Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity

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, one of the undergraduate research analysts in the Institute, Sam Borton, was an intern at the Institute for Technology and Global Health (ITGH), a research hub under PathCheck Foundation. Sam shared the following about his experience:

Startling statistics often have a way of provoking people to take action. Even as early as elementary school, I was taught the effectiveness of using an “interesting fact” as an introductory sentence. In the process of searching for a research topic this summer, I was sent down an entirely different path after coming across one such statistic: developing countries lose about 45 million cubic meters of water daily, totaling a loss of over $3 billion per year. I knew that lack of access to water is a significant issue, but the fact that this much water was available but not reaching end consumers was surprising.

In the beginning of the internship, we had a week of courses about doing research in the public health and technology space. One concept that stuck with me was that of developing a theory of change before implementing a program. I learned that going through the process of identifying the series of causal links between implementation and the intended end result is important in both accounting for unintended consequences and clarifying the program’s focus.

Initially, my group’s research efforts were going to be focused on sanitation infrastructure. After further pursuing the idea of water loss, however, I discovered the concept of non-revenue water, which includes physical water leakages, unbilled and unmetered water consumption, and illegal connections. It seemed to me that a vital preliminary step in achieving better sanitation conditions is achieving sufficient access to water. Addressing non-revenue water not only increases water availability, but by properly collecting revenue, local water utilities have increased capacity to repair and expand the existing water infrastructure. Ultimately, my group’s summer research culminated with the completion of a working paper about performance-based contracts as a solution for reducing non-revenue water.

I feel very fortunate to have been able to meet and work alongside other students who are passionate about contributing to a more inclusive, sustainable world, similar to my great co-workers at the Hunt Institute. My experience at ITGH taught me about working towards a tight deadline, developing a research question, and even about the wonderful challenges of collaborating remotely across several time zones. I am very grateful for the experience, and I am excited to apply what I learned to my role at the Hunt Institute and beyond.

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.

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 marketer in the Institute, John Morgan, spent six weeks working as a program specialist at Lakeview Methodist Conference Center just south of Palestine, Texas. John graciously shared the following about his experience:

Take a moment and think back to your youth. Think about times when you were running around your backyard pretending you were anywhere else. Think about walking down the aisle in the grocery store begging your parents for a toy or a snack. Think about how upset you were when a sibling or friend had something you didn’t, and that thing seemed like the most important thing in the world.

These instances, along with many others from our childhood, can seem cringeworthy or laughable in retrospect, but I think it’s important to remember the mindset with which we would approach life as children. That innocent, worry-free worldview often escapes us as we mature and are confronted with reality. However, every now and then, it may make sense for us to embrace the youthful spirit of having a goal in mind without focusing on the complications in accomplishing it.

This summer, my daily routine for six weeks consisted of facilitating games, setting up activities, and entertaining armies of third through fifth grade kids. This can certainly be a daunting task, but the relationships that my coworkers and I formed with these kids were ultimately what kept us sane. While it isn’t fun to constantly remind elementary campers not to wander into a live archery range or swim too far in the lake, it was easy to fall in love with the genuine excitement and enthusiasm with which they approached every moment. It’s fair to say that I learned as much from them as they learned from me.

One memorable moment from my experience surprisingly came from a response on one of the camper surveys at the end of the week. Despite the various misspelled words –“dogball” instead of “dodgeball,” for example– and no shortage of blunt feedback from these kids, many of the most meaningful responses came from the question, “What did you learn about yourself this week?” It was here where a kid, one who I had seen blossom from a state of homesickness on the first day to pure joy by the end of the week, answered that he learned that he needed to worry less and dream more. Reading this and knowing what this camper had gone through in those five days, I couldn’t help but shed some tears.

After forty days in the middle of East Texas, I have returned to reality with the strong notion that it might be beneficial for us to take that third grader’s advice: worry less in our pursuits in order to dream more.

Here at the Hunt Institute, we strive to serve as a hub to develop future-focused solutions to worldly challenges. As the undergraduate marketer, I have the privilege of witnessing and showcasing the Institute’s impactful projects and initiatives. We bear a responsibility to help improve the world around us, and therefore we must continue to think big, allowing ourselves to dream instead of listing the barriers in front of us. In the fulfillment of our aspirations, let’s choose to worry less and dream more.

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.