Inclusive Economy Consortium – Page 2 – Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity

July 1, 2020October 28, 2020

Hunt Institute’s First Student Social Entrepreneur

The Hunt Institute Social Enterprise Program is proud to introduce our first student social entrepreneur, Mohammed Njie. Mohammed is a rising senior at Southern Methodist University studying Electrical Engineering in Lyle School of Engineering. He was born and raised in The Gambia, a country in Western Africa. In the Gambia, 52% of people do not have access to electricity, and the remaining 48% have unreliable access. Mohammed attended high school at one of the few schools with electricity. Seeing students at other institutions that did not have access to electricity, motivated him to help close this gap.

Mohammed founded Janta Energy, a social enterprise, with the goal of bringing clean, reliable energy to The Gambia. His vision is to see all of Africa have access to reliable affordable clean energy in his lifetime. With support from the Hunt Institute, SMU’s Office of Engaged Learning, the Grand Challenge Scholars program, and the Hart Center for Engineering Leadership, Mohammed initiated a pilot project on his last trip to The Gambia during the winter break in 2019. The project installed solar panels on a school rooftop in a rural area in The Gambia to test capacity and determine elements needed to enhance students’ academic experience.

Items Installed for the pilot project;

Five 330 Watt 24 volt solar panels.
Two 250 amp, 12-volt solar batteries.
A 50 amp solar charge controller.

After several months of usage, the report from the school administrators revealed that having access to electricity created many opportunities for this school and its students.

A library at a school in Tintinto village that now has electricity thanks to Janta Energy. — A library in the school in Tintinto Village now has electricity

According to their report, the school is currently only utilizing 30% of the installed capacity. With this excess capacity, they are in the process of introducing fans throughout the school. The estimated usage is expected to rise to approximately 70% capacity. The school plans to utilize the last 30% to install computers for student use, which will greatly enhance the possibilities for exploration and learning. Once the pilot project is completed, Janta Energy plans to use this concept to build a microgrid, with the school at the center, to help power the entire village. Looking ahead to the future, Janta Energy seeks to replicate the model used in Tintinto Village across other rural villages, eventually spanning the rest of the country.

Stay tuned for more updates from Mohammed, and his Janta Energy continues working to provide The Gambia with access to sustainable electricity. To learn more about the Hunt Institute’s Social Enterprise Program, visit smu.edu/socialenterprise. Check the Hunt Institute Digest next week to meet another amazing social entrepreneur.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

June 17, 2020March 2, 2022

Meet Jin-Ya Huang, Founder of Break Bread Break Borders

The Hunt Institute Social Enterprise Program is proud to have Jin-Ya Huang of Break Bread Break Borders (BBBB) as one of four social entrepreneurs in our founding cohort. Jin-Ya founded BBBB after she lost her mother, Margaret Huang, to cancer. Margaret was a chef, restaurateur, and community leader. BBBB exists to honor her legacy. Through food, culture, and powerful storytelling, the organization breaks bread with the community and breaks down borders at the same time

Break Bread Break Borders is catering with a cause: empowering refugee women to earn a living through their existing cooking skills while they share their incredible stories with the community. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, BBBB was forced to suspend its catering business. Currently, BBBB is working to find a way to continue bringing their delicious, authentic food to customers. Stay tuned for updates on the future of this amazing organization.

To read more about Jin-Ya and Break Bread, Break Borders, visit the website at breakbreadbreakborders.com. To learn more about the Hunt Institute’s Social Enterprise Program, visit smu.edu/socialenterprise. Check back on the blog next week to meet another one of the social entrepreneurs in the founding cohort!

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

April 16, 2020March 2, 2022

Networking Tech for Good

The Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity and The Inclusive Economy Consortium (IEC) are excited to announce the creation of a Mighty Network and virtual Roundtable series dedicated to facilitating conversations with policymakers, entrepreneurs, academics, and thought leaders about how technology can support and aid in the recovery for businesses most affected by COVID-19.

Starting Thursday with a Tech4Good Global Roundtable, the Institute and IEC will speak with participants about some of the questions our society is facing, transformational technology based solutions, and visions for the post-COVID-19 economic system. Roundtables will be hosted live on Thursdays, and questions can be submitted here before or during the event. After each Roundtable event, participants can utilize the Mighty Network to continue conversations fostered during the live meetings.

The first Tech4Good Global Roundtable will feature Dr. Eva Csaky, Executive Director of the Hunt Institute and Xiaochen Zhang, President of FinTech4Good. This Roundtable will focus on how fintech and financial innovations can play a role in assisting entrepreneurs and small businesses devastated by COVID-19, as well as outlining the objectives of future Roundtables. It will also discuss how crowdfunding, blended finance, smart philanthropy, and blockchain platforms can help these businesses be more resilient after this crisis.

If you would like more information on the Tech4Good Global Roundtable, or if you would like to sign up to participate, please click here.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

January 7, 2020March 2, 2022

Stephanie Byrd, Hunt Institute Fellow

Stephanie Byrd joins the Hunt Institute as a Fellow bringing her industry expertise in energy. She is a Marketing Director at Schneider Electric, co-chair of the new North Texas Food Policy Alliance, and committee member of the North Texas Regional Center of Expertise. Previously, Stephanie served on the board of Schneider Electric’s North American Foundation, on the board of the North Texas Renewable Energy Group, and on the Communications Committee for US Green Building Council of North Texas Chapter .

Stephanie is passionate about energy and its role in reshaping industries, transforming cities, and enriching lives. Schneider Electric is a 180+-year-old company that has always been a leading technology provider. Stephanie joined and has stayed with Schneider because of its strong commitment to sustainability and its belief that energy is a basic human right.

Stephanie lends her expertise in advising in energy-related projects as well as speaking at the Hunt Institute’s ImpactNights™ event sharing solutions Schneider uses to address business, climate, and inclusive mandates. Stephanie outlines how Schneider is responding to the call for corporations to serve a dual mandate: to continually improve business performance while improving the lives of all stakeholders touched by the business.

Growing up in San Antonio, studying marketing at Baylor University, and now establishing roots in DFW with her husband, pets, and two children, Stephanie is a long-time Texas resident with strong ties in the I-35 corridor. With a father in the military and a mother teaching public school, it’s natural for Stephanie to be an active participant in her community.

When asked what inspires her work, Stephanie said: “I am passionate about energy and its role in reshaping industries, transforming cities, and enriching lives. Climate change is an energy challenge and technology exists today to cut wasteful carbon emissions.”

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

January 7, 2020March 2, 2022

Jeff Corkran

Jeff Corkran is a Fellow of the Hunt Institute that brings his industry expertise in using human-centered design and technology to discover, inform and lead product and design teams innovating in food systems, sustainability, finance, retail, healthcare and manufacturing.

Most of his recent work has been in design, strategy and operations for organizations and brands innovating or disrupting focused on sustainability and social impact, surfacing and growing positive opportunities that strengthen human-to-human and human-to-planet connections.

Some of those include the United Nations, Paul Allen’s Vulcan and the Discovery Channel, XPrize and others. He was previously VP Experience Strategy at Human Design in Boulder and ZenCash in Dallas, and was a partner in a human-centered, enterprise-focused design and development firm with offices in Dallas and Atlanta for about a decade, post-consulting, and post-agency, where he cut his teeth working on large-scale innovation projects for JP Morgan Chase, BMW, Brinks Armored, Mission Foods, large CPG and retail brands like Downy and others.

A series of inspiring moments led Jeff to pivot towards work for positive environmental and social impact with a systems thinking lens. He now draws from toolkits within design, story, and engineering to move good ideas from impossible to inevitable. Jeff now runs an impact design studio called takka, leads innovation and technology for a rapidly growing company in the organic foods retail space called Dirty Hands, and is developing new, experiential products and services for children’s mental health at The Wezmore Project. He previously led product and experience strategy at Impact Mill in Sonoma, researching, developing and launching models for increasing the potential for sustainability-centered behavior change.

When asked why he was drawn to the Hunt Institute, he replied, “Every facet of experience in life seems like it is on the verge of great change, and bursting with opportunity. If, why, and how we decide to make that change positive, equitable and just, and who we bring along on the journey is up to each of us, striving together on a deeply connected planet. If I can help make the best, most positive outcomes out of these moments for the future, for everyone and all life around us, and bring along or connect others too, then I’m doing what I am supposed to do.”

Jeff is a member of the Inclusive Economy Consortium Leadership Council at the Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity at SMU, is an advisory committee member and co-author on a project within Academy Health, funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, and is a former board member at the systems-focused Unschool of Disruptive Design. Jeff is an advisor to companies like Good Coworking in Dallas, and is a lead mentor at Dallas-based tech accelerator Impact Ventures. He has coached and mentored individuals and teams at SXSW, AIGA, Uncharted, HackDFW and other events, and launched several community-building events and organizations like Dallas Startupweek with small, but mighty volunteer teams.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.