Study Abroad Experiences in the Developing World: Opportunities and Challenges

2011 ◽  
Vol 1320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard A. LeSar ◽  
Kenneth M. Bryden
Keyword(s):  
Study Abroad ◽  
Materials Science ◽  
Appropriate Technology ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
State University ◽  
Sustainable Engineering ◽  
Sustainable Technologies ◽  
The People ◽  
Materials Science And Engineering ◽  
Sub Saharan

ABSTRACTOver the past three years the Departments of Materials Science and Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at Iowa State University have conducted a study-abroad course for ISU undergraduates in a small, isolated, village in the country of Mali, in western, sub-Saharan Africa. Most, if not all, of the people in the village live under conditions that the World Bank refers to as extreme poverty. The focus of the course is on the development of sustainable technologies that are appropriate for the people in this village and villages similar to it. Our goal is to offer students a chance to develop such technologies, in the end changing how they view engineering and their role as engineers. One of the challenges of the course is how to integrate this high value off-campus experience into the on-campus curriculum. To do this we have linked two on-campus sustainable engineering courses (sustainable engineering systems and appropriate technology design) with this study abroad course. In this paper, we discuss the course in more detail, with a focus on an assessment of how well we are meeting our objectives. We shall also discuss the challenges of holding such a course and will offer some advice for those who may wish to venture along the same path.

Outreach Opportunities Using the Instructional SEM at Iowa State University

1996 ◽  
Vol 54 ◽  
pp. 412-413
Author(s):  
L. S. Chumbley ◽  
M. Meyer ◽  
K. Fredrickson ◽  
F.C. Laabs
Keyword(s):  
Materials Science ◽  
State University ◽  
Digital Cameras ◽  
Audio Signals ◽  
Iowa State University ◽  
Cornell University ◽  
Sem Image ◽  
Local Schools ◽  
Materials Science And Engineering ◽  
Video And Audio

The development of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) suitable for instructional purposes has created a large number of outreach opportunities for the Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) Department at Iowa State University. Several collaborative efforts are presently underway with local schools and the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) at ISU to bring SEM technology into the classroom in a near live-time, interactive manner. The SEM laboratory is shown in Figure 1.Interactions between the laboratory and the classroom use inexpensive digital cameras and shareware called CU-SeeMe, Figure 2. Developed by Cornell University and available over the internet, CUSeeMe provides inexpensive video conferencing capabilities. The software allows video and audio signals from Quikcam™ cameras to be sent and received between computers. A reflector site has been established in the MSE department that allows eight different computers to be interconnected simultaneously. This arrangement allows us to demonstrate SEM principles in the classroom. An Apple Macintosh has been configured to allow the SEM image to be seen using CU-SeeMe.

Financing Energy Access in Africa

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Kayode Oniemola ◽  
Jane Ezirigwe
Keyword(s):  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Capital Investments ◽  
Energy Access ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Sustainable Technologies ◽  
Energy Technologies ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Diesel Motors

To achieve universal energy access will attract huge capital investments. If sub-Saharan Africa is to realize anything close to the ambitious goals set for its energy access, then new actors, innovative funding mechanisms and sustainable technologies will have to be attracted. Finance is needed for activities such as rural electrification, clean cooking facilities, diesel motors and generators, other renewable energy technologies, oil and gas infrastructures, etc. Finance is also needed in research and development of suitable technologies and funding options as well as investment in the capacity to formulate and implement sound energy policies. This chapter examines the varied financing options for energy access in sub-Saharan Africa. It argues that with appropriate laws in place and effective mechanism for implementation, African countries can significantly engage private sector financing, international financial institutions and foreign donors. The role of the law here will be in creating an enabling environment for financing.

Human Development Paradigm for South Asia

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
Human Development ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
The People ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Development Paradigm

In the chapter, Haq gives a snapshot of the human progress of South Asia, comparing it with other regions. He was worried about the region beginning to lag behind all other regions, including Sub-Saharan Africa. He highlights the role of the two largest economies in the region, India and Pakistan, in financing the major investment in education, health and nutrition for the people. Haq advocates some fiscal and monetary reforms are suggested to invest in human development.

Welfare implications of external debt and capital flight in Sub-Saharan Africa (Evidence using panel data modelling)

2021 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 347-367
Author(s):  
Isaac Kwesi Ampah ◽  
Gábor Dávid Kiss
Keyword(s):  
External Debt ◽  
Estimation Method ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Capital Flight ◽  
Poor Countries ◽  
The People ◽  
General Welfare ◽  
Heavily Indebted Poor Countries ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
External Borrowing

AbstractThe countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have experienced a positive growth rate of over five per cent per year, on average, since their transition from the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative in 1996 and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative in 2006. Despite this growth, poverty and inequality are still very high. Employing the Driscoll – Kraay standard panel estimation method and dataset from 1990 to 2015, this paper sets out to examine the implications of external debt and capital flight on the general welfare of the people. The estimation results reveal that both external debt and capital flight have a welfare inhibiting effect, suggesting that increases in external borrowing or capital flight may lead to a reduction in the welfare of the people in the sub-region. The study, therefore, recommends to policymakers and government in the sub-region the need to tackle the revolving nature of external borrowing and capital flight and take steps to halt all channels through which deservingly acquired capital leaves the sub-region.

scholarly journals Developing learning diaries for action research on healthcare management in Ghana, Tanzania and Uganda

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 412-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Comfort Mshelia ◽  
Gillian Lê ◽  
Tolib Mirzoev ◽  
Samuel Amon ◽  
Ambrose Kessy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Action Research ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Healthcare Management ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
District Health ◽  
The People ◽  
Effective Form ◽  
Recording Process ◽  
Specific Practice ◽  
Sub Saharan

Action research (AR) can be an effective form of ‘on the job’ training. However, it is critical that AR cycles can be appropriately recorded in order to contribute to reflection and learning. One form of recording is for coresearchers to keep a diary. We found no previous literature describing the use of diaries in AR in sub-Saharan Africa. We therefore use this paper to reflect on how diaries were used by district health management teams in the PERFORM project. We share five lessons from our experience. First, it is important to foster ownership of the diary by the people who are responsible for filling it in. Second, the purpose of keeping a diary needs to be clear and shared between researchers and practitioners from the very beginning. Third, diaries should be allowed to evolve. Fourth, it is a challenge for busy practitioners to record the reflection and learning processes that they go through. Last, diaries on their own are not sufficient to capture reflection and learning. In conclusion, there is no best way for practitioners to keep a diary; rather the focus should be on ensuring that an AR recording process (whether diary or otherwise) is locally owned and complements the specific practice setting.

Water treatment and supply: intermediate education in Sub-Saharan Africa

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 578-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Byars ◽  
B. Antizar-Ladislao
Keyword(s):  
International Development ◽  
Current Approach ◽  
Appropriate Technology ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Experimental Learning ◽  
Treatment Technologies ◽  
Technical Expert ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Water Supply And Treatment ◽  
Water Provision

In 1973 the economist E.F Schumacher wrote ‘Small is Beautiful’. In this he created the vision of a concept known as ‘intermediate technology’. Directly from this grew the popular ‘appropriate technology’ movement. An appropriate technology, in the ideal sense, is designed with special consideration of the environmental, ethical, cultural, social, political, and economical aspects of the community it is intended for. The term ‘appropriate technology’ is continually used when referring to water supply and treatment technologies in international development. The widespread provision of hand-pumps in Africa by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) fully characterises the approach and remains the most prominent display of technologies, transferred on a charitable basis, between the developed and developing countries. However, after years of NGOs working with hand-pumps in Africa the first signs are showing that there are widespread problems with the current approach. In many cases the nature of ‘appropriateness’ is determined from the perspective of an external technical expert and not by the communities themselves. The lack of appropriateness is leading to severely unsustainable projects. This paper explores the linkage that has not been clearly mapped in technology transfer, i.e., the use of scientific and technical education. The focus of the transfer is on developing the knowledge and skills necessary to evaluate ‘appropriateness’ from the perspective of the end user. It explores the concept of ‘Intermediate Education’ – a method of using experimental learning to address a systemic weakness in safe water provision in development.

What the People of Africa Think about International Organisations

Politeia ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rod Alence
Keyword(s):  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Development Aid ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Union ◽  
International Organisations ◽  
The People ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Peacekeeping Missions ◽  
Peace And Development

International organisations have long sought to promote peace and development in sub-Saharan Africa. Much research has focused on their policies and activities, but little is known about how people living in Africa view them. How aware are people in Africa of international organisations, and how helpful do they believe them to be? This article analyses public perceptions using data from Afrobarometer Round 4 surveys conducted in 20 countries. Awareness of international organisations is widespread, especially in countries that have experienced peacekeeping missions and among individuals who have completed primary school. Evaluations are favourable on balance, more so for the United Nations and other “global” organisations than for the African Union and its sub-regional bodies. Though most Africans see development aid as helpful, large and highly visible aid inflows are associated with concerns about the influence that donors and NGOs wield over recipient governments.

HIV/AIDS

2020 ◽  
pp. 901-933
Author(s):  
Sarah Fidler ◽  
Timothy E.A. Peto ◽  
Philip Goulder ◽  
Christopher P. Conlon
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
The People ◽  
Reduce Life Expectancy ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Living With Hiv ◽  
The Impact

Since its discovery in 1983, the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been associated with a global pandemic that has affected more than 78 million people and caused more than 39 million deaths. Globally, 36.9 million (34.3–41.4 million) people were living with HIV at the end of 2013. An estimated 0.8% of adults aged 15–49 years worldwide are living with HIV, although the burden of the epidemic continues to vary considerably between countries and regions. Sub-Saharan Africa remains most severely affected, with nearly 1 in every 20 adults living with HIV and accounting for nearly 71% of the people living with HIV worldwide. The impact of HIV in some African countries has been sufficient to reverse population growth and reduce life expectancy into the mid-30s, although HIV incidence has declined in some of these high-prevalence countries. However, there are large-scale HIV epidemics elsewhere (e.g. India, the Russian Federation, and Eastern Europe).

“Materials” Education: The Second Time Around

MRS Bulletin ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 22-26
Author(s):  
Rustum Roy
Keyword(s):  
Materials Science ◽  
Atomic Energy Commission ◽  
State University ◽  
Pennsylvania State University ◽  
School Committee ◽  
Penn State ◽  
Materials Research ◽  
Materials Science And Engineering ◽  
Synthesis And Processing ◽  
Institute Of Technology

Robert Sproull, the director of AREA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) in the Pentagon, recorded that Pennsylvania State University and Carnegie Institute of Technology first made proposals in 1957 for “interdisciplinary block funding” in what would essentially become “materials” research. But it was the industrial push (by W.O. Baker of AT&T Bell Laboratories and C.G. Suits of General Electric) that helped ARPA start the funding of 12 interdisciplinary materials research laboratories (IDMRLs) between 1960 and 1963. Pennsylvania State University was added in 1963 as a special modest grant limited to materials preparation (synthesis and processing). NASA and the Atomic Energy Commission added six more within two years. The first interdisciplinary degree program in “materials” (then called solid-state technology), administered directly by a graduate school committee drawn from 10 departments, was started under my chairmanship, at Penn State in 1959-60. Probably the first departmental degree program in which a metallurgy department expanded its scope (and changed its name) to include other materials was started at nearly the same time at North western University by Prof. M.E. Fine. It is noteworthy that at least in these two cases the intellectual and curricular argument for integration of degree work preceded the research grants and organization. These two separate patterns have both now permeated the entire national system, and we should clearly distinguish between them. By 1969 the first national colloquy on materials, held at Penn State and published under the title Materials Science and Engineering in the U.S., took an evaluative look at materials education.

The Right to Political Participation in Sub-Saharan Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 128-161
Author(s):  
Christof Heyns ◽  
Charles Fombad ◽  
Pansy Tlakula ◽  
Jimmy Kainja
Keyword(s):  
Political Participation ◽  
Freedom Of Expression ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Political Rights ◽  
Political Systems ◽  
International Treaties ◽  
The People ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
The Right

The effective realisation of the right to political participation is essential for the legitimacy of political systems and for enabling the people to shape, and assume responsibility for, their lives. Although the right to political participation is recognised in article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as well as in other international treaties, its realisation in practice is often partial, it depends on the extent to which numerous interrelated rights, such as those to freedom of expression, access to information and peaceful protest, have been secured. Focusing on sub-Saharan Africa, this article examines the right to political participation as set out in national constitutions and in the instruments of the United Nations, the African Union and sub-regional bodies. It also considers the role of social media in this context. The article concludes by suggesting how this crucial right could be implemented more effectively in Africa.

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