAPENDA WOTE” -SWAHILI.                                                                                                                                                                             ” MUNGU AWABARIKI”  – SWAHILI

”GOODBYE,I LOVE YOU ALL”.         – ENGLISH                                                                                                                                                                               ”GOD BLESS YOU ALL”   – ENGLISH