#Global Development Lab – Page 3 – Hunt Institute for Engineering & Humanity

July 6, 2020August 30, 2021

Harshada Pednekar

Harshada Pednekar ’21 joined the Hunt Institute to work in GIS mapping and research in environmental engineering with a concentration in waste to energy. Before coming to the United States to pursue a master’s degree in environmental engineering from Lyle School of Engineering, Harshada 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, capacity ranging from 1000kg to100 TPD of municipal solid waste. After graduation, Harshada began work at AECOM in Greenville, South Carolina as a Civil Engineer.

When asked why she was drawn to the Hunt Institute, Harshada said, “I was attracted to the Institute when I heard about the “Waste to Energy” Project. Waste is not waste until we waste it. I believe that working at the Institute will support my aspirations for working in this field with a strong industrial interface that will keep me updated with the latest developments. This project is teaching me all the aspects of engineering, management, and finance.”

Harshada now has both a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering from Southern Methodist University’s Lyle School of Engineering and a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from KIT’s College of Engineering in Kolhapur, MH, India. In addition to working in the Institute as a Graduate Research Analyst, Pednekar served as a Teaching Assistant in the Field & Lab Methods for Lyle School of Engineering. She was also an active member of the Lyle Senior Design Team that took First Place in the virtual Student Design Competition, sponsored by the Water Environment Association of Texas (WEAT).

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 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.

May 17, 2020March 2, 2022

Scott Zuo

Scott Zuo is a junior at Southern Methodist University working toward a B.S. in Management Science and Statistics. He serves as a member of the SMU Statistics Club and as an active member of the American Statistics Association (ASA).

Scott has been recognized as a Distinguished Scholar and as a Discovery Scholar. After completing his undergraduate studies, Scott would like to go to a graduate school for further study in the field of statistics. In his free time, he enjoys movies, music, and basketball.

At the Hunt Institute, Scott’s skills in analytics and managing data have been utilized in his current role on the ImpactMap project where he has been appointed as Data Manager. This job includes managing data content and tools to make the ImpactMap more effective and useful, as well as researching best practices, and collecting, organizing, and evaluating data from various sources. Scott also works in the Global Development Lab as an Undergraduate Research Analyst. He has worked on the Moments that Matter Phase II project which will help business development and support providers nationwide to improve how they engage with women-veteran entrepreneurs.

Scott finds his motivation at work to be “all the potential benefits of the projects of our Institute as well as the way we approach every task by applying our knowledge and wisdom to achieve our goals, all of these have built up the components that motivate me to keep working for the Institute and makes me feel fulfilled.”

April 8, 2020March 2, 2022

Better Building with Compressed Earth Blocks

In 2015, the United Nations adopted 17 long-term sustainability goals to improve global health, safety, and quality of life. Among those goals are plans to develop future-oriented industry, innovation, and infrastructure and to create sustainable cities and communities with a focus on reducing carbon emissions. With these goals in mind, the Hunt Institute’s Global Development Lab continues to work through the Better Building project is examining the effectiveness of using compressed earth blocks to investigate long-term energy-efficient structures.

Compressed Earth Blocks (CEB) are comprised of a mixture of local soil, sand, water, and a stabilizer (such as cement) that is machine-compacted into a mold and allowed to cure for approximately one month. These blocks provide the structure of buildings as alternatives to bricks or other construction materials. The Better Building project researches CEB’s effectiveness as a low-cost and sustainable building material and investigate strategies for scaling CEB into a widespread building material.

SMU Civil Engineering Assistant Professor Dr. Brett Story leads a group of students in a pressure test of earthen bricks on Thursday, July 14, 2016 in the J. Lindsay Embrey Engineering Building on the SMU campus in Dallas.

“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,” Director of the Hunt Institute Dr. Eva Csaky said. “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. Dr. Story’s research for Phase I focused on the strength testing of CEBs under a variety of conditions including varying moisture levels, cement content, and soil type.

Phase II focused determining local soil characteristics for different types of soil found globally as a first step in standardization. Designing with CEB requires an understanding of the local soil conditions and how composition, moisture, and other variables interact and affect construction. This process is taught by Dwell Earth, an organization dedicated to spreading this knowledge through hands-on training workshops to share their efficient and intuitive building system. Founder, Adam De Jong, is an Affiliate in the Institute and has consistently provided his expertise to Dr. Story over the years as he expands his research now into Phase III.

Plans for Phase III will be to compare data pulled from three small-scale prototype structures built from insulated plywood, concrete masonry unit (CMU), and CEB. Duplicate prototypes will produce data to analyze from two locations, one set will be at the SMU @ Taos campus and the second set will be at the SMU’s main campus in Dallas, Texas.

Phase III’s objectives are to perform analyses and compare data from the test structures at both the Taos and Dallas campuses and investigate relationships between soil type and mix design, block strength, and thermal properties. This investigation will also include models developed by Dr. Story’s lab team, which includes Ph.D. students Jase Sitton and Robert Hillyard as well as undergraduate researchers Adriana Mena and Ziyu Sun. The Hunt Institute team includes an undergraduate project manager and the undergraduate researcher, Madison Rodriguez. This team will produce a report analyzing building requirements when using CEB in New Mexico which will inform the vision of a living laboratory in SMU @ Taos.

Dr. Story’s vision is, “…the end goal is to use the data obtained during this project to make recommendations for full-scale, more permanent structures than 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.”

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.

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 24, 2020March 2, 2022

The Resilient Shelter Project: Phase I

The Resilient Shelter project team is excited to announce the completion of its market analysis report titled Seeking Low-Cost Seismic Protection for Urban Masonry in an Unstable Terrain. Phase I of the Resilient Shelter Project consisted of a market analysis of low-cost methods for seismic protection, specifically focusing on multi-story buildings in urban areas of developing countries. A prior blog post titled “Filling the Gap for Seismic Protection” explained more about the purpose behind the project.

With support from Marcial Blondet, Ph.D., Professor at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, and Ph.D. student Kostas Kalfas, Nicos Makris, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Civil Engineering at the Lyle School of Engineering, is working diligently to formulate a solution that is safe, accessible, and suitable for residents of multi-story urban housing. Dr. Makris, Affiliate supervising the work in the report said, “Part of our role as structural engineers is the design and construction of structures that are affordable to the local society and meet acceptable performance levels at present and the years to come without compromising the ability of future generations to use them, maintain them and benefit from them.” Undergraduate Research Analyst Sam Borton and Undergraduate Project Manager JuliaGrace Walker worked with Kalfas, Dr. Makris, and Dr. Blondet to examine the low-cost seismic protection market and produce a report with their findings.

Discussing his motivation for working on the project, Kalfas said, “It is my steadfast belief that we, as the more benefitted, should always give back to society and especially to those who are not as fortunate” and that the Resilient Shelter Project gave him “the opportunity to contribute directly to the people who need our help.”

In the report, Borton and Walker summarize the existing low-cost propositions and discuss to what extent these methods are feasible for the aforementioned target population in Peru. Finding that even these “low-cost” solutions are out of reach for most of the middle-class residents of Lima, the report makes an alternate proposition. Rocking isolation offers great potential as an innovative and economical seismic protection alternative, but it has yet to be implemented as low-cost housing reinforcement. This emerging system of seismic protection could fill a gap in the market, as it may provide a sufficiently low-cost accessible manner of protecting multi-story buildings.

“After learning about the very real danger that earthquakes posed to certain Peruvian communities, as well as seismically-vulnerable communities around the globe, I was especially motivated to support Dr. Makris in this initiative,” said Borton.

As the report was finalized, the project encountered a delay brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and its resulting restrictions on international travel. It is the hope of the various collaborators on the Resilient Shelter project that progress on future phases will commence in the Spring of 2021.

Walker said of her experience with the project, “It has been exciting to work with a team that values and promotes cross-cultural and interdisciplinary relationships. I cannot wait to see what else the Resilient Shelter project can achieve.”

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.

February 10, 2020March 2, 2022

JuliaGrace Walker

JuliaGrace Walker is a senior at Southern Methodist University working toward a B.A. in International Studies and a B.A. in Economics with a minor in Spanish. She is a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority and Reformed University Fellowship, and she also serves as the President of SMU’s Program Council. She has previously served as a Resident Assistant in Boaz Commons and as the President of Boaz Commons Council.

Additionally, JuliaGrace has been recognized with the Rubottom Foreign Service Scholarship. After completing her undergraduate studies at SMU, JuliaGrace hopes to earn a master’s degree in International Development and later pursue a career in the foreign service.

At the Hunt Institute, JuliaGrace is the Undergradute Program Manager. She has also previously served as a Undergraduate Project Manager where she led teams working on projects within the Global Development Lab and used project management best practices to balance the three drivers of a project: time, budget, and scope. Specifically, JuliaGrace was the Undergraduate Project Manager on the Resilient Shelter and Better Building projects in the Institute.

JuliaGrace says she is “motivated by the work we are doing at the Hunt Institute because I know our projects are having broader impacts across the globe.”

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 27, 2020March 2, 2022

Sam Borton

Sam Borton is a senior at Southern Methodist University working toward a B.S. in Economics and Statistical Science, as well as a B.A. in Markets & Culture. He is a member of Beta Upsilon Chi fraternity, Reformed University Fellowship, and previously served as Student Facilitator for the Emerging Leaders program and Vice President of Boaz Residential Commons Council.

Sam has been recognized as a Provost Scholar. After completing his undergraduate studies at SMU, he hopes to find a career where he can utilize economic models and data analysis to alleviate poverty. In his free time, Sam enjoys playing sand volleyball, running, and watching sports.

At the Hunt Institute, Sam is an Undergraduate Research Analyst lending his skills in research to several interdisciplinary projects. He is the Co-Lead of the Research Analyst team, where he supports the training and onboarding of new researchers in the Institute. He is also the Data Aggregation Manager on the ImpactMap project team where he performs index research and management; he is also responsible for collecting, organizing, and evaluating data.

Sam’s research focuses on Filling the Gap for Seismic Protection as he researches seismic protection options for informal construction in Lima, Peru. His final report is a market analysis of the low-cost seismic protection market, along with a recommendation for the direction of further research.

When asked what drew Sam to work at the Institute he said, “For me, it is all the potential benefits of the projects of the Institute and the opportunity to work with experts in their fields.”

January 22, 2020March 2, 2022

Sydney Lobato

Sydney Lobato is a junior at Southern Methodist University working toward a B.S. in Engineering Management Information Systems (EMIS) with a minor in Environmental Earth Sciences. She is also a member of the Hegi Career Leaders Professional Development Program, Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society, SMU Women’s Club Volleyball, and Pi Beta Phi sorority.

Sydney has been recognized as a Distinguished Scholar and member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and has been awarded the Discovery Scholarship, SMU Honor-Roll High Distinction, American Athletic Conference Athlete Honor Roll, and Academic Distinction for Pi Beta Phi. After completing her undergraduate studies at SMU, she hopes to complete the MBA program connected with the EMIS major at SMU. She wants to incorporate the study of space exploration and sustainability practices in future studies or jobs.

At the Hunt Institute, Sydney is an Undergraduate Project Manager where she leads teams working on projects within the Global Development Lab using project management best practices to balance the three drivers of a project: time, budget, and scope.

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.