Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity

September 24, 2021February 10, 2022

Kijiji Innovative Sustainable Solutions Design Competition Update

Kijiji Innovative Sustainable Solutions (K.I.S.S.)—in partnership with SMU’s Sustainability + Development Program (S+DP), the Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity (HI), and three universities in Tanzania—launched an architectural competition for the design of the Rulegura Centre back in 2020.

Student teams drafted building plans for the Rulegura Center, which were then evaluated by a panel of three international jurors (Dr. Michael Ramage, Dr. Victoria Marwa Heilman, and Paul Westbrook). As the final step in the Rulegura Design Competition, each university (Mbeya University of Science and Technology, University of Dar es Salaam, and Ardhi University) hosted separate events to celebrate both the participants and the winners.

Surprisingly, when our international jury panel unanimously selected the top three project placements in the competition, each chosen project was designed by a group of students from a different one of the three Universities that participated. Due to the anonymity of the competition, this outcome was completely by chance. However, these results left everybody involved pleasantly surprised because all the universities had equal reason to celebrate!

Organizing the participation certificates, placement awards, and printed design submissions would not have been possible without the dedication of University Coordinators, Professor Sayuni Bupe, Professor Buberwa Tibesigwa, Professor Raymond Kassonga, and SMU S+DP student Alejandra Hinojosa, with the HI Team. Also, Kijiji Board Members Clara Rulegura Ford, Martin Rulegura, and Dr. Jessie Zarazaga contributed to making sure the posters, trophies, and monetary awards were delivered to the students. Despite an 8-hour time difference and a number of moving pieces, the Kijiji team was able to get all of the parts in place so that the universities could hold their celebrations.

Following several weeks of coordination and planning, we received pictures from Raymond at Ardhi University of their school’s event. At this event, winners and participants of the Kasisa Community Center Competition received awards and certificates. An array of dynamic students studying architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, building economics, and civil engineering attended the celebration. The images depict the first-place winners, Renalda Lwilla and Muhumuliza Luveiyamu, as well as Ardhi University student participants, and images from the event that day.

On possible future student opportunities regarding this collaboration, Dr. Jessie Zarazga said:

“Students in the SMU S+DP Masters program followed-on by jumping into the same design challenge, producing their own sustainable design proposals for Kasisa, and learning from the work of the Tanzanian cohort. For the next stage we hope to coordinate a more direct integration of teaching structures, so that real international collaboration can be developed.”

This update was written by Alejandra Hinojosa, S+DP Grad Program Manager 2021.

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.

September 20, 2021February 10, 2022

Jin-Ya Huang: Conversations about Community and Resilience

On this episode of the Hunt Institute’s Sages & Seekers Podcast, Jin-Ya Huang discusses the importance of storytelling; her experience founding Break Bread, Break Borders; and what it means to be a social entrepreneur.

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 in 2018.

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.

In the conversation, Huang said, ““We’ve had tough conversations when people ask the women that we work with, ‘Why did you come to America?’ or ‘Why are you taking our jobs?’ As they break bread together at the table, they gain an understanding of each other. They’re breaking down borders.”

What is Hunt Sages & Seekers?

The Hunt Institute Sages & Seekers Podcast shares the stories of innovative social leaders and the resilient communities that have shaped them. The series explores guests’ personal experiences with social issues ranging from inequity in the arts and school segregation to climate change and police violence. Through conversations with these agents of change, listeners gain insight into the history of these matters and discover how we as a global community can work to correct them. Follow us on SoundCloud at Hunt Sages & Seekers Podcast.

September 16, 2021February 10, 2022

Anna Clark: Conversations about Community and Resilience

On this episode of the Hunt Institute’s Sages & Seekers Podcast, Anna Clark, president of Heirloom Digital and co-founder of the Inclusive Economy Consortium (IEC), discusses sustainability, storytelling, and starting both the IEC and Heirloom Digital.

Anna began her career as a management consultant with PwC Consulting and IBM. In 2005, she founded EarthPeople Media, a sustainability communication consultancy. In 2017, she joined Hill+Knowlton Strategies as a principal, providing senior counsel in corporate affairs and CSR to industry leaders. Her clients and strategic partners have included startups, global corporations, universities such as SMU and Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University in Dubai, and international organizations such as International Finance Corporation, the private sector arm of The World Bank. She is presently focused on building Heirloom Digital, a multimedia company she founded in 2019.

Discussing the founding of the IEC, Clark said, “This is the fourth biggest metropolitan area in the United States. There’s a huge economy in North Texas. What would it look like if we tried to make a change here in a positive way?”

What is Hunt Sages & Seekers?

September 16, 2021February 16, 2022

Benjamin J. Vann, Hunt Institute Fellow

As a Fellow in the Hunt Institute, Benjamin J. Vann brings his expertise in finance, philanthropy, entrepreneurship, and impact investing, combined with deep grass root social sector experience in community organizing, civic engagement, economic empowerment, and non-profit governance. Benjamin is the Founder and CEO of Impact Ventures, a startup accelerator with a mission to eliminate the social and economic barriers for underrepresented Women and Minority Entrepreneurs launching high growth, tech or tech-enabled businesses and social enterprises. He is also a member of the Leadership Council for the Inclusive Economy Consortium.

Benjamin is the Founder and Managing Partner at the Inclusive Capital Fund (ICF), an impact-first investment fund focused on economic justice. ICF uses integrated capital to improve access, opportunity, and outcomes across LMI communities and diverse entrepreneurs both locally and abroad. Previously, he worked as Finance Manager at Good Returns Group, a global social enterprise startup working to transform corporate philanthropy through impact investing and micro-lending. He worked as the North Texas Philanthropy Officer at The Trust for Public Land, Fundraising Associate at Fidelity Charitable, managing the worlds largest Donor Advised Fund, spent time as a Financial Analyst at Fidelity Investments, and various roles in Banking prior to relocating to Texas.

Benjamin has been recognized both locally and nationally as a results-oriented change maker and thought leader for his business insight, strategy, collaborative cross-sector approach, and unique skillset to create innovative business models, initiatives, and solutions that positively impact communities. He speaks frequently to audiences on topics surrounding conscious capitalism, building inclusive entrepreneur ecosystems, impact investing/venture capital, inclusive leadership, social entrepreneurship, philanthropy, and more. He is a 2020 Boston Impact Initiative Fund Building Fellow, 2018 World Economic Forum Global Shaper Fellow, Partner at Dallas Social Venture Partners, Dana Juett Social Venture Resident, and 2015 Mayor’s Star Council Alumni.

When asked what motivates Benjamin to do impact work he answered, “Genius is evenly distributed across zip codes however access and opportunity are not” As change agents we are motivated to unlock resources that create access and opportunities for others. This is my why.”

As a dedicated servant leader, Benjamin currently serves as an executive board member for the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) Greater Dallas Chapter and The Dallas Foundations Good Works Under 40 Selection Committee. He previously served as a City of Dallas appointee to the South Dallas Fair Park Opportunity Fund, South Dallas Fair Park TIF Board, Bishop Arts Theatre Center, Anthem Strong Families, DISD Innovation Design Entrepreneurship Academy (IDEA), and Aspire — Fidelity Investment Regional African-American and Latino Employee Resource Group. In 2015, he launched the Dallas County Civic Alliance, a citywide Get Out The Vote initiative that resulted in registering over 10,000 residents in Dallas County. He is also a member, volunteer and supporter of the DFW Urban League Young Professionals, NSBE DFW, and The NAACP Dallas Chapter.

Benjamin has received a number of awards and recognition by both regional and national media and news publications. In 2021, he was appointed RSF Finance Just Economy Institute Fellow and the recipient of the DMagazine DCEO 500 award. He was named one of the top 50 innovators in DFW in Dallas Innovates The Magazine 2020 Edition. In 2019, he was nominated for Cosign Magazine’s Tech Innovator and Public Figure of the Year Award, as well as Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2017. Awarded DFW Urban League Business of the Month, in 2016, he was featured in the 3rd and 4th edition of Who’s Who in Black Dallas Publication, In 2015, he awarded 40 under 40 Future Leaders in Dallas by i10 Magazine, named top 28 #BlackDFWMatters influencers, and featured on the cover of Be Great Magazine, Dallas Millennials Edition.

Benjamin is a Midwest native of Wichita, KS and earned his Bachelor Degree in Finance from Washburn University, where he was also a standout Defensive Back. Benjamin also played professional football in the Indoor Football League (IFL) for the Kansas Koyotes and was the Defensive Coordinator at Highland Park High School in Topeka, KS. He is a self-taught musician of four instruments, avid vinyl collector, and a proud member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated.

September 14, 2021February 16, 2022

Summer Internship Experience: JuliaGrace Walker

Many of our student workers were able to spend this summer participating in various internships outside of the Hunt Institute. Students often return from these experiences with a fantastic arsenal of newly acquired skills, ideas, and perspectives. This summer, the Undergraduate Program Manager in the Institute, JuliaGrace Walker, was a Staff Intern for Ambassador E. Tony Wayne at the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The Wilson Center, located in Washington, D.C., is a non-partisan think tank focusing on “tackling global issues through independent research and open dialogue to form actionable ideas for the policy community.” JuliaGrace shared the following about her internship experience:

During my internship in Washington D.C. this summer, I had the opportunity to fully immerse myself in current events, politics, and trade in regard to Mexico. I also continued to practice a higher level of Spanish by reading news articles on issues pertinent to Mexico’s domestic policy and government. I mastered condensing large, dense topics into specific, concise bullet points for presentations. I also managed and updated data for several graphs on topics such as homicide rates, border apprehensions, and the top trade partners of the U.S.

As an intern, I was in charge of helping with the logistics of our hybrid and virtual events centered around special topics regarding the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). I learned about the different successes, challenges, and stakeholders involved in several USMCA chapters. I am very thankful for my newly acquired knowledge of the USMCA, Mexico’s politics, and current events.

Throughout my internship, I also gained a lot of insight on US trade relations and trade-related foreign policy. I was also fortunate to meet several Ambassadors and USAID foreign service officers who shared insights and advice on a career in the Foreign Service. Overall, this summer prepared me for future endeavors in the international affairs sector.

August 31, 2021February 21, 2022

Summer Internship Experience: Sydney Lobato

I had never done data analytics before, so it was an exciting challenge to take up. My team focused on the satisfaction score, which is the measure of how satisfied customers are with the price of items. I was tasked to understand why this score had been increasing and if there are any additional ways to continue its upward trajectory. I learned how to filter through thousands of data results from surveys to see which drivers within AT&T were causing this score to increase. I also took those drivers and did a deeper investigation to find areas of improvement for the company that would also result in a better score. Throughout the summer I gave presentations to my team, communicating the results I had found along with additional insights from my analysis.

Although this experience was virtual, I still felt very involved, and I really liked the numerous events focused on immersing interns in the company experience. These included a group activity with fellow interns, social get-togethers, and hearing about the many different sides of AT&T. One takeaway from my internship was the experience of networking with the people I met. Everyone was willing to help if I had any questions, and I gained knowledge on different job roles along with a ton of advice through networking. This summer was also a fantastic learning experience; I acquired a new understanding of data analytics and how you can use numbers and statistics to tell a story about what is happening within a company. I went out of my comfort zone with this position, but I am so grateful I did because I know I can use this skill in many future endeavors. I really enjoyed my internship, and I am so appreciative for all the people I got to work with and meet. I expanded my time management, collaboration, creative thinking, and communication skills and I look forward to using these abilities in the Hunt Institute.

August 31, 2021February 16, 2022

Summer Internship Experience: Sofia Murillo

“Sofia, if you had the chance to intern at AT&T again, would you change anything?” asked an AT&T Senior Executive during my intern synopsis presentation. At that moment, I took a few seconds to truly reflect on my summer internship at AT&T.

Over the course of my 10-week long internship, I helped with the recreation of the Compliance Data Management System (CDMS) used by thousands of EH&S (Environmental, Health, & Safety) employees through the creation of four user stories. User stories are documents that give IT/developers an idea of what the person/organization needs from a system being developed. In other words, it’s the instruction manual for developers but from the perspective of the user. The four user stories that I created had over 15,000 words and 100 pages combined. Completing these user stories was no easy feat. Coming into my internship, I knew nothing about EH&S which put me in a position where I had to be resourceful and network around the department to learn more about both CDMS and EH&S as a whole. At the end of my internship, I learned that the time and effort I put into creating the user stories would help AT&T save over a million dollars in time and resources annually.

Even though I kept myself busy with the creation of the user stories, I still sought some programming experience before the end of my internship. After some more networking around the company, I was notified of a project that would provide me that experience. My mini side-project involved using ReactNative and APIs to code a live project filter within a project tracking system used by a different department. Essentially, I helped streamline the search process within the system and I learned how to code using ReactNative (something I’ve always wanted to learn, especially as a Computer Science major and tech lover).

Beyond the projects I worked on, I also led the Intern Newsletter Team made up of 21 interns for three out of the four editions we published, as well as the Interviewing Team throughout the completion of the four editions. I also created and administered the main channel of communication for 176 interns.

Overall, the knowledge and experience that I took away from my internship at AT&T as well as the people I met along the way were absolutely invaluable.

So no, I would not have changed anything about my internship at AT&T, perhaps, at the most, I would have told myself to take a deep breath and trust the process.

August 30, 2021February 10, 2022

Waste to Energy Broader Impact Report

Waste to Energy: Harnessing the fuel in organic waste to create a business opportunity for a recycling-based society and system, Harshada Pednekar

In the summer of 2020, Harshada Pednekar, at the time pursuing a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering at SMU’s Lyle School of Engineering, was approached by the Institute’s Executive Director, Dr. Eva Csaky, to work on waste to energy research. Amidst the pandemic, Harshada joined the team remotely and immediately hit the ground running on her research, despite the challenges of getting acclimated to a new role without being in-person.

Harshada is passionate about the environment and achieving sustainable business practices while being mindful of the triple bottom line: people, planet, and profit. She had a professional career in India, most notably working as a Design Engineer at Indo-French company Mailhem-Ikos Environment Pvt. Ltd. where she designed portable biogas plants and bio-methanation (UASB Reactor) plants, with capacity ranging from 1000 kg to 100 TPD of municipal solid waste. After graduation, Harshada began work at AECOM in Greenville, South Carolina as a Civil Engineer.

Research on this report went well beyond desk research, as Harshada also examined industry best practices and gained insight from experts in the field. We were fortunate to have excellent industry advisors from the Terra Group at Toyota Motor North America, Inc.; Matthew Sheldon, Hunt Institute Social Intrapreneur; Jason S Sekhon, Fuel Cell and Hydrogen SME; Mark Hitchock, Zero waste, recycling, and the City of Plano Liaison; and Kelli Gregory, NTCOG liaison, clean energy mobility. Faculty advisors included Dr. Eva Csaky, Hunt Institute Executive Director, and Mohammad Khodayar, Ph.D., Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Lyle School of Engineering.

Harshada completed her report shortly before graduating, and the final report is titled Waste to Energy: Harnessing the fuel in organic waste to create a business opportunity for a recycling-based society and system.

Included in the report is a quote from President of Toyota Motor Corporation Akio Toyoda, who said, “I believe that our mission is to provide goods and services that make people throughout the world happy, or, in other words to “mass produce” happiness…I view this as also being a part of earnestly engaging in the sustainable development goals.”

The summary states that to generate a feasible amount of methane to support a digester, it is estimated that 10 to 12 tons/d, with 8-10% contamination and 80% of the contamination being bioplastics, can produce about 70 Nm3/h of biogas. This is the amount of biogas needed to produce 200 kg/day of hydrogen, which is the smallest commercially available packaged system. The greenhouse gas emission (GHG) for IngeoTM is currently 1.3 kg CO2 eq./kg polymer compared to approx. 3.2 kg CO2 eq./kg polymer for PET. Therefore, implementing anaerobic digestion for PLA can reduce around 942.5 kg – 1132 kg per day of CO2 equivalent emissions.

A total of 1 ton per day of undigested bioplastic with 30% of total solids will be sent to landfills; 3 tons per day of dewatered digestate cake can be utilized for composting, and Class A fertilizer can be produced. The research on anaerobic degradation of biopolymers is still in its infancy. Therefore, this report has discussed different pre-treatment alternatives to treat PLA such as physical, chemical, and thermal treatments. The findings suggests on-site segregation benefits of the current solid waste management scenario in the commercial sector of Plano, Texas. This report consists of a description of existing scenarios and possible pre-treatment alternatives for bioplastic degradation generated from the commercial sector in hopes of finding a solution good for people, our planet, and that can be a viable and profitable solution for a city like Plano, Texas.

August 27, 2021

Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew: Conversations about Community and Resilience

On this episode of The Hunt Institute’s Sages & Seekers Podcast, Dr. Frowsa’ Booker-Drew discusses the importance of transformational relationships and the vulnerability we’ve all experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew is the Founder and CEO of Soulstice Consultancy, specializing as a Partnership Broker and Leadership Expert for companies and organizations to thrive with measurable and meaningful impact. She also is the VP of Community Affairs and Strategic Alliances for the State Fair of Texas. Dr. Booker-Drew is a passionate philanthropist and Co-Founder of HERitage Giving Circle. Her connectivity expertise and notable research is highlighted in quotes and profiles in major media such as Forbes, Huffington Post, Bustle, Ozy, and other outlets around the world.

Dr. Booker-Drew said in the conversation, “Once we come out of this, it’s going to force us to value relationships and time very differently. We’re going to think about the spaces and places we put ourselves in.”

What is Hunt Sages & Seekers?

August 24, 2021February 16, 2022

Summer Internship Experience: Mariana Midolo

During my internship I worked on the Bank of America team, where I served as a liaison between the client, internal Epsilon technical delivery teams, and management. Furthermore, I executed Change Management Requests and coordinated full Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC) processes and tasks including requirement definition, functional specification, and client documentation. Also, I had the opportunity to collaborate with other interns on a group project, where I assembled and analyzed data to produce well-reasoned recommendations for our client, Ben & Jerry’s. Our sponsor for this project loved our presentation and even mentioned that she would be implementing our recommendations!

Overall, I enjoyed my internship experience at Epsilon, and I believe I gained very valuable experience. The internship taught me many things outside the classroom and textbooks. I learned to never be afraid to ask too many questions. No question is a dumb question, and questions lead to answers and knowledge. As simple as that sounds, I was the only intern assigned to the Bank of America team, and as such, I was challenged and pushed out of my comfort zone many times to ask questions to my teammates in order to move forward with my projects. Also, I realized how certain skills like time management, multi-tasking, and communication are applied differently in the workplace than at school. At the internship, my primary focus was the client, while in college, we often focus on our own personal and academic development. These lessons and skills are all things I will work on improving as I finish my senior year and start my professional career.