Social impact – Page 6 – Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity

July 2, 2020February 28, 2022

James McGuire

James McGuire is a Fellow in the Hunt Institute where he brings his expertise as a government executive with expertise in water, energy, and the environment. McGuire also serves on the Leadership Council for the Hunt Institute’s Inclusive Economy.

He is Regional Counsel for U.S. EPA Region 6, covering Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Prior to his role at EPA, James served the public as the Director of Environmental Quality & Sustainability at the City of Dallas and as general counsel to Dallas Water Utilities.

In all of his roles, he has used his significant experience in regulatory compliance, enforcement, permitting, emergency response, resilience sustainability planning, and environmental law to lead and innovate.

“I chose public service because of the opportunity to work towards making a positive impact. I take satisfaction in knowing that my efforts have supported a higher quality of life in the community, and that is a true reward for a job well done. Fortunately, there are many people in Dallas and associated with SMU and the Hunt Institute that are making significant impacts in their respective fields and helping solve inequities.”

James received a B.A., English, Duke University, a B.S., Earth & Ocean Sciences with highest honors, Duke University, an M.S., Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, and a J.D., Emory University School of Law. 2019 awards related to work at the City of Dallas include the United Nations Day Global Leadership Award, U.S. EPA Excellence in Green Power Use Award, TXU Energy Sustainability Award, and the Air North Texas Award for Outstanding Initiative.

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.

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.

June 3, 2020March 2, 2022

Lab on a Chip Device for COVID-19

A group of multidisciplinary lab researchers collaborated with the Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity’s Global Development Lab and Dr. Ali Beskok, as he and his team research to develop a low cost, portable, point of care microfluidic device capable of diagnosing multiple conditions. As part of this project, a broader impact report authored by an interdisciplinary group of undergraduate students at the Southern Methodist University working in the Hunt Institute aimed to address the areas of greatest need in response to UNSDG #3 “to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages.” The report is titled Bridging the Gap in Diagnostics.

With the recent global pandemic, the team shifted its focus to COVID 19 antibody (immunity) detection. Dr. Beskok is quoted as saying, “Although the gold standard for antibody detection is the enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay (ELISA), its application is limited by its portability and high-cost operation. Its detection mechanism relies on receptor/target molecule reactions, which take place through diffusion-dominated transport kinetics. Therefore, the detection mechanism is quite slow and has low sensitivity. Unfortunately, the most recently developed lateral flow assays also exhibit low sensitivity and specificity, and these cannot be reliably used for determining the spread of COVID-19 infection.”

The Multiplexed Assay for the Immune Response to COVID-19 (MAIRC) system the team is developing will offer a quantifiable, accurate, fast, and inexpensive diagnostic method with its customized chips, electronics hardware, and software interface, able to detect immune response to COVID-19 based on human IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies. The finalized microfluidic chip can be mass-produced with plastic molding or wafer-scale fab.

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.

March 30, 2020March 2, 2022

EVIE Keeps Evolving

The EVIE project is entering its third phase in the Global Development Lab at the Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity. Three years after its first public unveiling at Earth Day Texas in 2017, work on the mobile greenhouse has continued to push the boundaries of innovating a solution to Dallas’ fresh produce problem. The purpose of EVIE is to serve Dallas community members as a sustainable opportunity for fresh produce by encouraging their participation in the harvesting, maintaining, and general operations of a greenhouse.

EVIE’s name was derived from Eve, which is commonly associated with life and beginnings, appropriately matching the Institute’s goals for the project. In 2018, the Department of Agriculture identified 88 separate food deserts in Dallas County. Over half of the food deserts were in three southern portions of Dallas, encompassing close to 400,000 residents. EVIE is designed to be movable through areas lacking fresh produce and easily replicable to increase the availability of fresh produce across the food deserts. The first phase of EVIE focused on designing an easily replicable greenhouse model that could function in recycled environments, including an old, rickety Shasta trailer. In Phase II of the project, researchers from the Hunt Institute examined techniques that could facilitate irrigation, solar access, and temperature controls needed to maintain the greenhouse in any environment.

Plant Lab team lead Mitchell Dye works on the roof

Before Phase III could begin, the SMU Engineers Without Boards Plant Lab team gave EVIE a much-needed makeover. The roof had a leak. The makeover was completed right before spring break when the COVID-19 Global Pandemic hit the Unites States. Students are working remotely but unable to physically work on EVIE or in Labs as of June 2020. When they are able to return and resume work, Phase III of EVIE plans to make EVIE nearly autonomous to limit work and outside effort required to maintain the greenhouse. To achieve sustainability, EVIE will run off a solar panel to supply power for any water pumping or climate control measures. In addition, a rain collection system will provide irrigation to the individual planters. Through both of these additions to the current mobile greenhouse, EVIE will be able to provide fresh, healthy produce without requiring significant labor or effort on the part of community members.

The findings from this project hope to contribute to the agriculture value-chain development in rural and urban areas by promoting community involvement and educating local schools, food banks, and churches on environmentally sustainable, hydroponic, aeroponic, and vertical greenhouse growing methods.

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.

March 4, 2020March 2, 2022

Map 4 Good is moving to Map InDallas

The Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity’s project “Map 4 Good” has evolved into Map InDallas. This transition includes an interdisciplinary advisory committee representing a range of key stakeholders for the project. While the name of the project has changed, the goals remain the same. Map InDallas looks to connect individuals in need with free service providers in Dallas to increase the number of eligible individuals taking advantage of local services.

Studies have shown individuals who are eligible for free services may have certain barriers that prevent them from accessing opportunities. Possible barriers can be attributed to lack of information about available services, physical access to services, or even misconceptions or stereotypes about the services. The map created by Map InDallas will empower individuals to use the services available to them by providing them with tools and resources to seek out services they require.

In addition to providing a database about local free services, Map InDallas plans to include a feature allowing users to search and sort through each service based on their eligibility, location, and what free services they are looking for. Once a user has found a service they would like to use, the map will provide them with contact information including a phone number and email address for the free service to coordinate any appointments or meetings necessary, putting clients in direct contact with the free services they would like to use and allowing them to coordinate availability.

Map InDallas plans to release the map through three main mediums: an online version available on a website and smartphone application, printed maps available in community centers like libraries, and interactive kiosks. Hunt Institute partners will play a large role in the dissemination of the Map InDallas map once it has been complete. For organizations looking to participate in Map InDallas’ efforts, the Hunt Institute is still accepting partners and local service providers.

If you would like to support the Hunt Institute’s projects, including Map InDallas, 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 27, 2020March 2, 2022

Mohammed Njie, Social Enterprise 2021 Cohort Entrepreneur

Mohammed Nije, Social Entrepreneur, Inventor, Change Agent, The Gambia, Clean Energy, Digital Access

As the first student Social Entrepreneur in the Hunt Institute’s Social Enterprise Program, Mohammed Njie joined the Cohort in 2021 and is setting a precedent for dedicated, young entrepreneurship.

Mohammed was born and raised in The Gambia, a country in Western Africa, and has witnessed energy poverty firsthand. He attended high school at one of the few schools with electricity, and seeing students at other institutions without access to the same vital resources inspired him to make a difference in this area.

He is currently conducting research on efficient renewable energy systems that can be used to alleviate energy poverty in developing countries. Mohammed founded Janta Clean Energy with the intention of providing The Gambia with reliable, clean energy. A vision of his is to see all of Africa having access to affordable, reliable, and clean energy during his lifetime.

“I think it is important to realize that here at the Institute we are involved in a lot of projects where we can impact the lives of a lot of different people,” Mohammed said. “For their sake, it is very important that we push through…they are waiting for us.”

Mohammed initiated a pilot project called Innovation inTintinto on his last trip to The Gambia that installed solar panels in rural schools, tested capacity, and determined which elements are needed to enhance students’ academic experience. His second project Illuminating Tintinto expanded on these elements and installed additional panels for Tintinto Primary and Secondary School. Now, centered around these innovative solutions, his current project titled STEM Up Phase II is working to design and implement Wi-Fi-generating computer carts in local schools.

All the while, Mohammed is currently a senior at Southern Methodist University working toward a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and has been recognized as a Grand Challenges Scholar, winner of SMU’s Big Ideas, and is also part of the SMU Incubator.

Discussing his motivation for impact work as a social entrepreneur he said,“My passion for the work I do started when I was young. When you experience the problems you are trying to solve, it becomes personal. So as a young boy, I made it my life’s mission to help solve some of the problems I experienced growing up. So many people are in poverty because they do not have an opportunity. I want to change that.”

The December, Mohammed will be showcasing his work in the Institute’s Impact Forum along with other 2020 & 2021 Social Enterprise Cohorts.

More posts about Mohammed Njie:

December 15, 2019: “2019 Social Enterprise Cohort”

February 28, 2020: “Mohammed Njie – Travel Feature”

July 1, 2020: “Hunt Institute’s First Student Social Entrepreneur”

November 9, 2020: “Innovation in Tintinto, The Gambia”

December 15, 2020: “2020 Social Enterprise Cohort”

April 13, 2021: “Illuminating Tintinto | Hunt Institute’s Project for SMU Giving Day 2021”

April 14, 2021: “2021 SMU Giving Day: The Power of One Person’s Vision”

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

Janette K. Monear, President & CEO, Texas Trees Foundation

Janett Monear is an example of what can happen when one person decides to be the change

Janette Monear is President/CEO of Texas Trees Foundation Texas Trees Foundation, a private non-profit dedicated to urban forestry, and a Hunt Fellow. The Foundation’s strategic approach is based on research-driven data to mitigate the environmental challenges and related public health concerns that trees can mitigate to improve the quality of life in cities.

Under Monear’s direction, the Foundation created two major studies, State of the Dallas Urban Forest Report and The Dallas Urban Heat Island Study which helped transition the environmental focus for the City of Dallas.

As a visionary and social entrepreneur, she has integrated a model for the Texas Trees Foundation that provides a diverse portfolio of funding through nontraditional revenue streams for projects and programs that bring public and private partnerships together. Ms. Monear’s creative vision, collaborative commitment, and passion for trees have helped to transform the landscapes of North Texas and beyond.

“Economic development in the absence of environmental integrity is not sustainable” is her mantra, connecting people to the land and creating that “sense of place” where all people thrive is Monear’s mission.

Her skills serving as a VP for Advertising and Promotion in the banking industry and with the University of Minnesota Extension Service has supported effective marketing and promotional applications, education outreach, and research throughout her career.

Monear is a frequent speaker at local and national conferences, is the author of a collection of training and professional publications and she co-produced and wrote the narration for the Telly award-winning Public Television documentary “Spirit of the Trees.”

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

Paul S. Krueger, Ph.D.

Paul Krueger joins the Hunt Institute as a Fellow bringing his expertise in mechanical engineering. His research interests and activities include unsteady hydrodynamics and aerodynamics, vortex dynamics, bio-fluid mechanics, bio-morphic propulsion, fluid-boundary and fluid-particle interactions, and fluid processes in additive manufacturing using a variety of materials, including degradable plastics.

Krueger received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1997 from the University of California at Berkeley. He received his M.S. in Aeronautics in 1998 and his Ph.D. in Aeronautics in 2001, both from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). In 2002 he joined the Mechanical Engineering Department at Southern Methodist University (Dallas, TX) where he is currently a professor and department chair. He is a recipient of the Rolf D. Buhler Memorial Award in Aeronautics, the Richard Bruce Chapman Memorial Award for distinguished research in Hydrodynamics, the Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Award from the National Science Foundation (2004), and the Ford Senior Research Fellowship from SMU (2012).

Dr. Krueger’s most recent project in the Global Development Lab is the Biodegradable Plastics Project. This project aims to develop novel materials that may be used to reduce plastic waste and are versatile enough to accommodate a range of manufacturing methods including 3D printing. A key area of interest is in reducing medical plastic waste, as for instance by developing a 3D-printed biodegradable mask frame intended to be used in conjunction with surgical or cloth masks and provide the benefit of a more adequate seal to the face, while also posing a better environmental impact than most disposable PPE.

When asked about the motivation behind his impactful work, Dr. Krueger replied, “My motivation for working with the Hunt Institute springs from a desire to use engineering to help improve society and the environment we live in. Sometimes this means working to overcome problems we have created ourselves, which underscores our responsibility to do something about it.”

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.