#Global Development Lab – Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity

October 1, 2021February 10, 2022

Biodegradable Plastics Research – Where Engineering & Chemistry Intersect for Broader Impact

In the Hunter and Stephanie Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity’s Global Development Lab, our interdisciplinary teams made up of students, fellows, faculty, and industry professionals are working to create meaningful solutions to promote resilient humanity, all of which address the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Where Engineering & Chemistry Intersect for Broader Impact report addresses biodegradable plastics where engineering and chemistry intersect.

Currently, many biodegradable products in the market are bio-based, such as polysaccharides, proteins, and lipids, and are focused on conventional plastic applications. This approach to the production of biodegradable plastics, however, is facing mounting challenges due to high cost, weaker performance, and environmental issues. Additionally, several biodegradable plastics have proven to break down quickly under specific, simulated environmental conditions, but they may not be effectively degradable under natural conditions. As a result of these challenges and many alike, there is a gap in the market.

As our Project Affiliates, Dr. David Son and Dr. Paul Krueger are investigating a prototype plastic that has predictable degradation and mechanical properties, in order to bridge this gap. In the spirit of interdisciplinary innovation, they seek to develop a joint chemical and engineering approach to biodegradable plastics for broader impact.

Dr. Son says, “As a chemist, I have the capability and knowledge to design a material from the molecular level up. It’s a challenge to synthesize a material with the ‘right’ properties. You can prepare a material cheaply, but it may not degrade. Or you can make a material that degrades too quickly or is not 3D-printable. In today’s world, the plastics disposal problem is not going away anytime soon, and it is exciting that Professor Krueger and our labs can help make a difference.”

Dr. Krueger says, “Material properties are important for durability and functionality of engineered systems. But they are also important for what happens when you are finished using the system. Having materials that can fulfill their design role as well as existing materials and can also easily degrade to facilitate future disposal is extremely valuable, but difficult to achieve. It’s a pleasure working with Prof. Son to achieve this dream and help to reduce plastic waste.”

There are many uses for biodegradable plastics to address our current state of plastics pollution. One potential future application could be biodegradable plastic used in combination with 3-D printing technology specifically designed for use with the unique geometric properties of the biodegradable prototype plastic. Compatibility with 3D printing methods would help to facilitate biodegradable plastic’s replacement of other less desirable materials, especially given its rapidly growing adoption and application for manufacturing both prototype and production components. The lab is developing a 3D printing technology (extrude and cure additive manufacturing, or ECAM) that can simultaneously print and cure thermoset polymers such as those considered in this project.

Another significant opportunity for the biodegradable plastic industry is an application towards alleviating medical waste. Focusing on producing better-quality medical supplies and reducing the end-of-life waste associated with such products, this application works towards the third UN SDG “to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages,” as well as the fourteenth UN SDG, which aims “to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources”[1].

In order to address this challenge, our team of multidisciplinary students and subject matter experts has been working diligently to develop biodegradable plastic with more desirable characteristics and predictable degradation properties. Through this research, they hope to address medical waste and produce a product that could potentially be used in 3D printing. A portion of the report provides a market analysis of biodegradable plastics, a discussion of their applications, and updates from the lab’s progress in their research.

Both the Son and Krueger labs continue to research a biodegradable plastic that is comparable in function and cost to the industry standard while achieving alternatives to traditional disposal and decomposition. Continue to read the Hunt Institute Digest for more information about this project and others like it.

Undergraduate Project Managers: Sydney Lobato and Taylor Grace

Undergraduate Research Analyst: Katherine Nguyen

Undergraduate Lab Researchers: Son Lab: Anderson Wey and Jamie Hall; Krueger Lab: Sami Streb

Global Development Lab Portfolio Manager: Corrie A. Harris, M.A., MBA

Hunt Institute Affiliates: Dr. David Son and Dr. Paul Krueger

[1] Oceans – United Nations Sustainable Development. (n.d.). Retrieved 2020, from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/oceans/

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.

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.

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.

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.

August 13, 2021February 16, 2022

Summer 2021 Recap

Summer in the Hunt Institute is always an exciting season of transition and growth for our team. Though the summer team is typically smaller with many of our student workers participating in internships or taking summer classes, it was nonetheless encouraging to be able to engage in person with our coworkers after adjusting to a hybrid workspace for much of the last year. After we celebrated our graduating students in May, we changed gears to a summer of training new team members and strengthening our processes, delving deeper into existing projects, and continuing to engage with our community. This post serves to highlight some specific happenings in the Institute over this summer:

In June, Mohammed Njie shared a HunTalk about his journey to bring clean energy to The Gambia and the support of his colleagues in the Institute along the way.

Mohammed said that clean, reliable energy in The Gambia “is necessary now more than ever given the effects of climate change on agriculture, the country’s most important industry. This makes our venture a necessary and worthy cause.”

Also taking place in June was the final ImpactNights ™ of the academic year, which was dedicated to “Freedom Day” with an expert-led look at the obstructions in our justice system that hinder economic freedom for a significant number of black and brown Americans. Read more about the event here and view the engaging conversation here.

The Social Enterprise Program in the Institute was a focus this summer, as the 2021 Cohort of Social Intrapreneurs continued developing their innovative solutions. Working to support the intrapreneurs is Valecia Harris, the graduate Program Consultant and Manager for the Social Enterprise Program.

Valecia noted that she is “excited to be part of a team where I can lend my knowledge and experience in developing strategies and supporting innovative solutions that generate transformational impact.”

Undergraduate student workers are involved in this area as well, as Undergraduate Research Analyst Scott Zuo was featured in July for his research involving inclusive economy best practices and mapping of the international ecosystem for social enterprise.

As mentioned previously, many student workers in the Hunt Institute received tremendous opportunities to acquire new skills and experiences through internships outside of the Institute. Undergraduate Marketer John Morgan reminded us to worry less and dream more after recounting his experience working with children as a program specialist at Lakeview Methodist Conference Center, and Undergraduate Research Analyst Sam Borton explained his summer research on non-revenue water at the Institute for Technology and Global Health. We are excited to reconnect with all of our student workers who worked elsewhere this summer to hear about their experiences.

Lastly, we highlight the exciting progress being made on STEM Up Phase II, in which using the solar power produced at Tintinto Primary and Secondary School in The Gambia, low-cost and low-power servers and refurbished laptops will outfit a computer lab. This project continues to progress as Wilkie Stevenson ’20 works tirelessly to finalize the prototype.

Be sure to stay up to date on these and the many other exciting projects and initiatives happening at the Hunt Institute this Fall. Pony Up!

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.

June 21, 2021February 16, 2022

HunTalks: The Gambia Energy Project

Mohammed Njie has a mission to bring clean energy to The Gambia. Since his first day at the Hunt Institute, he has been working to make this vision a reality. Mohammed is a senior at Southern Methodist University double majoring in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in the Lyle School of Engineering. He was the first Student Social Entrepreneur in the history of the Hunt Institute Social Enterprise program. He is recognized as a Grand Challenges Scholar, winner of SMU’s Big Ideas, and is also part of the SMU Incubator. Mohammed was born and raised in The Gambia in West Africa. After graduating high school, he constructed his first electric car. His childhood helped solidify his life mission from a young age: helping to close the energy gap between the Global North and South, starting in The Gambia.

The limited energy sector in The Gambia leaves the majority of the country’s population in need of electricity. The demand for energy in the Gambia far exceeds the available supply. For more than three decades, the national utility company NAWEC has struggled to meet the ever-growing demand. Of the 48% of Gambia’s population that has access to electricity, they experience frequent blackouts because the supply is unreliable. The Gambia has one of the highest energy production costs, not only in Africa, but in the whole world ($0.32/KWh). The high costs are mainly due to the importation of expensive diesel that is used as fuel for generators by the national utility company. The rest of the 52% of the population do not have access to a grid that supplies energy, resulting in no access to electricity. This leaves two categories of customers in the Gambian electricity market: (1) Urban Gambians with unreliable access to electricity and expensive tariffs, and (2) Rural Gambians with no access to electricity at all.

Mohammed discusses his motivation, saying, “Energy infrastructure is at the foundation of economic, environmental, and social growth. The Gambia, the smallest country in Africa, lacks this essential infrastructure but has the desire and resources to support it. Janta is the solution that will bring clean, reliable energy to the Gambia to facilitate the country’s growth and development. The need for energy in The Gambia is necessary now more than ever given the effects of climate change on agriculture, the country’s most important industry. This makes our venture a necessary and worthy cause.”

In this edition of HunTalks™, Mohammed shares his journey to make this vision a reality as a student employee in the Institute. Click on the video above to hear him share about his colleagues in the Institute and how they have contributed to his success.

Previous 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, 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.

May 6, 2021February 17, 2022

Better Building: Compressed Earth Blocks Report

“Our society as a whole needs to leverage the forces of globalization, technological advancement, and climate change – what the UN calls ‘the three mega forces’ – for disruptive solutions to further inclusive sustainable economic development,” said Director of the Hunt Institute Dr. Eva Csaky. “We can reach this goal by harnessing the power of disruptive collaboration.” The CEB research partnership and collaboration between Dr. Brett Story and the Hunt Institute began in 2015 for just this purpose.

Previous phases for this research included Phase I, focusing on the strength testing of CEBs under a variety of conditions including varying moisture levels, cement content, and soil type. This research was followed by Phase II, focusing on determining characteristics for different types of soil found globally as a first step in standardization.

Phase III’s objectives were somewhat altered due to the global pandemic which resulted in breaking the work into two parts. This semester the team developed a report entitled,” Better Building: Compressed Earth Block Report,” which highlights the market opportunity and sustainability of compressed earth blocks in construction. The project manager is JuliaGrace Walker, and the undergraduate researcher is Madison Rodriguez.

The next part of the project will take place during the summer and fall term of 2021. In Phase III, analyses will be performed and data will be compared from the test structures at both the Taos and Dallas campuses. Relationships between soil type and mix design, block strength, and thermal properties will also be investigated. Additionally, this investigation will include models developed by Dr. Story’s lab team which is comprised of Ph.D. students Jase Sitton and Robert Hillyard, as well as undergraduate researchers Adriana Mena and Ziyu Sun. Combined together, both parts of Phase III will inform the vision of a living laboratory at SMU@ Taos.

Dr. Story’s vision is ultimately “…to use the data obtained during this project to make recommendations for full-scale, more permanent structures that can be used by faculty and students at the SMU Taos campus. The information learned during this project will be used to start the design of a “living” laboratory, which would be a laboratory building constructed with CEB and instrumented with a variety of sensors. In this way, the structure is both the laboratory space as well as the test specimen.”

CEBs are an emerging earthen construction technology that contribute to stronger and more resilient earth infrastructure. As interest in sustainable construction technology has increased, more research has been conducted on CEBs as an alternative to traditional masonry. Comparing CEB to traditional masonry, CEB structures can be more energy efficient throughout their life cycle. When approached accordingly, they can are energy efficient to produce and transport, while conserving resources and reducing waste production. CEBs are better insulated due to their high thermal mass and thermal resistance. Subsequently, their high thermal inertia gives CEBs the advantage of humidity regulation, and evaporation of water in the earthen walls contributes to natural cooling. CEBs represent a cost effective, energy efficient, and sustainable solution that directly contribute to the ninth and eleventh UN Sustainable Development Goals, which address industry, innovation, and infrastructure, as well as sustainable cities and communities. CEBs indirectly contribute to many other SDGs through their impact on health, household incomes (through cost savings) and quality of life.

Sam Borton contributed to this post.

Read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems here. We invite you to listen Join us for ImpactNights® or listen to our podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the Institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our weekly update by emailing your contact information to huntinstitute@smu.edu.

April 14, 2021June 17, 2021

2021 SMU Giving Day: The Power of One Person’s Vision

Mohammed Njie envisions a future in which all of Africa has access to reliable, affordable, clean energy in his lifetime. Since his first day at the Hunt Institute, he has been working to make this vision a reality, starting with his home country of The Gambia. Mohammed developed a plan with the help of the Hunt Institute team. During that process, Mohammed founded Janta Energy, a social enterprise, with the goal of bringing clean, reliable energy to The Gambia. Like all great ideas, he needed a pilot project to test his hypothesis that rural schools could be fully functional with solar panels because the majority of their meeting time is during daylight hours. The pilot has the panels connected to batteries for evening classroom access. The long-term goal is to include fuel cells when the technology advances enough to offer an affordable option.

After securing permission from the Minister of Energy for The Gambia and local leadership in Tintinto, the team installed the technology needed to illuminate 50% of Tintinto Primary and Secondary School. During Janta’s pilot project, the team was able to pull data from the school’s energy use and excess, evaluating capacity in planning what should be installed to complete the project. After a year of use, based on the findings, the technology has proven that it will be a viable solution going forward.

In the spring semester of 2021, the student employees’ goal was to raise the remaining money needed to finish the pilot; they called it the “Illuminating Tintinto” project and submitted it to the SMU Giving Day roster. Through their hard work, they spread the word to generous donors who donated to complete the project. Now 100% of the Tintinto Primary and Secondary School will be powered by solar panels. Access to electricity will make available an entirely new learning environment, providing tools for teachers to use to enhance the learning experience of students in Tintinto.

In response to the generous donations made to support his pilot project, Mohammed said, “This is amazing. We are one step closer to making the dreams and hopes of the students in Tintinto village a reality. Progress and sustainability are possible through education, and energy access makes education a limitless experience for students. I am very excited about the future of Tintinto village, its students, and its people.”

With the knowledge and experience gained through this process, Mohammed intends on scaling Janta. By replicating the same technology, he plans to continue using local resources and labor to outfit other schools, eventually expanding the idea for use in rural hospitals in his pursuit to bring clean energy to all of The Gambia.

We, the team at the Hunt Institute, would like to thank all the supporters supporting the group of student employees determined to help Illuminate Tintinto. We are excited to see the progress that Mohammed Njie is making and are proud of the student employees that embody our university motto, “World Changers Shaped Here.”

Many of our supporters have long been by our side, some are new friends, and still, others are our very own SMU Alumni that worked in the Institute and returned to once again aid in our impact. Thank you!

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.

December 8, 2020February 28, 2022

End of Semester Reflection Fall 2020

Whether delving into sustainable food systems, researching methods of converting waste to energy, or examining the crossroads of 3-D printing and biodegradable plastics, the Hunt Institute is constantly buzzing with solutions to bolster the resilience of the world around us. Even in this challenge-filled semester, several projects in the Institute made great strides toward this goal.

Just to highlight a few: thanks to Janta and its installation of solar panels at the Tintinto Primary and Secondary school in The Gambia, remote learning was made possible amidst the pandemic; the Resilient Shelter team completed a market analysis of low-cost seismic protection methods for urban buildings in developing countries; and the Kijiji Project team developed a proposal for sustainable fencing for a community center in Kasisa, Tanzania. In addition, the communications team continued to showcase these projects and team members with consistency and excellence.

Despite all of these resilient solutions, though, I believe what primarily shaped this semester was the resilience of the Hunt Institute team and affiliates. We did not ignore all that was happening in the world around us, but rather we pushed through together.

Many students used their wide range of skills to contribute in a variety of ways. One such student, Undergraduate Research Analyst Scott Zuo, noted that in addition to his contributions to his primary project, “helping with other tasks and projects was a great opportunity for me to grow.” Whether in the office or remotely, the team was able to gather for our town-hall style Monday Meetings, which always began with the opportunity to connect with one another via breakout rooms. We even culminated the semester with an adapted version of our annual Thanksgiving celebration, beginning with a discussion of what team members were thankful for and ending with an entertaining trivia game that lifted everyone’s spirits.

As we hit our final deadlines and approach a much-needed winter break, it is time to reflect on this past semester and look forward to the next. I feel incredibly grateful for the hard-working, connected team we have at the Institute and all the work that was accomplished, and after witnessing the way we adapted to a hybrid system of virtual and in-person, I feel confident that this team can tackle whatever challenges come our way in the future.

Sam Borton is an economics major, the Research Team Lead with Varsha, and a contributor to the Hunt Institute Digest.

November 9, 2020February 11, 2021

Innovation in Tintinto, The Gambia

Janta Pilot project, Global Development lab, The Gambia, rich with natural resources for clean energy — Janta’s pilot project in Tintinto Village, The Gambia in West Africa. The Gambia is rich with natural resources for clean energy.

As the world continues to brace for the unknown while fighting the global pandemic, schools remain closed or partially open all around the world. To make matters worse, in The Gambia, a West African country surrounded by Senegal, just 48% of people have moderate, yet sometimes unreliable, access to electricity (typically in urban areas) and the remaining 52% have no access (typically remote rural areas). For children in rural areas, virtual learning as we define it in the United States is not possible, causing the children to fall behind in their studies during COVID-19 shutdowns.

The Tintinto Primary and Secondary school, founded in 2009, has 936 students enrolled. In December of 2019, they agreed to be a beta test site for Janta’s pilot project, a project designed to bring clean reliable energy to The Gambia. The project was funded by a partnership with the Hunt Institute’s Global Development Lab and the Hart Center for Engineering Leadership.

In January of 2020, a team installed five 330-watt 24-volt solar panels, two 250 amp 12-volt solar batteries, and a 50 amp solar charge controller to power four classrooms and a staff room. The pilot is designed to test the panel’s effectiveness as a solution to bring electrical connections for lights, fans, and eventually computers. All supplies and labor were sourced locally, supporting the local economy.

Shortly after the solar panels were installed, the pandemic made its way to The Gambia. Fortunately for the students in the village of Tintinto, their teachers are innovative. Although they were unable to connect with students through virtual platforms because students do not have laptops or computers at home, nor do they have electricity or the internet. But, they do have cell phones.

Principal Amadou Kinteh spoke of his teachers’ innovation, “Most teachers used their mobile phone, charged them, and tried to create a platform to help the students because face-to-face learning was impossible. But with solar power, they were able to charge their mobile phones. Those platforms [cell phones] helped the students very well. In other schools, students were at home doing nothing, but our teachers … [created their own] online teaching.” This significant effort is a testimony to both the resilience of the people of The Gambia and the indomitable spirit of the teachers in demonstrating their love for their students.

In October, the students were allowed to return to their classrooms and are working hard to catch up with their peers in urban areas. Although the entire school is not powered yet, there are plans to do so. Mohammed Njie, the founder of Janta, explains, “As a pilot project, we were limited to installing a limited amount of panels. We used those panels to provide 100% energy for half of the school. The idea was that after we did a successful pilot project, then we will install more panels to extend the power to the other side of the school.”

Principal Kinteh talked about how the night classes are helping the students to catch up in their studies, “…we benefited from night classes, as children living near or in the village were assisted by the teachers during the night because electricity is now available and the place is quiet, so children would come and read and they would be assisted by the teachers. This has helped our students a lot. They performed extremely well in the grade 9 examinations.”

Njie has been in communication with Principal Kinteh, and both are pleased with the results. Together, they are looking forward to future panel installations, which will expand solar energy access to the rest of the classes. Once that is completed, they will advance to the next phase – STEM Up X Janta Ed.

Mohammed Njie and Manuela Murillo Sanchez were contributors to this blog post. Sam Borton edited and revised this post. Thank you for sharing our post and spreading the word about the work we do in the Hunt Institute’s Global Development Lab.

To read more about Hunter & Stephanie Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity’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 to the work, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

November 3, 2020November 5, 2020

Counting Our Breakthroughs

October is over and November is upon us. Our team at the Hunt Institute continues to push through the normal stress of a college semester, project delays, and constant challenges that seem to pop up out of nowhere – not to mention a historic presidential election and the news of surges in COVID-19 globally.

We choose to count our breakthroughs.

Most students at SMU have completed their midterms, officially marking our halfway point for the semester. With approximately seven weeks to go in this semester, here are some of our breakthroughs. In the Global Development Lab, we have seen projects take off and pick up momentum while others stalled and have been put on hold. Through it all, we have been able to produce several deliverables including The Resilient Shelter Project finalizing their report Seeking Low-Cost Seismic Protection for Urban Masonry in an Unstable Terrain, the Moments that Matter project continuing to host Virtual National Focus Groups in partnership with the Veteran Women’s Enterprise Center over the Fall semester, and The Kijiji Project producing their report Building Bridges to Build Connections.

More deliverables are in the making right now, as we continue to find creative ways to work around delays and learn as we go. The Institute’s Assistant Director says about the strength of the team members, “Even more than the pride I feel in our finished work, I have so much pride in our team members. It is hard enough to navigate college, then add working for an Institute that is producing work that is impactful in people’s lives — that is a different level of strength of character. I am very proud of our team, watching them set aside fear and embrace potential.” One example is Sam Borton who is a third-year student. He joined the Institute in January of 2020. He quickly rose to a leadership position, as he naturally reached out to help his teammates over the adjustment period. He co-leads the researcher team and consistently supports the communications team with editing. Borton says, “The research team has faced numerous challenges due to the pandemic —stalled lab research, cancelled travel plans, and staying connected while virtual— but I am proud of each researcher’s resilience to stay productive even while facing challenges out of our control.”

One team has risen to the challenge to keep everyone connected both internally and externally, the communications team. Cullen Blanchfield is the communications team lead and a senior student with a passion for videography. He has been with the Institute since he was a freshman, filming and editing visual content. He was in his study abroad semester when the pandemic hit, resulting in his return to the states, after which he immediately jumped back into working with the Institute to further our mission. He has driven the team to new consistency over the summer months, working with and celebrating the contributions of each team member along with working towards including more visual content via social media and our weekly update. He speaks to the challenges his team continues to push through, “The communications team has had to pivot our internal workflow and adjust our content due to the pandemic, but we’ve stayed very productive and grown tremendously.”

Rachel Levitt is an MBA candidate in marketing at the Cox School of Business. She is the lead for the Social Enterprise and has helped three social entrepreneurs with their business plans by developing business models depending on each person’s need and value proposition. Levitt has written nineteen blog posts during her time at the Institute that started in May 2020. Rachel speaks to her challenges in running the social enterprise, “The social enterprise team has had to postpone on-boarding a new cohort of social entrepreneurs. However, it has given us the opportunity to focus on educating the public about the importance of social entrepreneurship, especially during these trying times.”