MIT D-Lab China 2010 Introduction

D-Lab China Contact: Scot Frank [ scot (at) mit ]
Focus on the Himalayan region including culturally and geographically related peoples in China, India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Pakistan
170 million inhabitants living in the Greater Himalayan Basin 40% of the world’s population is supplied by water from this region Scientists consider the Himalayas to be the 3 rd pole, meaning the region is hugely important in climate change
We will be working in villages within rural areas of the Himalayas. These communities are composed primarily of subsistence-based nomads and farmers. There is a rich history of innovation and design among these people living in such harsh environments.
Whereas much of our own lives are school-centric, these people depend so much on the sources of energy available to them. Women and children are the primary fuel collectors, of which yak and cow dung is the most commonly used. Around the world, 2.5 billion people use biomass fuels for household energy. This is an area of work that can contribute to improved lives for people around the world.
The use of biomass fuels for cooking and heating result in many environmental and health effects. Indoor air pollution (IAP) and the resulting lower respiratory illnesses (LRI) are the biggest killer among children under the ages of 5. Over 1.6 million people die each year because of these effects. The collection of these fuels causes women and children to have little free time and few opportunities for education.
Similarly, the use of these biomass fuels results in poor crop yields and wide-spread desertification and water shortages.
D-Lab teams in China have worked on many projects in the past, here I will briefly outline two of these.
The design, building, and testing of a portable and light-weight solar concentrator is one past project D-Lab teams have worked on in China.
Water quality testing in rural villages and cities, along with the educational and technology transfer to empower local students and community leaders to test water themselves.
Potential Projects for D-Lab China 2010 include: *solar cooker & house heating design / testing *water quality testing & small-scale treatment *textile-based personal heating *Illustrated & multilingual science/design children’s book series relevant to local culture *Solar-powered water pump *Climate change, environment, agriculture, and health sensors using wireless electronics & cell phones *Supply chain, marketing, and manufacture of solar and water projects and local businesses / entrepreneurism *Health education & sanitation materials and programs *Locally-adapted composting toilet designs
This year’s D-Lab trip will significantly benefit from people participating who have interest or background in the following areas. People who have participated in the past have performed hands-on fieldwork in one or more of these disciplines.
In addition to the projects, of course there will be all sorts of fun things to try, like collecting water…
Carrying water…
Eating honey and drinking yak butter tea…
Reading to little kids…
Meeting people…
And dancing around bon fires.
Contact: Scot Frank scot [at] mit View this presentation online at: http://slideshare.net/scot

MIT D-Lab China 2010 Introduction

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