Engineering for the Developing World 2017

Where Problems Meet Solutions

My name is Julian Kingston, a

proud graduate of Stony Brook
University, Class of 2017. This
past summer I had the esteemed
pleasure of being the teaching
assistant to an ingenious group of
students on the first Global
Innovation Study Abroad Object 1

program.  The program was created by the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences and hosted
by the Turkana Basin Institute (TBI) in Northern Kenya.  It aims to apply concepts from STEM
field classrooms to help solve some of the everyday challenges facing in the developing world.
Over the course of the summer, I assisted Professor Rodrigo Peña-Lang and the nine Stony Brook
students in developing 11 projects to provide effective and sustainable solutions for the Dassanech
community in Ileret, a town located near the TBI facility. The community saw immediate benefit
from many of the solutions.  Because they worked with us to define and solve the problems, they
will continue to  benefit long after the program has ended. Following are highlights of six of the
projects the group undertook during our six weeks in Kenya.

Bone Charcoal Filter

In Ileret, the scarce
water sources that
are available to the
Dassenech
community are
contaminated with
high levels of
fluoride, a chemical
compound rich in
the northern Kenyan
region. Cheng-Wen
Hsu, a biochemistry
and philosophy
major, and Jacob
Marlin, a senior and
civil engineering
major, saw the
massive need for
improvement in
drinking water for
the residents of
Ileret and took the
task head-on. After
researching
different methods of
water filtration, the
team determined
that the best method
for filtering the high
concentration of
fluoride from water
was using a bone
charcoal, a product
that arises from
fresh bones being
burned. Research
has shown bone
charcoal to be
effective in
reduction of
fluoride levels and
bones are readily
available in the
open environment.
Additionally,
Professor Rodrigo
emphasized the
importance of
providing
sustainable
solutions that could
be replicated by the
community after the
students left, so the
bone charcoal filter
was the perfect
choice for
implementation.
After thoroughly
burning the bones
and producing their
charcoal material,
the group tested
their filter in water
revealing that, using
the filter, the
fluoride levels had,
in fact decreased.  T
he water that the
team used originally
had a measure of
7.7parts-per-million
(ppm) of fluoride
content and, after
the testing, the
fluoride content had
decreased to 5.7
ppm. To compare, in
New York City, the
acceptable amount
is 4.0 ppm. The
team still has a lot
of testing to conduct
to discover how to
further decrease the
fluoride content and
to make an efficient
system that the
Dassanech people
can manage on their
own. Motivated and
excited at their
progress, the team
plans to conduct
more testing in the
States and to
finalize their
implementation for
everyday use in the
Dassanech
community.

Wastewater
Management
System
In Ileret
town, there is
a medical
clinic facing
many
challenges.
One of these
challenges is
the
wastewater
management
in the
maternity
clinic. In this
facility, a
small bucket
was used in
the sink and
shower to
capture
wastewater
which was
then
manually
dumped
outside of the
facility.  This
left bio-waste
outside of the
clinic open to
the
environment
where it
could impact
the soil,
animals and
even the other
patients.
Addison
Shogren, a
senior and
mechanical
engineer, and
Joseph Kocaj,
a senior and
civil
engineering
major,
teamed up to
create a new
wastewater
system for the
clinic. They
used scrap
materials
from other
facilities to
replace
piping on the
clinic’s sink.
Then, with
materials and
assistance
from the TBI
staff,
constructed a
septic tank
system out of
perforated oil
drums and
PVC piping.
This system
outputs waste
from the
maternity
clinic and
percolates the
water
underground-
thus
preventing
waste from
accumulating
on the
surface.
Specially
built to
protect
against
weathering
and other
outside
influences
from the
environment,
the system is
designed for
long-term
operation,
and to be
maintained
by the
community

A New Design for

the Clinic
When Brent
Freestone, a
senior and
mechanical
engineering
major, and Nick
Bradica, a junior
and engineering
science major,
arrived in Ileret,
they researched
and
experimented
with providing a
new way to
refrigerate and
store vaccines in
the hot, arid
climate.
Professor
Rodrigo saw the
potential impact
of this short-
term project, but
understood that
there would
need to be a
broader solution
to making the
clinic
sustainable in
the long-term.
He presented the
challenge of
having the two
students
redesign the
entire clinic to
create the
optimal layout      
for the facilities
to maximize
efficiency and
effectiveness.
The clinic is
experiencing
problems with
bats,
infrastructure
and erosion, as
well as
wastewater
issues. The team
visited the clinic
to inquire and
research optimal
storage options,
room layouts for
patients,
sustainable
electricity, and
ease of
movement
between
buildings for
staff and
patients.

Nick and Brent

designed a
layout for the
ward that would
be cost-effective
and provide a
more efficient
and stable
structure for the
patients and
staff. Design-in-
hand, the team
is now reaching
out to
professionals for
technical
expertise to
ensure the
viability of their
design, and
identify possible
funding
opportunities
with the Kenyan
government and
outside
influencers.

Repairing Solar
Power
Giancarlos
Llanos, a
senior and
mechanical
engineering
major, along
with Keena
Alyaro, a
mechanical
and power
systems
engineer at
TBI, saw an
opportunity to
improve the
solar power
systems at the
school and
clinic. The
clinic and
school
originally
received solar
panel systems
and batteries
from NGOs
and charity
organizations.
However,
these systems
weren’t
maintained
over time and
the batteries
have mostly
become
obsolete.
Keena and
Giancarlos
diagnosed the
batteries and
systems to
identify the
issues facing
the systems.
They
discovered that
the batteries
had overheated
in their casings
and been
blown beyond
repair. Upset
by the
misfortune of
the failed
technology,
they went to
work. First, the
pair
reconfigured a
fully
operational
solar power
system in a
laboratory
room for the
school,
restoring
lighting and
power to a
room where
students could
study using
computers, a
rare
commodity
and much-
needed asset to
the students’
education and
the school.   

In one case,
Beatrice, the
head nurse at
the clinic,
lived in a staff
home without
power. Solar
panels were
never installed
on her
building, so
she would lose
all ability to
operate in her
home at night.
With the help
of
Mwang’ombe,
the head
mechanic at
TBI, the team
of researchers
were able to
bypass
electricity
from another
staff building
that had solar
energy, to
power
Beatrice’s
home.

The group then

pushed to
impact one
final area, the
maternity
clinic. The
nurses didn’t
have a light
source once
night fell,
meaning that
after sunset,
they delivering
babies by
flashlight. The
students could
see that this
was
unacceptable
and wanted to
help.
Giancarlos and
Keena
negotiated
between the
clinic and
school to offer
an exchange.
The pair
borrowed a
working
device from
one of the non-
working solar
panel systems
in the school
and placed it
in the
maternity
clinic. With
the support of
community
leaders and
some
configuration
to the system,
they were able
to restore
power to the
maternity
clinic.

Remodeling the
Classroom
In Ileret town, a
singular school
was the center
of learning for
all children
within a 40km
radius. The
main building
held five
different
classrooms for
the students.
When the
Global
Innovation
Team arrived,
they noticed
instantly that
the school’s
structure was
not sound and
the facade was
failing. Upon
further
inspection, they
determined that
three of the five
classrooms
were not viable
for use and
could collapse
at any moment.
Saffron
Livaccari, a
third-year
senior and
applied
mathematics
and statistics
major,
collaborated
with Alan Guo,
a senior and
civil
engineering
major, to create
a plan to
develop a safer
learning
environment for
the students.
Their idea was
to rehabilitate
the unused boys
dormitory
building and
establish three
classrooms
inside.

With support
and materials
from the TBI
staff, the team
designed and
built a 8-ft tall
wall divider in
the center of the
dormitory and
repainted the
interior of the
building. The
divider
constructed as a
physical barrier
to split the
classrooms.
They optimized
the material as
a sound barrier
between the
classes to
minimize
disruptions
from classes
running
simultaneously.
The team also
cleverly used
green paint on
the walls as a
chalkboard for
the teachers and
students.  This
meant that with
just a bit of
paint, the
chalkboard
could be
expanded to
any size needed
for the
classroom and
the chalk easily
removed. Now
the students
have classes in
the dormitory
where there is
more space and
less risk, while
the original
school building
is being rebuilt.
Saffron and
Alan also plan
to write to the
Kenyan
government to
obtain
assistance for
additional
rehabilitation of
the school
grounds.

An Unprecedented
Flood
During their
trip, the global
innovators
experienced a
historic nine
hours of rainfall
with a record
high of 200mm
(8 inches),
unprecedented
in this part of
Kenya. While
the great
amount of
rainfall can
offer fresh
water to the
community, it is
a double-edged
sword. The
nearby river
channels flood
quickly
whenever there
is a heavy
rainfall, eroding
land and
breaking-down
roads and
access to the
town. The flood
dealt destructive
damage -
farmers lost
their cattle, their
main source of
food and
currency,
families lost
homes, and 30
people were
swept away in
the raging
waters. Local
tribes had lost
everything. The
Turkana Basin
Institute
decided to
gather funds to
buy and
distribute food
and housing
supplies for the
impacted
communities.
Together, TBI
and the global
innovators
raised about
$2,000 to
distribute
utensils, sugar,
grains, bowls,
metal sheets for
building homes,
cooking
materials, and
more to those
affected. The
quick response
provided a
feeling of hope
in the face of
tragedy.

The burning
desire to be of
service led the
students to
make a big
difference on
the Dassanech
community over
the five-weeks
they spent in
Kenya.
Although their
time in Ileret
has ended, the
students’ impact
will long
outlive the time
they spent in
Kenya.

 
 

About the Author:

 Julian Kingston attended the 2017 Global Engineering Field
School as a teaching assistant.  He graduated from Stony Brook
University's College of Engineering and Applied Sciences in May,
2017, with a BS degree in electrical engineering.  While at Stony
Brook, Julian co-founded CentriSeed Innovations, which provides
sustainable solutions for developing communities both locally and
internationally. He is interested in sustainability and
understanding the intersection between nature and technology to
help make an impact in the world.

*Photography by Wen Hsu

GALLERY
 

  

  
  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  
  

  

  

  

  

  

  
Twitter

College of Engineering and Applied Sciences Stony Brook, NY 11794-2200

© 2021 Stony Brook University