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$ 3000 IDEAS Prize Gasoline Storage Tank Leak Detection
$ 2000 IDEAS Prize Salvation Army Data Collection System &
$ 5000 IDEAS
International Technology Innovation Awards
Innovative Drinking Water Technology for Bangladesh & Passive Incubator for Premature Infants
Pure Water will find a feasible and sustainable solution for potable water accessibility in rural areas in Nicaragua. Nicaragua is the second poorest country in Latin America, with over half of the population unemployed and over 80% of the rural population without access to safe water. Our team will work closely with community partners (NGOs, local students and artisans) in all the stages for the creation, development, implementation and monitoring of a household water filter with optimized pathogen removal efficiency and flow rate. Our solution will innovate in technology, methodology, monitoring and in the interaction model with community collaborators. We will use a real-time feedback and iteration system for our research and product development. Moreover, Pure Water will ensure local availability of knowledge and skill to reproduce the technology transferred. In order to accomplish this goal, we will train local potters from four rural settings (San Francisco Libre, San Juan Oriente, La Paz Centro and Cale Real de Tolapa) to produce home-maid filters to replace broken or malfunctioning devices. These potters will also act as promoters and information sources who provide incentives for appropriate usage of the technology. Finally, we will monitor and assess the results of our project for a period of 6 months. Team Members: Rebeca Eun Young
Hwang
Gasoline Storage Tank Leak Detection The goal of this project is to reduce the environmental impact of leaking gasoline storage tanks by making continuous testing of the monitor wells around the tanks possible at low cost. This new technology will enable tank owners in developing countries to catch leaks earlier and limit environmental damage. This low cost approach will be attractive to a cost sensitive industry that is reluctant to pay for expensive testing that does not contribute directly to profits. The proposed solution replaces unaffordable electronic detection equipment, or tedious manual water sampling and testing with a simple, inherently safe, mechanical system. If gasoline is detected in the well, a window in the well cover changes from green to red. The well can be monitored visually without unbolting the cover. This will make it practical for the tank owners to check the wells for contamination much more often than they currently do. The early detection of gasoline leaking into the ground water will help minimize the environmental and health impact to the local community. Team Members: Andrew Heafitz
Salvation Army Data Collection System http://www.mit.edu/%7Ebenleong/salvation/index.html In this project, we plan to develop a system to automate the sign-in and data collection process at the Salvation Army Cambridge Corps Drop-In Center. Our basic plan is to issue all shelter clients with a barcoded discount card or key chain tag, and to equip the shelter workers with handheld barcode readers. The shelter workers will scan these barcoded discount cards as services are provided to the clients, and the data from the handheld readers will be transferred to a main database and integrated with ServicePoint (the existing state-wide homelessness database system) at the end of each day. The three objectives that this project aims to achieve are:
Team Members: Ji-Jon Sit
EASE is an acronym for Expediting Access to Standard Education. The aim of the program is to improve access to basic education in Africa through sponsorship programs and the establishment of libraries in villages. We believe that education holds the solution to most of the world's problems. Yet, many children are denied the opportunity due to financial constraints. We are convinced that a little effort on our part will go a long way to help. Although the program has hopes of expanding to other African countries, the initial scope is limited to Ghana. The current focus is to sponsor underprivileged children through Junior Secondary School (JSS), which forms the core of basic education in Ghana. The general goals of EASE are to:
Team Members: Monami Chakrabarti
Arsenic and pathogens are two of the most significant drinking water concerns in the developing countries. While much of the current research effort by the scientific community focuses on independent treatment for arsenic and pathogens; the drinking water in Bangladesh, Eastern India (West Bengal), and Nepal are contaminated with both arsenic and pathogens. In addition, many of these treatment systems are inappropriate in a number of ways. As a result, people have not choice but to continue to drink contaminated water, leading to horrible health consequences. Our innovate drinking water treatment design not only treats both contaminants simultaneously, but is also technically, socially, and economically appropriate. Team Members: Tommy Ngai
Passive Incubator for Premature Infants Every year, 4 million infants die within the first 28 days of life. Of this number, 3.9 million belong to the developing world. 24% of these deaths are due to the complications of prematurity- most often, simple heat loss and dehydration. The lack of electricity in most rural regions of the world, and the frequent loss of power in urban regions, renders a high-tech western incubator worthless. Our project aims to design a passive incubator independent of electricity, that will be robust, cheap and sustainable. Our target rural community is a clinic in Sri Lanka. This project however, has the potential for global impact! Team Members: Aileen Wu
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