IDDS 2008 Participants

Here is a little bit of information on IDDS 2008 participants.

Madeleine Abromowitz is a rising junior studying robotics at Swarthmore College. As a child growing up in Boston, she sketched solar ovens and daydreamed about using them to cook pancakes in the wilderness. In 2007, Madeleine spent the summer studying Japanese language and culture in Kanazawa, Japan, and she plans to spend this summer (while not at IDDS) doing robotics research at Princeton University's Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. In her free time, she reports for War News Radio, practices fencing, and plays the trumpet.

Rafael de Barros Carrilho Rafael de Barros Carrilho is 21 years old, and he was born in Santo André, near to São Paulo in Brazil. However, he has lived in São Paulo since 2006. He studies Civil Engineering at Escola Politécnica of University of São Paulo. He did a technical course on sanitation and environment and then participated internship program in a French chemical company, where he learned about its program for the reuse and treatment of water. He participated in a project with the students of MIT in January 2008. In this project he was responsible for identifying problems of sanitation, and constructing a prototype of a dry latrine in the community in which the project took place. Currently he is researching about urbanization of slums.

Jagdish Bhandari has been working in the voluntary non-profit sector in the Indian Himalaya for two decades. His interest and passion in life is to spread the benefits of appropriate technology applications in cross cutting sectors like drinking water, environmental sanitation, renewable energy and rainwater harvesting to marginalized mountain communities. He is currently the Director of Appropriate Technology at the Pan Himalayan Grassroots Development Foundation. He is also involved with building upon the capacities of local youth as barefoot engineers, in order to spearhead the spread of appropriate technologies which directly improve the quality of life and fulfils the critical Millenium Development Goals.

Márcio Botto is a professor at the Faculty of Technology CENTEC – Ceará, Brazil, a volunteer engineer at the NGO CEARAH Periferia and he is also doing his doctorate degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Federal University of Ceará – Brazil. He has obtained a Bachelor degree in Civil Engineering and a Master degree in Environmental Engineering from Federal University of Ceará. He has also written some academic articles about household water treatment and sanitation technologies.

Bryce Butcher ,as an Industrial Designer at Art Center College of Design, offers her ability to understand the product designed both inside and out, to create an enjoyable interaction for the user. With her interest for the consumer and extensive problem solving abilities, she strives to create solutions that people will use for its creative functionality, rather than drawn by just its looks. By applying the skills she has learned through Product Design, Mechanical Engineering, Business, Group work, and Life... she is able to design with a purpose and finish with confidence.

Francesca Campagnoli moved to the UK five years ago from Italy. She lived and worked in social housing project management support roles the USA, UK and Indonesia. She is currently finishing her specialization in technologies and planning policies for sustainable urban environments. Her final project models the life cycle environmental impacts from the average household in a neighborhood in Bedford, Bedfordshire, UK which claims to be able to become Zero Carbon. She is looking forward to manage urban regeneration projects in the UK or managing disaster prevention adaptation schemes in vulnerable settlements in developing countries, the North Jakarta informal settlement regeneration being an example of this.

Oswin C Chibinga is currently lecturing in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Zambia, School of Agricultural Sciences. Before he joined the University in 2006 he used to work with the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives as a lecturer at an Agricultural college. He has also been training extension workers in better agricultural methods in animal husbandry for the rural poor people. Right now he is working with the rural poor women by empowering them through giving them cows. He too comes from an agricultural background and has experience in growing various agricultural crops and keeping of livestock in drought prone area. He would like to promote simple irrigation techniques in these drought prone areas.

Dennis Chibwe is a Zambian citizen and attended the Educational for Special Deaf Unit there. He completed his schooling until Grade 10. He is currently working as a heat metal fabricator for Disacare, an organization which works for people with disabilities. He builds wheelchairs, bicycle ambulances, tricycles, motor bike ambulances and hammermills for the diabled and vulnerable people in his society. He is interested in sharing his knowledge of these technologies and teaching people both in Zambia and the surrounding countries about these technologies and the potential that they have. He enjoys reading motivational books, going to church and making friends from all walks of life.

Nathan Cooke was born and raised in California, USA. He is currently an Undergraduate Product Design student at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. He has done some design work for a small non-profit in Portland, Oregon and worked on a solar dehydrator for the (sadly now defunct) LA Community Gardens. He look forward to applying my education towards development work and environmental sustainability. He enjoys bicycling, running marathons, hiking, cooking (pancakes especially), eating ice-cream, and drawing.

Sunita Darbe is a third year undergraduate at MIT studying materials science and engineering. Through family visits to south India as a child, she was exposed to issues facing the developing world and from then on planned to use the powers of technology for good. Recently, she has been riled up about food security and sustainable agriculture.

Suprio Das is a native of Calcutta, India. While working for people affected by arsenic in drinking water, he realized that he could use his engineering skills to improve the quality of life among villagers in his community. His terrace is his workshop where he has designed some mechanisms that integrate production and storage of electrical energy into the daily chores of the people. He has recently begun a trial run of one such device. He also enjoy swimming, reading, and building things.

Lamine Diakite was born in Bignona, Republic of Senegal, in 1961. He studied linguistics and literature at the University of Senegal. He moved to Guinea-Conakry in 1987 and currently lives in Morodougou in Northern Guinea. He works as a mason, doing stone and concrete work. His community involvement is through his position as the President of the Red Cross Committee of Morodougou and through his work as a homologue with Peace Corps volunteers. Working with the Peace Corps, he has led the Red Cross of Morodougou in planting large numbers of Moringa trees in order to reverse deforestation and to improve nutritional resources in the area. He enjoys dancing and helping folks in the community.

Alvaro Feito-Boirac is a half-Spanish, half-French physicist born in Madrid, Spain. He has studied and lived in the US and Germany and is currently doing a PhD in physics at Imperial College London. He has collaborated with Engineers Without Borders-UK exploring the possibilities that biogas and solar cooking offer and has become very interested in appropriate technology in the development context. He enjoy traveling off the beaten track and cycling or hiking in the mountains.

George Fuachie is from Ghana in West Africa. He has lived most of his life in his home land and completed all his education there. Currently he is a Pastor of a Church working among the rural people collaborating with both the Ministry of Education and of Agriculture to help encourage the deprived rural children to go to school and the adult rural community in their farming activities. He greatly enjoys being with both the children and the adults in the rural areas on excursion trips for them to see and experience what is happening in other places so that they be challenged to aim higher in the future.

Gustavo Fujiwara is twenty years old and is a Brazilian undergraduate student, attending his 3rd year of a mechanical engineering degree at the University of Sao Paulo (USP), Brazil. He has been participating in volunteering activities since 2002. In 2004, he founded the NGO Rotaract Club Sao Paulo – Aeroporto and joined the USP-Engineering’s social program: ‘Poli-Cidadã' in January 2008. In his spare time he enjoys watching sport and playing football and guitar.

Stephen Gerrard is a final year Chemical Engineer Undergraduate at Cambridge University UK. In 2006/2007 he spent a year studying at MIT and took D-Lab I - an international development course run by Amy Smith. This culminated in him traveling to Honduras with a team looking to introduce bio-digester technologies into the local community. He is also a placements manager for Engineers Without Borders UK. In his spare time he enjoys playing football and playing the piano.

Silvia Gonzalez is from Mexico. She is an idente missionary. She studied Chemical engineering in Mexico and completed a Ph. D. in Theoretical Chemistry in Barcelona. Now, she is a teacher in a university in Ecuador: UTPL (Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja). She is a researcher in theoretical physical chemistry and is very interested in UTPL's university model, working for the region and country development.

Jessica Huang is pursuing simultaneous degrees in civil engineering and business at the University of California, Berkeley. She is interested in the design of products and services to improve the health, environment, and economic opportunities of populations with limited resources, particularly in developing countries. She has done community work in Ecuador, Uganda, and Honduras and will be traveling to Cambodia this summer to work on a preliminary electro-coagulation prototype for removing arsenic in groundwater.

Sunil Singh Jethuri is currently pursuing a B.Tech. Degree in mechanical engineering from the Dehradun Institute Of Technology. He will finish his degree in 2010. He was born in a small village in Uttarakhand, India. During his schooling he participated in a lot of scientific projects and social activities. Two projects he worked on have been selected at national level. He has attended a workshop in the Indian Institute Of Petroleum (IIP), Dehradun. He was a cadet of the Scouts and Guides Organization and has participated in Red Cross activities. His hobbies include reading books, watching English movies and the national geographic channel, doing adventure sports such as white water rafting etc.

Mark Jeunnette After graduating from MIT with a bachelors in mechanical engineering, he worked for BMW in Germany, taught at Olin College, and then returned to Munich to work for IDEO. In 2007 he took a leave of absence to work on pedal-powered generators in Nepal. He is particularly interested in the processes, organizations and financial models needed to get technological innovations for the developing world into the hands that need them most

Bernard Kiwia was born in Tanzania and is currently working with an NGO called Global Alliance For Africa in the Vijana center in Arusha. His current position is Director of Appropriate technology. He studied Electrical Installation at Arusha technical college and became an Appropriate technology teacher after he attended the first IDDS summit in 2007. Bernard likes pedal power machinery and animal powered machinery as these are readily accesible in most developing country. He enjoy's working in big work shops and his interest is in making things that can help communities in Tanzania and everywhere else in the world.

Elizabeth Kneen grew up in Ottumwa IA. She is a recent mechanical engineering and entrepreneurship graduate from Olin and Babson Colleges, respectively. Elizabeth has participated in several service trips building and repairing houses in the US and Mexico and looks forward to using her MacGyver style of engineering to solve everyday problems from around the world that are often overlooked. When not working on her academic pursuits Elizabeth can be found rock climbing, hiking, playing piano, cooking, or relaxing with her friends.

Siobhán Kohli-Lynch was born and brought up in Scotland and has Indian and Irish heritage. She is undertaking a Mechanical Engineering degree at Imperial College London. Siobhán believes that engineering is the most effective way to improve people’s lives. Sport, particularly hockey and running, is an important part of Siobhán’s life. She is interested in inter-continental communication, having completed a Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Travelling Fellowship to Canada, and travelled to Ghana in summer 2006 to coach hockey. She plans to study in Lyon in her final undergraduate year

Thalia Konaris comes from Cyprus and is currently in the final year of an MEng degree in Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London in the UK. Also she is currently CEO of the university student run organization Engineers without Borders UK and hope to follow an engineering career in international development. In her spare time, she enjoys training in the Japanese language and in martial arts.

Shaibu Laizer is a native of Tanzania, born in Arusha Tanzania. He speaks two languages, English and Kiswahili. He has studied in and lives in Arusha Tanzania. He is working with global Alliance For Africa as a Bicycle program manager. He is very interested in appropriate technology, especially pedal power and the potential uses it has in developing countries. He enjoys traveling , cycling and playing football.

Paola Lira graduated from a “grande école” of engineers in France called ISARA-Lyon (Institut Superieur d’Agriculture Rhone-Alpes) with a major in Agriculture and Management. These studies broaden her perspective due to the strong relationship in the school between the private and public sector, which enables me to apply the management lessons to real life. Currently, she is working for non-governmental organizations in Peru as an executive volunteer carrying out research on Social Entrepreneurship, Sustainable Development and Innovation.

Derek Lomas is research director at the Social Movement Laboratory (socialmovement.org), a social design laboratory at UC San Diego. He received his undergraduate degree in Cognitive Science from Yale University (2003), where he studied music cognition, empathy, and computer-aided learning. Lomas was in India for the past year, working on mobile phone applications and teaching a remote class to students at UCSD called "Design for Development". Currently, Lomas is organizing the Educational Home Computer Initiative: an organization promoting educational software development for a $10 TV-computer system, already widely available throughout India and China (eHCI.TV).

Michelle Marcinel is from St. Louis, MO, and studied nuclear engineering and environmental engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology. This fall she’ll begin her Ph.D. in environmental engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she hopes to research issues relating to drinking water and sanitation in the developing world. Her travels to Guarjila, El Salvador in ‘02 and ‘04 provided focus to her current passion to improve drinking water. She loves enjoying nature by biking, hiking, and backpacking in remote places, and also takes pleasure in learning new cultures.

Johanna Mathieu is a graduate student in Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. She earned her undergraduate degree from MIT in Ocean Engineering in 2004, and then spent a year in Tanzania teaching secondary school physics and math. She is currently working on a project to design a community scale system to remove arsenic from drinking water in rural Bangladesh. In addition to design for development, she is interested in renewable energy and energy efficiency.

William McIver, Jr. (Bill) is a computer scientist who is interested in understanding the social impacts of information and communication technologies and how they can be used to improve communities and human development. One event that inspired him to pursue development design was his participation in the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society. Bill grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico in the U.S. and lives now in Fredericton, New Brunswick in Canada. He is a Senior Research Officer in the National Research Council of Canada where he does research in Community Informatics. He is also an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Computer Science at the University of New Brunswick. His current projects include the development of “Intelligent City” services based in municipal broadband wireless network environments. Bill is a graduate of Morehouse College and the University of Colorado at Boulder. He is a member of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility and Engineers Without Borders – Canada. His hobbies include listening to and playing Jazz music, baking bread, and gardening.

Anuj Nanavati grew up in Ahmedabad, a city in the western part of India. After completing his Bachelor in Information Technology, he came to the US in 2004 to pursue a masters in Information Studies at the University of Texas in Austin. For the last two years he has been working as a user researcher advocating the User Centered Design at a computer graphics company in California. Part of his job is to study people and understand their needs to design usable products. One of his goals is to understand and solve real-world design problems and create a model of sustainability in developing countries.

Mariana Negrao was born and raised in Brazil, where she is currently a third year student at the Universidade de São Paulo. She will be majoring in Electrical Engineering. In January 2008 she worked at a Village in the Brazilian countryside on a project to find simple solutions that in some ways could improve the villagers life. She is interested in development and engineering applied to social inclusion. In her free time she likes going out with her friends and traveling with her family.

George Yaw Obeng was born on the 5th May 1964 in Kumasi, Ghana. He lives on the University Campus in Kumasi, is an engineer by profession and has also pursued an MSc in Appropriate Technology and Rural Development in the University of Flensburg, Germany. He has also completed a PhD Thesis in the field of Development Studies in Ghana. Currently, he works on development research on the design of food processing machinery and energy for poverty reduction.

Jay Pagnis has been a student of IIT Madras for the past two years, before which he stayed in Mumbai. He stayed in a hostel with friends from all over the country. He enjoys participating in and organizing the various technical and cultural festivals in his college. He also works as the alumni affairs secretary for his hostel. His course of study is Mechanical engineering and he hopes to do my M.Tech in Product Design. He likes to read, learn new languages and is currently teaching himself to play the guitar.

Mariela Paredes was born in Guatemala City. She graduated from Monte Maria School in Guatemala in 2002. She currently is in her final year of Industrial Design in the Universidad Rafael Landivar. An important experience for her as a designer was to be able to participate in the Developing Engineering class at CALTECH where she worked on a water purifier for third world countries. She has a master in advanced 3-D modeling and animation in Alias Maya software. One of her goals as a designer is to be able to help people in poor communities all over the world.

Aparna Ramanthan ,an MIT alumnus and former D-lab member, is a medical student at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. Her development experience includes projects in recycling, rural education, and global health. Aparna is also involved in community-based medical research and interventions at home and abroad. She is particularly interested in the application of appropriate technology to problems in global health and hopes to continue this work as a university professor in the future. When not buried in medical syllabi, Aparna enjoys musical theater, bhangra, and tennis.

Brian Rasnow was born in California USA, and is currently a part-time lecturer in Physics at California State University, Channel Islands, an inventor, entrepreneur, gardener, and photographer. He studied physics and neuroscience for 14 years at Caltech, and then spent 10 years doing research for a large pharmaceutical/biotechnology company. He has cultivated a strong interest in tropical ecology and sustainability, working on permaculture, silviculture, and small hydropower in Costa Rica. He twice mentored the Caltech E105 class in Guatemala, and look forward to additional involvement in this field. His pastimes center on my children, aged 9 and 12, and organic farming in California.

Federico Abrego Recinos

Soy constructor, hondureño, nací en La Virtud, Lempira, Honduras. Trabajo con la Fundación San Alonso Rodríguez, ONG dedicada al desarrollo comunitario. Mi trabajo con laFundación y en pro de las comunidades ha sido como maestro de obra calificado en la construcción de puentes colgantes para peatón (puentes de hamaca), construcción de infraestructura agropecuaria y construcción con materiales locales (tierra, madera y material vegetal para techo). Estoy muy interesado en continuar con la construcción en general y particularmente de vivienda para la gente de bajos recursos y utilizando materiales accesibles para ellos. Mis pasatiempos favoritos son la música, el deporte, especialmente el futboly apoyo a la cultura (apoyo a grupos de danzas).

I am a builder, Honduran, born in La Virtud, Lempira,Honduras. I work with the San Alonzo Rodriguez Foundation, an NGO dedicated to community development. My work with the Foundation and for the communities has been a site supervisor in making pedestrian suspension bridges (“hammock” bridges), construction of agricultural infrastructure, and construction with local materials (earth, wood, and vegetable material for roofing). I am very interested in continuing building technology in general, and particularly in housing for low-income people and using materials that are accessible for them. My favorite pastimes are music, sports, especially football and supporting culture (supporting dance groups).

José Pompilio Sánchez

Nací en La zona norte de Honduras, en el municipio de Tocoa, departamento de Colon. Actualmente trabajo en la Fundación San Alonso Rodríguez, ONG hondureña de desarrollo comunitario, como técnico industrial; a la vez laboro con HABITAT (Viviendas para la humanidad). Actualmente estoy cursando el segundo año de administración de empresas. Con la fundación he trabajado en la ejecución de proyectos comunitarios varios: construcción de techos de viviendas para gente damnificada después del paso del Huracán Mitch por mi país, construcción de techos de escuelas públicas, construcción de techo de oficinas del Comité Permanente de Contingencias (COPECO), apoyo a estudiantes de MIT en la realización de sus proyectos a favor de las comunidades y apoyo con la fundación en la atención a la emergencia. Tengo interés en continuar apoyando a las comunidades en su proceso de desarrollo. Mi pasatiempo es la práctica del futbol, el arbitraje y escuchar música.

I was born in the northern zone of Honduras, in the municipal of Tocoa, department of Colon. I currently work at the San Alonso Rodríguez Foundation, a Honduran NGO for community development, as an industrial technician; I currently work with Habitat for Humanity. I am currently enrolled in the second year of a business administration degree program. I have worked with the Foundation in the execution of many community projects: roof construction in housing for people victimized in the wake of Hurricane Mitch throughout my country; roof construction in public schools; roof construction for offices of the Permanent Committee of Contingencies (COPECO); helping MIT students in the execution of their projects that support local communities; and supporting the Foundation’s responses to emergencies. I am interested in continuing to support local communities in their development process. My hobbies are practicing football, refereeing, and listening to music.

Francisco Sanchez is from Mexico and has a BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the Tecnologico de Monterrey and exchange program with the Politecnico di Torino (Italy). He worked in the transportation sector and moved to England to obtain an MSc in Mechanical Design from Manchester University where he met his wife. He conducted experimental research to receive a PhD from Imperial College on Adhesion and Composite Materials. He is now living in Mali working in development

Limbor Otoniel Velásquez Sarmiento

Ingeniero forestal, hondureño, nací en Trujillo, Colon, Honduras. Desde el 2001, trabajo con la Fundación San Alonso Rodríguez, ONG dedicada al desarrollo comunitario. Con la Fundación he apoyado en los campos de la agroforestería, forestería, manejo integrado de cuencas hidrográficas, agua y saneamiento, investigación y desarrollo comunal participativo, ordenamiento territorial, sistema de información geográfica, género y gestión del riesgo. Tengo un especial interés en el buen manejo ambiental y en el desarrollo alternativo de las comunidades utilizando los recursos con los que tienen a la mano. Mis pasatiempos favoritos son escuchar música, bailar, el futbol y sobre todo caminatas en áreas naturales (admiro y respeto la naturaleza y a su creador).

A forestry engineer and a Honduran, I was born in Trujillo, Colon, Honduras. Since 2001, I have worked with San Alonso Rodríguez Foundation, an NGO dedicated to community development. At the Foundation, I have supported in the fields of agroforestry, forestry, integrated management of hydrological basins, water &health, research and participatory community development, territorial allotment, geographic information systems, classification and risk management. I have a special interest in proper environmental care and in alternative development of communities using resources with what is at hand. My favorite pastimes are listening to music, dancing, football, and walks through nature (I admire and respect nature and its creator).

John Shaba , a Zambian citizen informally employed as a carpenter, is also involved in many community programmes as a volunteer. He is currently Director of a charitable organization called Light Of Hope Health Care. Through this organization he helping to provide free health care services and other social needs to the most vulnerable people in his soiety who live on less than 50 cents a day. His interest in the field of development is to see that all of these people have the access to the social and health care they deserve. In his spare time John likes visiting the sick in hospital, going to church, watching soccer and building friendships.

Hayley Sharp is a fourth-year student at Bristol University, England, studying Engineering Design with a specialization in mathematical systems modeling. Two of her previous development projects include rural water testing in Ecuador and water sensing equipment at the technical university in Havana, Cuba. She is currently working on a two-year project investigating feasibility of pico-hydro systems for rural areas in developing countries. She is the National Research Coordinator for the charity Engineers Without Borders UK. This role includes working with NGOs to identify areas within international development where technological solutions could be beneficial, and helping students to undertake these projects as part of their degree work.

Andres Sierra Davilla was born in Guatemala City. He attended elementary school at Liceo Guatemala, and high school at the American School of Guatemala. After graduation he received courses of engineering and worked in a Construction company. Now he is a senior Industrial Design student at Universidad Rafael Landivar. He has developed different projects, such as handcrafts, communities development, accessibility and improvement of BRT system stations. He has also worked on a project to rebuild bridges that were damaged by hurricane Stan in 2006. He loves hiking and travel in different places, specially caves.

David Sokal was born in the state of Connecticut in the USA and is currently working in medical research related to family planning and HIV/AIDS prevention. After getting his medical degree and completing a pediatric residency, he studied public health at the Centers for Disease Control, US Public Health Service, in Atlanta, and worked on childhood vaccination programs and other public health issues in Burkina Faso, West Africa for 5 years. After leaving Burkina Faso, he joined Family Health International, and has worked on HIV/AIDS prevention and family planning research for 20 years, in several countries in Africa and Asia. He enjoys playing cards, bicycling and science fiction, and occasionally getting involved in local political campaigns.

Shamo Thar (Xia MaoTai) is an Instructor in the English Training Program, Tibetan Department, Qinghai Normal University, China. She did her MA in Sustainable International Development at Brandies University, USA. Since 2000, she has been working as a Development Professional in rural Tibetan areas of China. Recently, with a grant awarded by the United Board for Higher Education in Asia, she initiated Sustainable Development Studies courses and started teaching university level students. At ETP, she established the Service Learning Program, Community Development Fund for Students, as part of the course. With the Fund, students have done various grassroots development projects, such as Sheep Loans, Village Libraries, and facilitating the production of Tibetan Handicrafts.

Winnie Yiu is a final year civil and environmental engineering student at Imperial College, London. During the four years of her degree she has been involved in various areas within Engineers Without Borders UK and is currently the national education coordinator. Last summer she also spent some time out in the field building seismically resistant houses in El Salvador. In the future she would like to continue in this line of work either working for a development NGO or relief organization.

Click here to see IDDS 2007 participants