Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship (HESE) Program

Corinne Dally and Brienna Phillips - WEPO'15 Mentors

HESE is a great way for engineering students to work on projects applicable to the real world. Oftentimes in engineering classes, you have problems to solve that may be appropriate, but never have a chance to actually apply anything.  HESE is changing that!

During the semester, students choose a project to pursue.  This past semester, the available projects included 3D printed prosthetics (which was the project that I chose), urinary tract infection screening strips, and greenhouses.  Each group had specific tasks and studies for the students.  On my team, I performed literature reviews on available prosthetic devices designed for low-resource settings.  The other areas on my team that members could take part in included manufacturing prosthetic hands, testing the hands for usability and strength, and researching the business models of current prostheses companies in developing countries.

Over the summer, students then have the opportunity to travel to Africa to validate or implement the product and perform any necessary studies.  I went to Zambia this May, and my group and I visited three hospitals and four clinics, as well as a rehabilitation facility.  We spoke with surgeons, clinicians, and prosthetic technicians.  Our goal was to learn more about the healthcare system there, particularly relating to prosthetic devices and the need for them.  The trip was incredibly fulfilling; I learned what was required from the class, but also had the opportunity to learn about the culture there as well.

All majors (not just engineering) are welcome to join HESE!  To become a HESE participant, simply schedule EDSGN 452 and EDSGN 453 for the spring semester.  EDSGN 453 is a lecture class which allows the professor, Khanjan Mehta, to teach about working in developing countries and the various aspects of entrepreneurship.  EDSGN 452 is the design portion, where you would choose the team of your project of interest.

If you’re interested in traveling and applying your engineering design skills, definitely check HESE out!  For more information, you can visit: http://sedtapp.psu.edu/humanitarian/

Brienna Phillips is a junior majoring in BioMedical Engineering, and is a Mentor for WEPO 2015!