||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FELICIA MELLO, BOSTON GLOBE - Participants from 20 countries have been
working in teams [at MIT] to concoct solutions to some of the developing
world's most stubborn problems. The summit is part of a growing movement
among engineers at universities and nongovernmental organizations to
combat poverty with appropriate technology -- products that are
inexpensive, easy to use, and built with locally available materials.
The effort has spawned such inventions as a fuel-efficient stove used
throughout Latin America, and just seven years after it formed to help
lead the movement, Engineers Without Borders-USA claims 10,000 members.
The University of Colorado started a graduate program in engineering for
developing countries in 2004, and other schools, including Princeton and
Columbia, offer classes on the topic. . .
Unlike many scientific conferences, the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology summit. . . has focused on turning innovative ideas into
reality instead of just talking about them. It brought together
scientists and engineers with nonacademics from poor countries who will
test and market the products on the ground.. . . The participants
include a farmer from Ghana, a carpenter from Haiti and a medic from
India, as well as students from MIT, Caltech, and Olin College of
Engineering in Needham, cosponsors of the conference.
On Monday, they scrambled to finish projects as diverse as a greenhouse
made with recycled materials and a low-voltage light powered with
electricity created by the microbes in dirt.
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2007/08/09/
fast_cheap_and_in_control/?page=full
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
FELICIA MELLO, BOSTON GLOBE - Participants from 20 countries have been
working in teams [at MIT] to concoct solutions to some of the developing
world's most stubborn problems. The summit is part of a growing movement
among engineers at universities and nongovernmental organizations to
combat poverty with appropriate technology -- products that are
inexpensive, easy to use, and built with locally available materials.
The effort has spawned such inventions as a fuel-efficient stove used
throughout Latin America, and just seven years after it formed to help
lead the movement, Engineers Without Borders-USA claims 10,000 members.
The University of Colorado started a graduate program in engineering for
developing countries in 2004, and other schools, including Princeton and
Columbia, offer classes on the topic. . .
Unlike many scientific conferences, the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology summit. . . has focused on turning innovative ideas into
reality instead of just talking about them. It brought together
scientists and engineers with nonacademics from poor countries who will
test and market the products on the ground.. . . The participants
include a farmer from Ghana, a carpenter from Haiti and a medic from
India, as well as students from MIT, Caltech, and Olin College of
Engineering in Needham, cosponsors of the conference.
On Monday, they scrambled to finish projects as diverse as a greenhouse
made with recycled materials and a low-voltage light powered with
electricity created by the microbes in dirt.
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2007/08/09/
fast_cheap_and_in_control/?page=full
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No comments:
Post a Comment