The Proposal

Almost 40% of the world’s population has no access to sanitation, meaning they come into contact with human feces and urine every day (UN GLAAS Report 2012). This leads to billions of cases of preventable disease and millions of preventable deaths. It also has huge economic costs for the communities that have to deal with sanitation related disease on a day-to-day basis. (More stuff about diseases)
The development community realizes this is a serious problem and spends over $10 billion annually trying to address it. However, communities often do not adopt the solutions implemented by development agencies. The agencies construct latrines, but they must maintain them. In order to sustainably do so, they start up small businesses that operate by charging per-use or subscription fees in order to use the sanitation facilities. Sanitation related diseases can be spread by just one person, so unless everyone uses the facilities, this business model has the potential of punishing anyone who chooses to change their sanitation habits for the better.

While sanitation is a serious problem for communities in low-resource areas, they often do not have the same conceptions of hygiene and disease that the international development community does. They do not understand that their sanitation habits are the reason behind their diseases. They often perceive other needs as more pressing than the construction and maintenance of reliable sanitation facilities. Because of this disconnect in priorities, externally initiated sanitation interventions have an extremely high failure rate

What we have done is attempted to bridge this gap in perception of what is needed most. The international development apparatus perceives the sanitation crisis as a life and death scenario where low resource communities need to be rescued. The low resource communities perceive the sanitation crisis as a part of everyday life and are more concerned about things like charging their phones and growing their crops. Our system provides low resource communities with electricity and fertilizer, but only if they provide it with their urine and feces. Instead of having to use complicated concepts like health and disease to incentivize good sanitation habits, we can use a very simple concept: your cell phone will be charged at a cheap price if you use this toilet instead of defecating in your field.We are in the process of developing a simple, low-maintenance, and cost-effective system for using feces, urine, and non-potable water to produce electricity, fertilizer, and fish. The system operates by anaerobically digesting the waste, collecting and combusting the biogas produced as a byproduct of the digestion, sterilizing the digested sludge using solar heat, selling it as a nutrient rich fertilizer, or using it as a feedstock for an aquaculture system. Through collaboration with several Duke professors we are moving towards a field-testing in the summer of this year in Farendé, Togo, but are in need of additional funds for construction materials, labor, and freight. After field-testing we plan on disseminating our model to development agencies to replace pay-per-use and subscription fee plans for latrine maintenance.

The Team

Connor Cotton is a junior majoring in Civil & Environmental Engineering and minoring in Cultural Anthropology. Last summer, he helped local social entrepreneurs in Farendé, Togo start a solar powered, internet café whose profits will go towards development initiatives led by Farendé’s Committee for Village Development. After the completion of that project, a committee member asked him for assistance on starting a sanitation related business. He has experience in construction, electronics, and working in Farendé.

Mona Dai is a sophomore majoring in Civil & Environmental Engineering. She has been a work-study student in the lab of Dr. Mark Deshusses (CEE) since September 2011. She was responsible for the development of several anaerobic digesters and has had experience maintaining and testing them under the direction of an industry expert. She is our lead on knowledge about the technical aspects of our bioreactor.

Kushal Seetharam is a junior majoring in Electrical & Computer Engineering and Physics. He has worked on a variety of engineering projects including wind turbines, wireless power transfer, and aquaculture systems. He also has experience in community health outreach programs in India.

What’s the problem?

Surgeons need to stay sterile whilst in clinical settings, and when in the operating room they are unable to touch items that cannot be heat-treated for sterility. Instead, surgeons currently have to depend on nurses and residents to do these tasks for them, often resulting in loss in the quality of data that reaches the surgeons.

What’s our solution?

KlickOp uses 3D imaging software and IR-camera to allow surgeons to access and manipulate medical scans, documents, and make Skype calls without touching anything. KlickOp allows all of these activities to be performed, handsfree with precision that can detect individual fingertips from meters away. KlickOp perfectly tracks even the most precise of movements. It’s software uses intuitive motions such as a swipe, pinch, rotate, spin, point, click and zoom effortlessly.

Currently surgeons face a significant problem that to-date has been offered no solution. If surgeons are able to access medical scans on a computer, and manipulate them whilst performing a surgery, they are able to get the best view possible, as well as have access to the most accurate and relevant information right at the moment when it matters most – whilst they are performing surgery – medical errors will be reduced hugely, and surgery will be far more accurate.

How big will our impact be?

KlickOp doesn’t just help with medical scans though. KlickOp has potential to have an impact in third world countries where surgeons don’t have access to the best or latest training, and where they are often left isolated to make life-changing decisions on their own. By allowing surgeons to video conference with any other surgeon around the world, a surgeon in Nigeria who needs expertise from overseas, is able to, handsfree, video call a surgeon in New York for advice on how best to continue with the operation.

The potential applications of KlickOp are countless, and each one of them has the potential to improve the quality of treatment surgeons can offer, and in doing so reduce medical errors and save lives of patients all over the globe. In doing so, KlickOp has the potential to change the way surgeons operate.

The take-home message

1. KlickOp allows surgeons to access much needed computer applications in operating rooms through handsfree 3D imaging software.
2. The software uses intuitive motions and gestures – much like using an iPhone – but the gestures are performed in-air without the need for a surface. This allows surgeons to stay sterile in surgery.
3. The impact of KlickOp’s technology is global. Allowing surgeons to gain help in operating rooms around the world, and instantaneously at the moment they need it most.
4. KlickOp’s technology saves lives. By helping surgeons do what they do best better, KlickOp reduces medical errors and saves lives.

The Team

Arun Karottu
A sophomore computer science major with an impressive background in not only programming but also in community-service. Before coming to Duke, Arun completed high-school in Kochi, India. Here he left a lasting impact on the poorer community, spending a great deal of time with children in some of the larger slums to improve their living conditions. Arun’s achievements extend far beyond India. His programming talents are well-known and are in much demand from companies outside of Duke who have been quick to notice his talent for turning great ideas into amazing products.

Paige Muggeridge
Also a sophomore at Duke, Paige is a Robertson Scholar who is majoring in economics. Paige is well-known around the Duke community for her extensive involvement in groups on campus. To name but a few, she is the Vice President of Finance for Duke Business Orientated Women, she is involved with Duke Venture Forward, the Consulting Club and also a member of the Student Organization Finance Committee. Paige is also in great demand from companies outside of the Duke community, and this is testament to her ability to perform difficult tasks at the highest quality under all situations. Paige’s achievements are well-known and she is the business-brains behind the idea of KlickOp.

James Band
A freshman Robertson scholar with a strong interest in medical devices. With a strong background in turning ideas into completed products as well as extensive community service involvement James is able to bring a number of skills to the project of KlickOp.

The Proposal

At Duke, there are 3 receptacles for unwanted products: the garbage dumpster, paper products bins, and plastic products bins. But what about electronic waste? Improper disposal of e-waste is especially high on college campuses because, the reality is, university-affiliated individuals often have limited time/resources, and missing incentives. The creation of Smart Metals solves this problem of encouraging the Duke community–and all university communities–to start recycling e-waste.

We first enlist the help of local recycling facilities, who are all R-2 certified and have the experience and operational muscle to process all university-sourced e-scrap. They then clean, shred, and sort the e-waste into e-scrap, which Smart Metals can buy and ship over to end-product producers overseas, such as manufacturers, refineries, foundries, and construction companies.

To provide convenience for all parties, Smart Metals negotiates the handling of university e-waste through the recycling pipeline. To provide assurance, we provide a web platform for communication between university individuals and local recycling facilities. To incentivize, we return a percentage of our profit to a participating university.

The Team

Shelly Li – Trinity ’15, is currently studying Economics and Philosophy as a University Scholar. Growing up, she has always been digging through her father’s scrap yard, accumulating knowledge about the worth of basic materials within everyday items. When she arrived at Duke, she decided to intern with Durham City Council’s Human Relations Commission in order to understand more about the community surrounding her new school. Through this experience, she found the perfect way to put her scrap knowledge to use by connecting Duke and Durham–and all other schools and the cities in which they reside–through Smart Metals. This summer she will be a summer analyst in Morgan Stanley’s investment banking division. In her spare time, Shelly loves to golf, ski, and write science fiction stories about optimistic near-future possibilities, some of which have appeared in international journals such as Nature and Cosmos.

Ben Schwab – Trinity ’15 is a University Scholar interested in studying the intersection of Computer Science, Economics, and Mathematics. Since his freshman year, Ben has applied his education outside the classroom in an entrepreneurial spirit. He previously started a mobile development company that published two apps and a game, and is a member of InCube, Duke’s student-run entrepreneurial residential program. Ben is excited to use his technical knowledge to foster a stronger connection between schools and their surrounding communities. This summer he will be working with Microsoft as a software development engineer in the Xbox division in Seattle, where he hopes to get in some tennis matches and do some hiking.

The Problem:

The significance of science and technology in today’s world is indisputable. Thus, education systems around the world must gear themselves to impart a sound science education to students of all socioeconomic backgrounds. Unfortunately, schools in India often lack resources to make science exciting and accessible to the students in their classrooms, a problem that is especially pronounced in the underfunded schools dotting slums. Moreover, an increasing number of students are becoming apathetic towards science because they do not see the daily application of concepts learned in the classroom – concepts taught via the Indian rote memorization model of learning.

Our Theory of Change:

1) Demystifying science. Underprivileged students mistakenly believe science is an elite subject. Instead, we want to clarify that students can acquire a sound understanding of science from scrap materials and not just high-tech research facilities. Furthermore, they are discouraged from pursuing science due to intimidating jargon and abstract concepts. By introducing the concept of toys from trash and scrap materials, we want to show students that science is simplistic and omnipresent.

2) Leveling the playing field. The world is becoming increasingly competitive. To survive in our ever-changing world, it is important to be innovative and to try out the path less trodden rather than sticking to timeworn traditions. Successful employees brainstorm new solutions and are versatile. When troubleshooting, they apply their knowledge to new scenarios rather than replicating past plans of action. Our target population is underprivileged children because children in municipal schools often have a weaker background in science due to scarce resources and limited funding. By equipping these students with the right tools, we may be inspiring the next generation of leading scientists.

3) Interactive learning, passive teaching. We seek to eliminate students’ apathy towards science by deviating from the rote memorization model of learning that is prevalent in India and leaning towards an application-based model in which students are probed to think critically. Rather than standing in front of a classroom full of students and lecturing, the Mobile Science Lab volunteers inspire students to think independently. Students will experiment with toys made from trash to learn and remember complex scientific principles.

4) Advocating for sustainability. The Mobile Science Lab is not only an educational initiative but also a moral initiative. By introducing children to toys from trash and scrap materials, we hope to inspire students to be resourceful and innovative with their waste.

Our Plan of Action
We propose a supplementary curriculum that fosters curiosity, innovative thinking and problem solving. During after-school sessions, students will build models, conduct experiments with the apparatuses they design, and collaborate with their peers to cement their understanding of everything from physics to botany. To emphasize sustainability, we designed experiments that would employ objects found in households such as empty water bottles, balloons, and newspapers rather than expensive lab kits. Thus, we are teaching our students how to be resourceful and simultaneously helping them make concrete connections between what they are learning in the classroom and everyday life.

The Team

Prachiti and Pranali Dalvi are fraternal twins who truly believe that knowledge is a tremendous equalizer. Their idea is simple yet powerful: a plan to turn trash into entertaining, well-designed toys that kids can assemble themselves—while cementing basic science concepts. This rich experiential base will later provide fertile ground to nurture abstract and abstruse concepts. They designed this project for their DukeEngage independent project in Thane, Maharashtra, India—where they were born—in the summer of 2012. This past year, they have continued working with their NGO to move this project forward. They hope to use the funding they receive from ChangeWorks to implement the idea in other schools in Thane and expand the program to other cities and eventually, other countries. Ultimately, they hope to have several vans traveling to remote locations to engage students in their novel science curriculum.

The Proposal

Currently, the LGBTQ community in the United States has made great strides towards legal equality in terms of marriage and employment security; however, these gains have often been limited to politically progressive regions and have mostly benefitted urban, middle class LGBTQ people. Accordingly, there is a growing disparity in our country between the experiences of LGBTQ people in progressive places like New York and Massachusetts and in more politically conservative regions like the South. This phenomenon has been particularly illustrated by recent ballot initiatives concerning same-sex marriage. While Maine, Maryland, Washington, and Minnesota have all made significant strides toward marriage equality at the ballot box, North Carolina recently voted to approve Amendment One, an amendment to the state constitution that denied same-sex couples any legal recognition.

Furthermore, the LGBTQ movement continues to lack significant engagement with communities of color and immigrant communities throughout the US. Often, the needs of LGBTQ people of color and LGBTQ people living in immigrant communities are overlooked in the interest of pursuing issues that impact a predominately white middle class. The bottom line is that the LGBTQ community is quickly becoming divided, across our country, between those who enjoy full legal equality and those who continue to experience discrimination on a daily basis.  Through empowering recent college graduates across the US to become LGBTQ community organizers in historically marginalized communities and regions, Equality for America will help to ensure that all LGBTQ Americans are one step closer to full equality.

Historically, Equality for America will rely on the examples set by Teach for America (TFA) and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Through providing recent college graduates the opportunity to become teachers after graduation, Teach for America has helped to encourage talented students across the country to work towards greater education equality. Similarly, in the 1960’s SNCC was able to effectively mobilize college students across the country to go to the South and participate in voter registration drives and powerful community organizing that turned the tide on civil rights in America. Equality for America will combine the structure of Teach for America with the community-organizing legacy of SNCC to promote LGBTQ equality across the country and empower historically marginalized LGBTQ communities throughout the United States.

For the first year, Equality for America will work to build a national network of campus representatives at colleges and universities that will help recruit for the first EFA class. In addition to creating a strong university presence, we will work to secure funding from major grant-making organizations and prominent individuals within the LGBTQ community. Furthermore, in the first year, we will begin vetting placement organizations, focusing on mid-level LGBT organizations that function at a statewide or local level. At the end of the first year (approximately April 2014) the application for EFA will go live for the first class of EFA fellows. In the first year of full operations, we will aim to host a pilot class of four fellows. The first four EFA fellows will develop the principles of the EFA fellowship and will help refine the process for the future. After the first class is launched, EFA will spend the second year soliciting funding for more fellowships, and will provide support services for the first class. From there the program will expand into a national organization with increasing numbers of organizers each summer.

The Team

Jacob Tobia – For the initial phase of the project, I will be working on my own. During the first three months, I will be building a nation-wide team at schools throughout the country. After attending 6 national LGBT conferences over the past year and a half, I have significant contacts with LGBTQ college students at prominent universities throughout the United States. While building this team, I will create a student board of directors. The national student board of directors will work to incorporate the organization as a 501 C(3) and will begin securing funders and grants.

As an individual, I am confident in my ability to take the necessary steps towards making EFA a reality. I have significant organizing experience both on campus at Duke and in the broader world. On campus, I have successfully organized campaigns that encouraged students to vote against Amendment One, that effectively advocated for gender neutral housing on campus, and that increased the visibility of the LGBT community more generally. Off-campus, I have worked to fundraise $10,700 on behalf of homeless LGBT youth who were impacted by Hurricane Sandy through running across the Brooklyn Bridge in high heels and I’ve organized effective coalitions of Gay-Straight Alliance leaders around the Triangle area.

Throughout all of these initiatives, I have had to raise money, organize individuals, work with local organizations, and create functioning teams that can get the job done. Because of these organizing experiences, my family roots in the South, my unwavering commitment to the LGBTQ community, and my deep connections throughout the country, I am confident that I will be able to bring EFA into fruition.

The Proposal:

A tragedy of the commons that I witnessed in an everyday basis is the overconsumption of disposables. Obviously, the production of plastic consumes petroleum, fresh water, and emits carbon dioxide along with other pollutions. In addition, when disposed they create solid wastes that take hundreds of years to degrade, contaminating soil and water in the process.

However, restaurants and stores are giving out tons of plastic bags, cups, containers and utensils for free every day and most of them are unnecessary and are thrown away right after. I have to say to the casher “I don’t need the bag/utensils, thanks” every time in order not to waste them. This situation should be reversed.

Because the environmental cost is not fully included into the price for the disposables due to insufficient Pigovian tax, the cost of disposables for business owners is next to nothing, especially when buying in large chunk. Moreover, since this practice is ubiquitous (Nash Equilibrium) among the business, anyone not giving out free disposables will lose lots of customers and thus is unaffordable.

This is the same pattern as prisoner’s dilemma and clearly requires an external force for them to move to the PO. Contrary to normal tragedy of the commons, property rights cannot solve this problem because the disposables already belong to the business owners and they are giving them out for free. The problem here is they are free to the customers when in fact they cost a lot. It is very difficult for the people to be friendly to their environment when it is so convenient to ruin it. Thus, the government should levy sufficient Pigovian tax on the disposables and enforce a minimum price on the customers. This minimum price won’t be high, but just be enough to change the default option for customers to use reusable utensils. It is proved in China that people are willing to protect their environment, once that little barrier is removed: After China banned the free plastic bags in June 1st, 2008 (steps largely welcomed by merchants and shoppers on Wednesday ), people started to bring their own cloths bags to supermarket. Some other countries followed suit.

If this works on free plastic bags, it should work on free plastic cups and free utensils, too.

The Team

Yumian Deng - Because I hate to see so much disposables being used just once and thrown away.

The Proposal 

First, A Little Background

COPE is a counseling program that serves children in need aged 10 – 17 in Naama, Uganda. It has been fully operational for 9 months during its pilot phase. From here, the leadership hopes to grow, test, and scale the program to tackle the crisis of unaddressed poor emotional health among vulnerable and orphaned children in Naama. Together members of the community and Duke students have developed an innovative model that provides support to 40-60 children in need on a bi-weekly basis. It’s built upon three pillars:

I. Counseling Services: To provide needed counseling for trauma, including the loss of a parent or other significant hardships

II. Material Support: To address current pressing needs for vital items such as school supplies

III. Career Counseling: To create bright futures

In the next year, we hope to expand our capabilities to provide holistic support to children in need through our three pillared approach by developing our human capital, employing the general manager full time,  and expanding our resource pool.

Basis for Intervention

In 2011, a Duke University student named Grace Zhou conducted research on orphaned and vulnerable children in Naama Parish, Mityana, Uganda, an area of 14 small villages. Zhou found poor emotional health among community-based orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC) when compared to their peers in orphanages, as well as among non-OVC. OVC are children who have lost one or both parents and/or bear a substantive risk of suffering significant physical, emotional or mental harm compared to other children. Unfortunately, many OVC end up at a relative or friend’s house where they are often treated like second-class citizens. Reviewing this data, she decided to form a counseling program. Read Grace’s final research here. One year later, under the leadership of its current General Manager Nakaferoh Robinah and Duke student Craig Moxley, COPE (Counseling Orphans, Promoting Empowerment) evolved to its current organizational model.

Our Mission

The mission of COPE is to provide psychosocial counseling, material assistance, and career counseling to children in need in Naama Parish. We strive to be community-operated and community-owned.
We hope that after 1 year in the program, the children have:

• Improved emotional health, particularly a sense of belonging, through carefully guided counseling sessions
• Improved understanding of career options- and how to get there- after a diverse series of career talks
• Improved talents through vocational training
• Improved educational outcomes, especially English, the children’s learning skills through providing books
• Higher standards of living as a result of the provision of material goods throughout the year

The COPE Approach

1. Identify the children most in need
2. Bring them into the program for the course of 1 full year
3. Provide them with psychosocial counseling, career counseling, material support, and snacks to supplement their diet

Community operated

At COPE we aim for community ownership whenever possible. It’s not too hard to do as it would not be possible for outsiders to effectively run this program. Only those with an intimate knowledge of the community know who to call, what works and whats appropriate. Furthermore, Western involvement can enforce negative stereotypes among the children. However, the members of the Duke community working on COPE do have the ability to bring in resources and information that would otherwise not be possible. We bridge this contradiction by separating COPE into two arms. The primary arm coordinates, All operations on the ground- all decisions about the content of the counseling sessions, the speakers for the career counseling, the snacks, the income generation projects, ect. This is Robinah, the CDO counselors, Francis, and Miriam. The secondary arm, those of us at Duke, connect resources and information to the program. We search for funders to increase COPE’s ability to serve the children in need in Naama and use our connection to one of the most dynamic research universities in the country to supply COPE’s leadership with new field research.

• The Community Development Office is responsible for administering the community sessions held at Naama Preparatory on Saturdays twice a month for no less than two hours. Sessions will usually be held from 3 to 5 PM on Saturdays. The CDO has full control over the content of the sessions. It will determine the maximum capacity and separate children accordingly. It will also take attendance at each session. The CDO will provide two counselors at each session.
• We believe in regular, independent program evaluations that objectively measure the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of the counseling sessions. We operate not to support those individuals working with the program in administrative roles, but rather for the targeted orphaned and vulnerable children, whose lives we hope to improve.
• COPE@Duke is responsible for fundraising for COPE and providing COPE with academic works relating to group counseling.

Our Core Values

• We exist not to fund administrators and program coordinators, but rather to support orphaned and vulnerable children in Naama.
• We believe in regular data-based program evaluation. If we find that the program is not meeting our intentions of improving outcomes for orphaned and vulnerable children in Naama, we will dissolve the organization.
• We believe in community ownership.
• We believe in transparency

The Team

U.S Based Leadership:

Craig Moxley- Duke junior- Public Policy major and Global Health Certificate. Craig spent 2 months in Uganda in the summer of 2012 re-structuring the program to create this current model.

Grace Zhou- Duke senior- Grace conducted the initial research that demonstrated the need for psychosocial counseling among community-based orphans in particular. She developed the initial intervention in the summer of 2011.

Noelle Suaifan-  Duke junior- Noelle is a Computer Science major and the Head of Web Development for COPE

Genny Olson- Duke junior- Genny worked with Craig to help create the program in the summer of 2012

John Davis, Sejal Lahoti, Ben Ramsey, & Sammie Truong- all Duke sophomores- together they will be conducting program evaluation in the summer of 2013.

Ugandan Leadership:

Nakaferoh Robinah- Robinah serves as the General Manager of COPE, managing its daily affairs. Robinah oversees all sessions and staff members.

Francis Mombwe- Francis is an LC3 (a Local Councilman at the 3rd level). He uses his intimate understanding of the community and its needs to recruit and retain participants, as well as work with guardians to create more positive outcomes.

Advisors:

Dr. Sumi Ariely- Sumi Ariely serves as an Assistant Professor of the Practice in Global Health at Duke University, teaches courses in GH ethics and methods and has been responsible for advising global health students on developing and implementing translational research projects in the US and abroad. A developmental psychologist by training,  she is interested in the relations between cultural, social, and biological influences on health decisions and outcomes. Dr. Ariely has lived and worked in Asia and Africa for many years and has co-directed the Naama project since 2008.

Dr. Christopher Kigongo- Dr. Kigongo founded the school in Naama where COPE operates. He earned his medical degree from Makerere University in Uganda, a Certificate in Malariology from a World Health Organization Fellowship in Ethiopia, and a Masters in Public Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In Uganda, Kigongo formerly served as the Principal Health Educator at the Ministry of Health and as the Senior Medical Officer for the National Malaria Control Program

The Proposal 

In 2011, Kat Combes, an American who resides in Kenya, contacted universities across the United States for help in the development of the conservancy where she resides. Duke responded to her call, and about a year and a half ago a group of students who were working on the Duke Engineers for International Development (DEID) Uganda project did an assessment trip to the Soysambu Conservancy, in Kenya. Aligning with DEID’s goals of having a high-impact-engineering project that is sustainable and combines community-driven ideas with student design, the team determined that the community was in serious need of electricity. That’s when the DEID-Kenya team was formed.

After the birth of the new project, a constant an open channel of communication was established with Kat Combes, in order to determine which of the possible locations suggested by the assessment-trip team would have the most impact in the community. School, community center, residential houses. All of those were considered; in the end the clear choice was the dispensary (clinic). The building for the supposed-to-be clinic was built a few years ago, but due to the lack of electricity it has not been able to been put to use. Currently, it only has one solar panel with a direct connection to a fridge that is supposed to house vaccines for the community, but due to the lack of batteries, it is useless, as during the night the solar panel produces no electricity.

It is part of the Kenyan government policy, to help this kind of projects by providing adequate staffing, but their support is conditional to fully established projects. What this means for the dispensary is that it must become a fully standing independent project, that with adequate staffing can provide basic healthcare services, which at the moment, it is NOT. The goal of DEID for this year is to implement the designed the system that provides for the electric needs of the building.

As a result of the poor infrastructure and elevated costs of electricity in the area, connecting the dispensary to the grid has been deemed economically unsustainable; therefore renewable energy was seen as the only solution to solve this problem. Wind energy was thought to be a possibility, but after communicating with Kat, it was evident, that to obtain the equipment required to install a wind turbine would be close to impossible. Furthermore, the wind potential in the area is not as high as it was originally hoped, which in turn would have required us to have an even taller tower, making installation harder. Solar energy was the next option, and given the proximity of the site to the equator, the relatively low cost per panel, and the ability of us as a team to not depend on heavy machinery, it was concluded that we would adopt this option. When completed this project, the clinic will be able to operate 24/7 and allow all members of the community to have access to some of the most basic healthcare needs.

The Team

In this project more than 20 students have been involved, but there are seven who either will be traveling to implement or leading the project next year.

Eunice Leung is a freshman from Hong Kong and is a prospective Civil and Environmental Engineer. In high school, she has been to developing countries such as Nepal and Laos to work on community service projects led by local organizations. She joined Duke Engineers with International Development because she loves hands-on projects and is a strong believer in experiential learning. She is also excited to have the opportunity to implement a student led initiative.

Jessica Allen is a sophomore at Duke University where she is pursuing a Mechanical Engineer major and Energy and the Environment Certificate. This is her second year as a member of Duke Engineers for International Development (DEID) – Kenya Project. She is the Communications Head of the project, which means she is in constant communication with the manager of the Soysambu Conservancy and other contacts local to the area. Outside of DEID she also participates in Project Wilderness Initiatives and Learning Development where she is the Public Relations Director.

Meron Wolde-Tensae is a sophomore from Atlanta, Georgia studying civil and environmental engineering with a certificate in energy and the environment. Her passion for studying renewable energy led her to the Duke Engineers for International Development organization, where she then joined the Kenya group as their fundraising chair. Along with working with DEID, Meron also works as a Pratt tour guide, is a hardcore Cameron Crazy, and volunteers with FEMMES!

Jade Kessler is a junior from France, pursuing a double major in Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science. She speaks English, French and German and loves to explore different cultures. At Duke, she is involved with Duke Engineers for International Development due to her strong interest in renewable energy, Duke Venture Forward, Duke’s Swing Dance Club and the Grand Challenges of engineering scholars program. Jade spent last summer in Nicaragua, doing micro-business and finance consulting through Duke Engage. This summer she will be interning as a program manager at Microsoft.

Robinson LeBeau Ford was born and raised in rural Arkansas. The Ozarks helped foster a love for the natural environment in Robinson. Although Arkansas may be a beautiful state, Robinson is immensely thankful for the opportunities that Duke has given him. He is currently a sophomore in Pratt, working towards a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He is also intending to minor in Energy Engineering, a new Pratt minor just announced earlier this spring. This interest in energy development is exactly what piqued Robinson’s interest in the DEID-Kenya project.

Charlie Molthrop is a 3rd year Mechanical Engineering student hoping to pursue a career in alternative energy. Charlie has been involved with DEID as well as the Duke Smart home and the Thermodynamics and Sustainable Energies Laboratory. He is also a member of a club soccer team and performs sketch and stand-up comedy in his spare time.

Felipe Gaitan, born and raise in Colombia, is a 4th year Mechanical Engineering Student, who through his passion to travel and see the marvels of the world, became passionate to protect the environment by becoming involved in projects that lead humanity to sustainable development. He has been involved with DEID since 2010, and as a result of his deep interest in energy, he became the DEID-Kenya project leader. He has also been involved in the Outing Club, Project Wild, and Duke Motorsports. Next year he will be pursuing a Master in Mechanical Engineering.

The Proposal 

The world’s innovations have advanced to become faster, smaller, and sleeker, more eco-friendly, more user-friendly, and simply better. But pens, created by giant monopolies like Bic and Uni-Ball, for decades have relentlessly dominated their markets with their cheap, low-quality pens and narrow-minded marketing focus- not to mention the extremely environmentally damaging products sold by the millions per day. The only consistent aspect about these pens becomes how frequently they are thrown away or lost. In the last year alone, 1.5 billion of these disposable ballpoint pens were thrown away, leading to over 93,000 tons of landfill plastic waste. Why? Because these pen companies have no long range focus. They create these huge disposable packets of plastic knowing that within a couple of weeks, or even days, their consumers will have tossed it away. These companies not only undervalue the importance of and the history behind the written word, but also contribute to the ever growing problem of environmental waste. We created Liscio Ultra Pens to change the mindset behind buying a pen: to promote a new consumer consciousness that emphasizes quality, longevity, and environmental concern.
The Liscio Ultra Pen redefines the traditional fountain pen. Our pens are created to ensure consistently unmatched performance and longevity. Fine metals are used for our “Double-V Tip” design, which drastically improves writing quality. The barrel, crafted with quality exotic woods and a dark lacquer finish, provides unrivaled comfort for all grips. The balance of the pen is distributed further towards the tip, which is logistically more advantageous to the precise control needed for optimal handwriting. But what makes this pen different from every single pen ever created is the fact that Liscio Ultra Pens are “rechargeable”. Every Liscio Ultra Pen is accompanied with a base containing an extra supply of ink that can be electronically delivered to the built-in ink cartridge within the pen without having to go through the messiness and annoyance of manually taking apart some rather complicated pens. A magnetic tail provides the simplicity to attach the pen to the tip of the base’s antenna to complete the automated process of refilling the pen. Every part of the Ultra Pen is designed to embody the ideals of eco-friendliness, longevity, sleekness, and prime quality.
Consumers too have begun to support these ideals. In the last half decade, disposable pen sales have been steadily declining. Disposable pen giant Bic has seen yearly revenues fall by up to 5%, while luxury pen sales for MontBlanc have been climbing, with year-to-year increases of over 20%. This points to a new consumer mindset: one that emphasizes quality, long-lasting products that are not just concerned with the bottom line. The middle and high-end pen market, characterized mostly by status-seeking professionals and loyal collectors, is ready to embrace the Liscio Ultra Pen. The Liscio Ultra Pens offers the quality, durability, and satisfaction these consumers are searching for, as well as the modernity of our rechargeable design that greatly reduces the hassle of dealing with fountain pens.

The Team

Currently, we are a team of three – Robin Zhang, Won-Ji Lee, and Michael Deng, all three of whom are freshmen. Robin Zhang is studying economics and sociology for law school. Won-Ji Lee, a member of the prestigious Duke University Scholars Program, is studying Biophysics with a prospective interest in Medical School. Michael Deng is currently studying biomedical engineering and chemistry and hopes to eventually earn a Ph.D.

First, we have Robin Zhang, who is the most driven entrepreneur who has the business background needed to raise the financial aspects of a company. He spent his summers at his nearby Rutgers University taking three economics classes with upperclassmen – Micro Economics, Macro Economics and International Economics and earning the top grades in all three courses as a freshman and sophomore in high school. Zhang has the drive to succeed and does anything it takes to succeed.

Zhang’s colleague, Won-Ji Lee strives for technical excellence in whatever he puts his mind into. If Lee knows anything about anything, he knows everything about leadership. In high school, he was President of the Poway High School Key Club, which had over 120 members and Co-Founder/executive office chairs in several other community service organizations. With all of this experience, Lee can easily assume leadership, actively listen to his peers, and successfully manage people. He also enjoys stopping at nothing to perfect something. Utilizing his artistic capabilities and relentless drive, Lee is capable of developing and refining the Liscio Ultra Pen as Creative Designer. His sheer determination and skills at his disposal make him an ideal leader to make this company work.

Lastly, Michael Deng loves the challenge of a difficult problem. Michael has honed his problem-solving skills by competing in the prestigious American Invitational Mathematics Exam as well as placing in the Department of Energy hosted National Science Bowl. Michael is both technologically and mentally savvy, and is the perfect candidate to lead the technical design of any startup. His natural curiosity constantly pushes him to search for more knowledge and more answers, and his attention to detail allows him to focus on solving any problem. With the Liscio Ultra Pen, Michael hopes to refine his skills as an engineer while creating a pen that will redefine the market and design world.

The Proposal

Many college campuses offer a variety of food and drink options to students, most of which are full of sugar and artificial ingredients. On Duke’s campus, it is hard to go a day without overhearing a complaint about the lack of quick, portable and healthy snacks. With all the talk about the new “pressed juice” health trend, we put two and two together and came up with the idea to bring these juices – which are made entirely from fresh fruits and vegetables and pressed to maintain their nutritional quality – to college campuses across America. These beverages are different from your average smoothie because they are not made with sugary fruit juices, fatty frozen yogurt and dollops of honey. At Duke specifically, Quenchers is one of the only places on campus where students can get smoothies made with fresh ingredients as opposed to syrup or powder and even here, there is not a single smoothie on the menu that is made exclusively with fruits and vegetables. “Pressed juices”, is a trend that has bombarded cities nationwide for the last year. We therefore predict that the business would be highly profitable. Pressed juices are frequently used to “cleanse” the system, as meal replacements, or as quick on-the-go snacks. They have been proven to boost the immune system and provide extensive health benefits, (and can even help hangovers). We plan to give 20% of the proceeds to the non-profit “Shape Up America,” an organization dedicated to raising awareness of obesity as a health issue and to providing responsible information on healthy weight management. We would call our project “U Juice” (U for University), and would sell them from small stands that could be set up at various sites on campus, from in-store locations where the juices would be made on the spot and/or from food trucks that shuttle around campus so that students don’t have to go out of their way. Additionally, we would contact local farmers for produce for our fresh juices, thus supporting the Durham community. Similar to many successful pressed juicerys in cities like Los Angeles and New York, U Juice would offer juice packages, allowing students to purchase a set of numbered juices that would come with a detailed description about how to safely and properly juice cleanse. We could also team up with an already established press juice company and see if they would be willing to contribute to our business by providing products. We strongly believe that if students had the option of a healthy and delicious drink that would keep them full, help them focus, and give them energy for the day, that they would be less inclined to opt for an unhealthy alternative and energy booster.

The Team

Cassie Goldring
Age-19, Sophomore
Los Angeles, CA
Literature Major
Journalism and Media Studies Certificate
Duke Fashion Magazine FORM Online Music Blogger
Member of Duke DUU Major Attractions Committee
Pi Beta Phi Fraternity

Josephine Ubben
Age – 20, Sophomore
San Francisco, CA
Political Science major
Journalism and Media Studies Certificate
Women’s Club Soccer Traveling Team
Duke Out of the Blue, Duke’s oldest all-female acappella group
Tri-Delta Fraternity