Program Description

We are developing a series of courses and field trips designed to educate students regarding the cultural and technological context of problems facing low-income households and rural communities in developing nations. This three-course series will give students the basic skills and understanding to respond to these particular design challenges with “appropriate” solutions, which are inexpensive, ecologically sustainable, and institutionally adaptable:

• D-Lab-1 (Development) Winter 08: Overview of Development History and Policy
• D-Lab-2 (Design) Spring 08: A Hands-on class in Design and Construction of Appropriate Technology
• D-Lab-3 (Dissemination): Promoting a Business in Developing Communities

In addition to standard instruction, readings, workshops and field trips, each class will require small groups of students, mentored by an interested faculty or outside person to address a specific technology and geographic area, such as “Water Purification in Mumbai, India”, or “Solar Cooking in Darfur, Sudan”, or “Sanitation in Haiti”.  While the “external goal” is to provide a needed technology or infrastructure many other goals will be met: 

1)     Students will become familiar with renewable energy and sustainable practices. Conventional energy sources are often not an option in the poorest parts of the world, “green” technology will be prioritized.

2)     The absence of conventional resources will require students to “think outside of the box” in design, construction, and business promotion, an  asset in any context.

3)     Students will be exposed to a rich diversity of people, cultures, and technologies.

4)     Students will come to recognize the lack of basic human needs that confront a significant sector of the world’s population.

5)     Communication, cooperation, and collaboration with local community partners, governments, and NGOs in developing countries will provide a lasting benefit for graduates.

6)     Community partners  benefit from the technical assistance and social interaction.

This course is being modeled after the MIT “D-Lab” course series developed by Amy Smith. (http://web.mit.edu/d-lab/).  While we propose to adapt three MIT classes to be taught at Cal Poly beginning winter, 2008, a single condensed pilot class will be taught to a small honors class in Fall 2007, referred to as “D-Lab-0.5”.

Suggestions for focus projects so far include:

1)     Water (testing sol-dis)

2)     Sanitation (possible AIDG participation)

3)     Wind (possible AIDG participation)

4)     Earth Bricks in Zimbabwe

5)     Solar concentrator – cooking, electricity.

6)     Cheap, cheap, solar energy

7)     Manufacturing (Wheelchairs/ambulances/trailers, etc)