#seedintern

Week 2 at SEED: Prototypes, Ping Pong, and a Dash of Tanzanian Spice

Posted on by Abraham Ngugi

Last week at SEED was slightly shorter thanks to the Juneteenth celebrations, but what we lacked in days, we more than made up for in progress, creativity, and memorable experiences.

Agile in Action — Real-Time Innovation

We continued to push forward with our projects, and I still can’t believe how much we accomplished in just a few days. We embraced the agile approach—failing fast, iterating quickly, and getting early feedback. It was exciting, a bit chaotic, and wildly productive.

Project 1: Cable Management for Immediate Kangaroo Mother Care (iKMC)

After an in-depth conversation with our supervisor, we agreed to shift our focus toward creating a low-fidelity prototype. We wanted something physical we could test and get feedback on—fast.

We spent hours working through CAD designs, 3D printing, and even a little sewing (shout-out to my dad, who taught me how to use a sewing machine when I was younger!). It felt like everything came together as we assembled our first prototype.

On Tuesday morning, we marched to the BioScience Research Collaborative (BRC) to meet our client. The feedback session was insightful—the client was impressed and provided suggestions that sharpened and focused our problem statement (as our supervisor likes to say, “make it succinct!”). We left with more clarity and energy to move forward.

Testing our Low-fidelity prototype at Bioscience Research Center

Project 2: Water Sampling Project – Engineering Vs Hydrology

We also continued work on our automated water sampling system. After testing the previous team’s prototype, we identified several mechanical issues, particularly with the stepper motor, which lacked sufficient torque to properly move and hold the vials.

Our solution? Upgrade the motor and redesign the housing to fit it. I spent some focused hours in SolidWorks, 3D printed the new part, and honestly, seeing it fit perfectly was one of the highlights of my week! We also spent some time making the code, which was initially in one single file, more modular, which included separating the code into different files.

Unidirectional Limit Switch flap; Left-Cardboard Initial Idea, Right-3D printed

Tools & Tech

This week, I also got to use Onshape. Also, they have dedicated machines for anything here at OEDK. I got to use a tools to push in screw studs, No more using a hot soldering iron to push in thread inserts—this machine does it with precision.

Cooking Together – Taste of East Africa

On Friday evening, as part of our team building, we cooked a Tanzanian recipe together at the Martel Kitchen, a cozy space with great vibes and great music. The night was filled with laughter, cultural exchange, and a delicious meal. Who knew team bonding could taste so good?

Eating Together At martel Kitchen

Celebrating Juneteenth – A Moment of Reflection

As part of the Juneteenth celebration, we visited the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum. The exhibitions were powerful, highlighting the history and contributions of Black American soldiers in the fight for freedom, and also American History as a whole. The most thrilling part? The firearm showcase, where we saw the weapons used during the war, and how they were prepared for battle. We also went shopping at Ross, a fantastic shopping space with a unique and genius business model. An unforgettable history lesson.

Outside the Buffalo Soldiers Museum in Houston Texas

Cultural Exchange – Lock in & Ping pong

One of the most valuable parts of SEED has been learning from my fellow interns. The international students from Asia, in particular, have truly impressed me with their focus and work ethic. Their ability to lock in and stay in the zone is inspiring. Oh—and they’re incredible at ping pong.

Rice Wildlife – Bold Squirrels & Bunnies

No blog would be complete without a mention of Rice University’s famously fearless squirrels. They’ll join you for lunch… invited or not. And don’t get me started on the bunnies—adorable, chill, and absolutely photogenic.

Met this Squirrel On my way from Servery, It wanted to grab my apple

Conclusion

This past week was short, intense, and incredibly rewarding. I can’t wait to share what we build next! Special thanks to Rice360 Global Health Technologies and Mrs.Judy Koehl for making this happen.

My first Flight into innovation, My first week in Houston

Posted on by Abraham Ngugi

I’m Abraham Mwaura, a soon-to-be graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from Kenyatta University, set to graduate this August.

Wednesday, June 4th, will forever be one of the most unforgettable days of my life. After months of anticipation, I was finally boarding a plane—not just for the first time internationally, but for the first time ever!

My family and friends were so excited for me, and honestly, I was floating somewhere between disbelief and pure joy. The journey itself? Well, let’s just say it was no short hop: 8+ hours from Nairobi to London, and then another 10+ hours to Houston.

Arrival : (Houston has landed😅)

After a smooth landing at George Bush Intercontinental Airport on a sunny Thursday afternoon, we were picked up and driven to Martel College at Rice University. The 40-minute drive was my first taste of Houston—a blur of highways, trees, and very large pickup trucks.

At George Bush Airport

After stepping outside, I was greeted by a wave of intense heat. I had a mini panic moment—“Is this how hot it gets out here? Will I survive this?” Spoiler alert: I not only survived, I kinda love it now.

We met Michelle in person—she’s the amazing human who has been helping us with travel plans and documentation. Jet lag was hitting hard, but the excitement of being in the U.S. for the first time totally overpowered it. She showed us to our rooms, gave us a mini campus tour, and introduced us to the Rice dining area—aka “The Servery.” Let me just say, the variety of food there is next level.

Orientation, Sunscreen & the Zoo

The next day, we visited the Bioscience Research Collaborative (BRC) and had a super informative orientation with the Office of International Students & Scholars (OISS). They helped us get familiar with life at Rice and what to expect during our stay.

Entrance of the BRC building
Lunch with other interns after orientation

That weekend, we headed to the Houston Zoo. The sun was not playing games, but thankfully, our local host, Helena, saved the day with sunscreen. Apart from sweating through my T-shirt, I was blown away by the architecture and animal exhibits.

 

At the Houston Zoo

First Day at the OEDK: The design playground💖

Monday, June 9th, finally came, and I was buzzing with excitement. We stepped into the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK)—our innovation playground for the next seven weeks. I’ve seen this place in videos and presentations, but walking through it in person? Goosebumps.

At the OEDK Entrance

Dr. Kelvin Holmes, our mentor and supervisor, gave us an engaging introduction to the SEED program, Houston life, and the dos and don’ts around campus. One of the coolest activities was a two-slide challenge:

Slide 1: Photos that represent who you are
Slide 2: Three things you’re bringing to the SEED experience.

Let’s just say, the creativity levels were off the charts. These are the kind of people you want to build with.

Projects, Personality Tests & Pizza

We also had an activity where each team came up with:

  • A team name
  • Core values
  • Team rituals (yes, rituals!)

Then came project introductions. We each completed a survey to express our preferences and took a DISC personality test. I had never taken one before, but wow—it described me with scary accuracy. Dr. Holmes used our results to form balanced teams.

My Two Projects: Real Impact, Real Stories.

I was thrilled to be placed on two meaningful projects:

  1. Kangaroo Mother Care – This project focuses on better managing the tangle of cords and cables used during Immediate Kangaroo Mother Care in low-resource settings. Having spent time in Pumwani Maternity Hospital back in Kenya, I’ve seen firsthand how overwhelming that environment can be for new mothers, especially those with underweight babies. This project hit home.
  2. Water Sampling System – Our second project builds on previous work to design an automated system that can collect water samples from a body of water over time, eliminating the need for physical presence. Simple? Not quite. Useful? Incredibly.
Working on the water sampling project

Teamwork & Laser Cutting? Yes, Please.

With our teams formed, we kicked off brainstorming sessions, developed our project objectives, and mapped out problem statements. We even started establishing team culture—and let me tell you, team dynamics in a cross-cultural, interdisciplinary environment are something else.

Midweek, we were introduced to stand-up meetings—quick daily check-ins on project progress. Between brainstorming, prototyping, and discussions, the week flew by.

We wrapped things up with a laser cutting workshop, where we learned how to use Adobe Illustrator and laser cutters to bring ideas to life.

The Galleria Experience: Skating, Window Shopping & Bonding

To top off the week, we visited The Galleria Mall—a massive shopping and entertainment hub. We tried our feet at ice skating, did some top-tier window shopping (hello, luxury brands), and just enjoyed bonding as a team.

At the Galleria Ice Skate

Final Thoughts on Week 1

This has been one of the most incredible, intense, and inspiring weeks of my life. From adjusting to a new country, tackling real-world problems, meeting brilliant minds, and discovering new aspects of myself, this journey has already left a mark, and we’re just getting started. Special thanks to my sponsor Mrs. Koehl, for allowing me to experience which will mean a lot to an ambitious African kid.

Gratitude to Mrs. Koehl 🙏

Special thanks to my sponsor, Mrs. Koehl, for giving me this life-changing opportunity—an experience that means the world to an ambitious kid from Africa chasing big dreams.

A wonderful summer with Rice360 SEED

Posted on by mas53

Remember the story we started with? Well, that little girl… She’s all grown up now.

She’s taking a hold of the chances that come her way. She’s being careless enough to make the most of whatever she has. Even if she knows it’ll wear it out.


Because she knows things are worth more when they hold memories. Of the good, the bad, the stressful, the blissful, the frustrating and the rewarding. It’s because she knows that’s the essence of living. Actually living the moment.

And she has a few things to say to anyone like her. Enjoy the present moment. It’ll disappear one day and you’ll miss it. Make as many experiences as possible. Just like situations, your life’s moving towards an end too.

Say what you feel, feel what you say. The moment is very short and it’s fleeting.


What would it be worth to live a life with risks, without challenges, without ups and downs?

Enjoy it. Make that a priority.


If you can’t tell already, then surprise! The little girl, she’s me. And I’m glad I stayed true to my resolve and made the most of this trip.


Congratulations to everyone on this edition of the SEED program for a project well-done and especially to team FlowMetrics (Brandon Bravo, Deepak Narayan, Olorundarasimi Akojede, Motunrayo Sanyaolu) for being amazing teammates.

 

Special thanks to our supervisors Dr Holmes, Prof. Nodskov and Dr Moninuola, Rice360 and Chevron.


It was an absolute pleasure spending the summer with you Rice360 2024 SEED interns. Till we meet again.


And remember there’s so much out there that’s yet to be created. You’re amazing, go and build the awesome future you dream of.

I’m rooting for you!

Technical Triumphs and Team Adventures: A Look Back at Weeks 4-6 of My Internship at OEDK

Posted on by aml28

Hello Everyone!

Welcome back to my blog! I’m Alinafe, and I’m excited to share with you the highlights and experiences from Weeks 4 through 6 of my internship at OEDK. These weeks have been filled with technical challenges, exciting adventures, and memorable events that have shaped my learning journey. Let’s dive into what we accomplished and experienced during this time!

 

Week 4: Gel Modification and Prototype Development

  1. Gel Modification Methods

This week, our main focus was on enhancing the gel used for imaging by modifying its properties to improve its performance.

Unfortunately, this DIY approach didn’t work as planned, leading us to order a commercial air pump .

commercial pump
commercial pump

Despite our efforts, the commercial pump also failed to achieve the desired results.

    • Next, we used a syringe to modify our gel . While this method was somewhat effective, it did not gave us required results.

    • syringe method

  • Electric Stirrer Success:
    • Our breakthrough came with the use of an electric stirrer, which proved to be the most effective method for creating small, uniform bubbles in the gel (Figure 5). This tool allowed us to achieve the precise bubble size we needed for our project, marking a significant step forward.
  1. Prototype Development
  • Testing and Iteration:
    • We created test prints and models using different materials to evaluate their effectiveness ). While Material A  and B did not work as expected, Material C demonstrated clear imaging results, which was a promising development for our project

      Test print model
      Test print model

      Model with material B
      Model with material B

      A Fun Break: Houston Zoo Visit

      During a busy week, we took a break and visited the Houston Zoo:

      • Exploring the Zoo:
        • We saw lions, monkeys, colorful birds, and many other animals. It was a fun and relaxing way to take a break from work.
      • Learning About Animals:
        • We learned about animal conservation and the zoo’s efforts to protect endangered species.
      • Team Fun:
        • It was a great chance for us to relax, enjoy the day together, and share our favorite animals.
        • The zoo

       

       

Week 5: Testing, Reflection, and Client Engagement

This week was a bit quieter due to the Independence Day holiday, offering us time for reflection and preparation for the next stages of our project.

  1. Testing and Client Interaction

    Model creation
    Model creation

  • Model Testing Outcome:
    • We had a meeting to test our models and found that Material A and B did not yield satisfactory results. However, Material C showed potential, leading us to focus on refining this material
  • Client Collaboration:
    • Our client was responsive and supportive throughout Week 5 and Week 6. Their timely feedback and availability for discussions helped us navigate challenges effectively and stay on track with our project goals.
  1. Team Building Activities
  • Bike Ride Adventure:
    • Led by Professor Nodskov, we enjoyed a 3-mile bike ride from the bike shop to the post and back. It was a great and fun opportunity to bond with my team members, enjoy the outdoors, and take a break from our usual routine.
      Bike ride moments
  • Ice Skating Fun:
    • Our team went ice skating at Galleria Mall, organized by Brooke and Rohan . We started off wobbly on the ice but ended up having a fantastic time as we learned to skate and cheered each other on. It was a fun and memorable experience for all of us.
      Beautiful moments

Week 6: Final Model Refinement, Challenges, and NASA Visit

Week 6 was crucial for finalizing our model and dealing with unexpected challenges, including the effects of Hurricane Berly.

  1. Final Model Preparation and Hurricane Impact
  • Model Refinement and Testing:
    • We focused on perfecting our final model for gel testing, making necessary adjustments and conducting thorough tests to ensure it met all specifications.
  • Hurricane Berly Disruption:
    • Hurricane Berly caused significant disruptions, including power outages for off-campus students . While our project materials remained safe, the storm impacted communication and work schedules, challenging us to adapt and find solutions.
  1. Inspiring Visit to NASA
  • NASA Exploration:
    • We visited NASA’s Johnson Space Center led by Rohan and Renee, where we explored fascinating exhibits. Highlights included:
      • Spaceships and Rockets: We saw detailed models of historic and current spacecraft, including Apollo missions and Mars rovers.
      • Mission Control Centers: We got a behind-the-scenes look at the control rooms used for managing space missions.
      • Astronaut Exhibits: We viewed real spacesuits and learned about astronaut training and experiences.
      • Presentations: We attended talks from NASA experts and astronauts, gaining insights into space exploration’s history and future goals .
        One of the interesting things we saw

Conclusion

These past three weeks have been transformative, combining technical progress with team bonding and inspirational experiences. We tackled challenges in gel modification, refined our prototype, and navigated the disruptions caused by Hurricane Berly. Our adventures included a fun bike ride, an enjoyable ice skating session, and an inspiring visit to NASA.

Thank you for following along on this journey, and I look forward to sharing more insights with you soon!

 

Oh no, I failed!

Posted on by mas53

I once knew a kid. If you have her a pretty marble, she’d bury it somewhere safe so it’s never scratched. If you gave her a seashell, she’d tuck it away neatly so it never breaks. And if you gave her a crystal pen she’d hide it until the ink ran dry.


I don’t know about you, but this story hits a little close to home… Being afraid to take chances, being afraid to make mistakes… In protecting what is so much, we lose out on the wonderful experiences that could be.
It becomes a way of life. Everything that we admire, we tuck away and never actually get to experience the beauty of it.

That’s why these two sentences stuck to me for the last few weeks of this Rice360 internship.

1. Fail fast
2. Have the experience to know when to give up

I heard the first statement from Dr. Holmes and I think there’s a few things embedded in it. Fail fast –

  • Try new things. Mistakes are like a compass to show that you’re voyaging into unfamiliar territories. Because if you knew everything about everything, you’d know what to do and what not to, always, right…?
  • Forgive yourself for your mistakes. It turns out, there’s usually no one harder on us than we are on ourselves. Our mistakes weigh on us the most and taunt us. Oh no, I failed… so what? Only in giving ourselves permission to fail do we fail forward.

 

It’s helped shape my perspective to now seeking mistakes and seeing success as just a pile of accidents and failures that form a heap of experiences. And at the very top of the heap lies the long-sought breakthrough.


Fail fast; this mantra particularly rings true for my team’s (FlowMetrics) Rice360 project. Try, fail, learn, then rinse and repeat. If it goes well, we get the experience, and if it doesn’t… we get the lessons.
Win-win!

 



The second statement was the response Kim Denney; the MD of Newport LLC gave to my question at our first networking lunch. “As someone who sees the potential in things and people and as such, never gives up on them, how do you know what things to actually give up on? Things that are doomed to fail no matter how hard you try. Or things that require more effort than their worth to work out?
How do you get the superpower of discernment?”

My question was in the context of engineering problems. Sometimes things just don’t work and spending more effort is a waste of time. Some other times, things require a lot of effort to eventually work and are very valuable. How do you differentiate between the two?

Her response reflected the 30 long years she’s spent developing her expertise: “First off, it’s not a superpower, it’s experience!”

According to her, when you’ve done something time and time again and it’s almost a second nature, it’s much easier to see when something’s going wrong, and to catch the anomaly before it’s too late.


All leading back to the first point. Making mistakes gives you the experience; the superpower of discernment. The power to see what is worth investing in and what’s better off abandoned.
In other words, mistakes teach you to not make mistakes… It’s almost counterintuitive.

Oh no, I failed… so what? Do it again!
Piles upon piles of errors and you find out many ways of not doing things. And especially why not to. Which leads you to doing things right.


As for that little girl… She never got to appreciate the beauty of the marble nor the seashell and she never got to see the amazing creations that could come of trailing the ink on a canvas…

That’s the real story of failure.


Now… go fail forward and make something awesome!

 


Motunrayo Sanyaolu,
Electrical Electronics Engineering,
Nigeria.

WEEK THREE: HIGHER LEVELS ,NEW CHALLENGES.

Posted on by aml28

Hi everyone, welcome to my third week of my blog post. I would like to share with you the highlights of this week. Honestly its  had been a wonderful week. I learned so much from my teammates as well as from the perspectives of other team members from different groups. I will start with what we have done so far, then the challenges and also I will share with you some of the activities that we had this week

THE DEVELOPMENT OF OUR SECOND PROTOYTPES

This week we focused much on working on our prototypes. We developed different types of prototypes, because we wanted to find out which one was better. We developed two prototypes to start with, using negatives of a 3D model and a syringe. We used gelatin in both of them.

                                                           

 

Figure(a).                                                                                                                  figure (b).

The above pictures show the progress of ones of the prototypes using and syringe (figure a) and the negative of a cervix and a vagina figure b.

Challenges we faced on the above prototypes

  • The first prototypes with a syringe did not produce any image on the ultrasound after testing.
  • The second one with the negative of a 3D actually produced some results but the challenge was that to produce an image the probe was not inserted from the hole that was representing vagina but rather from outside

These challenges led us to come up with another solution that will enable us to produce an image by inserting a probe inside the vagina of our prototype.

 

Figure ©.

From the advice we received from Dr. Gei, we thought of coming up with a design as in figure c.in figure c the vagina is perpendicular to the cervix.

 

Figure (d)

This is the negative 3D model that we made for our prototype where the vagina is perpendicular to the cervix. The final prototype of these will be tested in our next meeting with Dr.Gei

GOAL

Our goal this week was to develop a model or prototype that could produce an image on the ultrasound after inserting the probe through the hole.

WORKSHOP

We had a workshop this week led by our team leads, Shifan and Renee. In this workshop, we developed a small system where a motor rotated after receiving a message sent through a transmitter on a breadboard to a receiver on another board. Once we operated the transmitter board, the motor on the other board began to rotate.

 

TEAM LUNCH NETWORKING

Another highlight in this week is that we also had a networking lunch with professionals from Houston community. It was a great time to get know people from different professionals and learn from them. This had been a very wonderful week for me as an individual and also a s a team

TEAM LUNCH WITH PROFESSOR NODSKOV

Another interesting event this week was the celebration of the Juneteenth holiday. Prof. Nodskov took our team out for a delightful lunch at Mendocino Farms. It was a fantastic opportunity for us to unwind, socialize, and strengthen our bonds outside of the usual work environment. Despite the continual rain throughout the day, our inner beings were high, and the weather didn’t lower our excitement.

 

We had a wonderful time chatting and getting to know each other on a more personal level. I enjoyed some delicious food; I opted for a sandwich, the name of which i forgot, but it was made out of pork. The taste was spectacular, and it was easily one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. It was my first time trying this particular type of sandwich, and I don’t regret having it. The experience was unforgettable, not just because of the great food, but also due to the good fellowship and enjoyable conversations we shared. Overall, it was a perfect blend of good food, great company, and a festive atmosphere, making the Juneteenth holiday celebration truly special.

 

Conclusion

This week had been a wonderful week, very educative and also memorable.

Thank you

Life in Houston: My First Week at the OEDK!

Posted on by Precious Faseyosan

Hola! 👋🏽

I am Precious Faseyosan, a final-year student of Petroleum Engineering at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. I am beyond excited to be in Houston this summer, interning at Rice University’s Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK). To God’s praise and glory, I finally made it here and am super grateful for this incredible opportunity.

I arrived in Houston with two other interns from the University of Lagos, Nigeria. We boarded the same flight. There are also three other interns from Kenya, Malawi, and Tanzania. Together, we make up six African students here on a fully-sponsored program. We are interning with nine other students from various countries and Rice University.

The 3 interns from Lagos, Nigeria on our way from the airport to Rice campus.

 

All six interns from Africa (Of course, I’m the lady on glasses. 😎)

Love at First Sight:

The Rice University campus is so magnificent and beautiful. Gosh! 😍 The campus has such a stunning scenery that different people come from time to time with professional photographers for photoshoot sessions! It’s also charming to see friendly lovely cute squirrels run around in search for food or companionship from humans.

My first visit to the OEDK left me in awe; the tools, machinery, and innovative projects worked on by students and staff were mind-blowing. The realization that I was in for an enriching learning experience filled my heart with gratitude and enthusiasm.

(A little backstory: I didn’t initially have a passion for engineering. My family’s disapproval of my desire to study psychology led me to choose petroleum engineering instead since I loved mathematics and was quite proficient at it. My genuine interest in engineering started during my internship at the University of Ibadan Design Studio and Innovation Hub, an affiliate of OEDK, where we worked on many fascinating engineering design projects in my third year. This passion for engineering is continually growing.)

Meeting the other interns from various countries, our team leads Shifan and Renee, our supervisor Dr. Kevin Holmes, and the visiting mentor Dr. Funmi was equally thrilling. Their warm welcome and support made Rice University feel like home. I mustn’t forget to mention Michelle Nodskov, the Education Programs Coordinator at Rice360, who ensures that all the international interns have a blissful stay. I’m really thankful for the supplies and snackssss (the extra ‘s’s were intentional. 😂) she got us. She’s been so kind and helpful. It’s been a great delight working with every single person, and I’m glad we still have more days to work together.

The Learning Experience:

Okay, enough of the stories. Let’s get to the main purpose of this blog—my first week at the OEDK. The first week was superb, definitely. We were introduced to engineering design as a problem-solving tool and the engineering design process, which involves the steps in problem-solving. What stood out to me during the introductory classes was this statement by Dr. Holmes (paraphrased):

“High-performing teams fail fast and learn faster when they do.”

We learned to approach problems with an open-minded mindset, embrace our mistakes and failures, and learn from them.

Clients pitched their ideas to us, presenting real-world problems they wanted to solve. We were asked to choose a project to work on over the next six weeks and were divided into four teams based on our choices. I chose a project aimed at improving the gel used for transvaginal ultrasound, pitched by Dr. Gei from the Houston Methodist Center. The current gel does not provide clear and accurate imaging of the cervix length, contributing to inaccurate diagnoses and preterm births globally. Our goal is to develop a model that accurately represents the female cervix and improve the current ultrasound gel. I was drawn to this project because of my interest in revolutionizing healthcare. My team spent much of last week researching and defining the problem. More about the project in subsequent blog posts…

Personal Reflections:

This experience has reinforced my belief that engineering is a powerful tool for changing the world and improving lives. Virtually every field benefits from the impact of engineering and design. I have no regrets choosing to study engineering. 🤩

I am excited about the opportunity to learn and work with a diverse team and the professional networking opportunities this internship offers. I also look forward to exploring fun places in Houston. By the end of this internship, I aim to have significantly improved my design thinking and research skills.

Thank you for following my journey. Stay tuned for more updates! 🥂