Despite a long tradition of engineers and scientists volunteering their skills to develop "appropriate technology" to address humanitarian concerns (e.g., needs of developing societies or poor communities), relatively few have oriented their primary professional or academic activities to such work. GREAT IDEA will conduct research to determine attitudes and circumstances that might explain this phenomenon. GREAT IDEA will also develop new educational components to inspire and train graduate students to pursue research and careers in the analysis, development, and implementation of appropriate technology.
To research attitudes of graduate students and faculty, a detailed survey will be developed that will be widely circulated at institutions in the US, Puerto Rico, and Spain. The survey will ask respondents to identify and comment on how they perceive the purpose of their work, the degree to which they act as "agents" to direct their work to causes of their choosing, and their inclinations or dissuasions to apply their work directly in appropriate technology. The survey will be designed to complement and extend prior research in this area.
Educationally, new courses and seminars will be developed and delivered at the investigator's home institution, the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez (UPRM). These courses and seminars will aimed at graduate students and advanced undergraduates, and will provide exposure to issues, best practices, and career opportunities related to appropriate technology. Students will conduct service learning and participatory action research, including theses, that will serve communities in Puerto Rico and neighboring countries in the Caribbean. Toward this end, the investigators have established partnerships with the following organizations to assist with identifying communities and appropriate technology projects: the Centro Universitario para el Access/University Center for Increased Access (CUA), which organizes outreach activities from UPRM to local schools that serve economically disadvantaged students; the Instituto Universitario para el Desarrollo de las Comunidades/University Institute for Community Development (IUDC), which organizes service learning projects; and YouthHaiti, which assists sustainable development in Haiti.
Outcomes of this project will include the design and development of a website that will serve as a gateway to the entire project; the publication and presentation of research findings, including further insights as to how engineers and scientists understand the purpose of their work; new graduate level courses and seminars related to appropriate technology, the materials of which will be publicly available; and the completion of direct service learning and thesis projects in appropriate technology.
More broadly, the activities supported by GREAT IDEA will foster self-reflection among graduate students and faculty, and will foster new career pathways for engineers and scientists who wish to devote their professional and academic services toward humanitarian causes and appropriate technology. Moreover, because the projects will occur in and serve communities in the Caribbean, this project will involve and serve peoples and cultures of Spanish, French, and native/aboriginal descent.
