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Simple Designs to Save a Life

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Procrastinating? We’ve got just the thing! The YTT have pulled together a series of TED Talks that they LOVE. Grab some popcorn and get comfy, because you’re about to get seriously inspired by these amazing engineering projects.

Amy Smith: Simple Designs to Save a Life

Amy Smith Simple Designs Feature Image

What’s this TED talk about?

This TED talk features Amy Smith, who has worked to develop better alternative cooking fuel in response to the millions of deaths caused by breathing in smoke from indoor cooking fires. She’s worked with students and volunteers to come up with a solution, which is, using farm waste from sugar mills in Haiti and turning them into fuel that the locals could both use and even make themselves.

What’s amazing about it?

What’s so awesome about the concept behind Amy’s talk is the adaptability of this technology to different areas in the world who need it. It isn’t just about distributing the materials and using the same generic thing to solve a problem. It’s about using what’s available for the locals, and helping them build the technology that works for them. It helps them solve their own problem to make everything work.

How did it inspire you?

Amy’s talk really inspired me in the way that, it wasn’t just about helping people by giving them the resources they lack to solve a problem in short-term. The solutions developed provided a long-term fix to what had been long-term problems. It wasn’t that resources were continually being provided, but it was that help was continually being developed so that they could continue to fix the problems by themselves.

What surprised you?

What surprised me most was the adaptability of the concept. Amy had started of in Haiti, and had later talked about the technology used in India, this being using what resources that they had and how it could be used to solve the problems that they had. The development of the technology and the solutions catered to what was needed most, not so much to why it was needed.

Did you ever have an idea about developing something yourself that solves a problem in the world? Tell us all about it.

I cannot recall a time in my life where I figured out a way to change the world in a positive way. I’ve only ever wanted to make it better, but never knowing how. Initially, I wanted to write and inform others of a better world, through journalism. I have long since discovered that although this is not a bad idea, I have yet to personally learn more about the world I live in before imagining and telling about a better one.

Bio-lab on a Microchip

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Procrastinating? We’ve got just the thing! The YTT have pulled together a series of TED Talks that they LOVE. Grab some popcorn and get comfy, because you’re about to get seriously inspired by these amazing engineering projects.

Frederick Balagadde: Bio-lab on a Microchip 

Frederick Balagadde-Lab-Team

What’s this TED talk about?

Frederick Balagadde grew up in sub- Saharan Africa and was effected by loses caused by HIV aids. He made it his mission to help eliminate this problem by creating small diagnostic chips to help identify the virus before it gets out of hand. This “hand held bio lab” can positively affect the lives of million who suffer in third world countries with this terrible disease.


What’s amazing about it?

Using this technology can push diagnostics and patient care to a new level. The device itself is the size of an iPhone and can be taken to remote or inaccessible locations where bio labs and facilities are unavailable. One chip can diagnose up to one hundred people and speeds up diagnosis by a whopping 50%. This small chip could save lives and help people get on track to get the medication and care they need to battle this disease.

How did it inspire you?

Seeing how many people this small device could save really inspired me. One of my engineers worked on a similar diagnostic device as well. These two things have really caused me to look into bio engineering and the development of devices that help save peopled lives. I think that there is nothing more gratifying than the feeling of helping someone or even saving them, and that is what these things do. Even today when we have so much technology and medical intelligence horrible diseases still run ramped in poorer countries and if in the future I could do something to stop that, then that would be a life changing moment for me.

What surprised you?

I think the most surprising thing to me was how just supplying the drugs wasn’t the best solution. In the video it talks about how giving people drugs without properly diagnosing them can lead to terrible mutant forms of the disease that are immune to treatment. They also talked about how these form of HIV could spread to other parts of the world and could become very costly and difficult to treat. It really surprised me how seemingly versatile these diseases can be and showed me how dangerous they really are. Seeing how many people this small device could save really inspired me. One of my engineers worked on a similar diagnostic device as well. These two things have really caused me to look into bio engineering and the development of devices that help save peopled lives. I think that there is nothing more gratifying than the feeling of helping someone or even saving them, and that is what these things do. Even today when we have so much technology and medical intelligence horrible diseases still run ramped in poorer countries and if in the future I could do something to stop that, then that would be a life changing moment for me.

Did you ever have an idea about developing something yourself that solves a problem in the world? Tell us all about it.

Technology isn’t really there yet but I have always wondered about prosthetics that can be used like normal parts of the body. Ones that are able to communicate to the brain using electrical impulses through the nervous system just like normal limbs do. Also I find stem cell research very interesting and graphing new organs that can be used for implantation on a regular basis is becoming a more real and plausible thing so I would love to get into that.

The Cheap All-Terrain Wheel Chair

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Procrastinating? We’ve got just the thing! The YTT have pulled together a series of TED Talks that they LOVE. Grab some popcorn and get comfy, because you’re about to get seriously inspired by these amazing engineering projects.

Amos Winter: The Cheap All-Terrain Wheelchair

Amos Winter's Wheelchair

What’s this TED talk about?


Affordable accessibility for the disabled,  especially those in third world countries.  

What’s amazing about it?


That design is a process and that you have to work with the people who are actually using the product in order to have success.
Also, it’s amazing how a student/academic was able to create change despite having little experience.
And of course that they helped thousands of people in need because they as engineers saw a problem and fixed it.

How did it inspire you?


It’s cool to be able to see that problems can have simple solutions and all there really needs is for a person to put it all together. Also, the amount of collaboration/communication they used to make it work (their persistence).

What surprised you?

The number of people (40 million) who needed wheelchairs but don’t have one. (I’d known that wheelchairs were expensive and basic but it didn’t occur to me how they weren’t suitable for all places).
 
Also, it surprised me that they would make a high end version of the product as well (not only a social enterprise but also a business/commercial/capitalist product). It shows that socially/world- conscious people are increasingly moving towards helping people but also making a profit/business to go along with it (less purely altruistic action).

Did you ever have an idea about developing something yourself that solves a problem in the world? Tell us all about it.

I once met a lady named Ruth Kwakwa from Ghana. She had opened a liberal arts university in Ghana and had come to Canada to talk about her journey to developing and opening Ashesi University. Like Amos Winter, she saw a need and then worked to meet its needs. She had told the audience: “If something aggravates you, find a solution. You should work on it.” After that, I began to notice small things in my life that could be better: how can we design better umbrellas so they don’t flip inside out due to the wind? Why aren’t pens sold with ink refills to prevent the amount of waste generated by disposable pens (why couldn’t everything just be refillable or come with replaceable parts)? How can I promote fixing broken items instead of throwing them away for new ones? Can houses be made more accessible and safe for the growing number of elderly people (the baby boomers)?


I realize that some of the problems may seem trivial compared to the challenges the world faces (poverty, over population, lack of resources, diseases, hunger, climate change) but that is probably because I’ve yet to be truly exposed to those problems and don’t yet fully understand the perspectives of people who face some of those problems.
Over the years, I have campaigned for many organizations and causes: from getting green bins in school to supporting clean water in Kenya to helping run one of the only gay-straight alliance/accepting differences club in the Toronto Catholic District School Board.
I think as I get exposed (on a personal level) to more problems the world faces, I’ll be able to think of more/better solutions.

The Path to Engineering

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“I think the best way to change a girl’s mind so that she can keep her doors open for a future in STEM, is to show her why. To be able to see the future is power, and if a girl can see what she might be able to become and how she can change, and make a difference for the better (contribute to society) It would really make all the difference. We hear that we should take math and science in the future and not close our doors for better options, but the question is why? Why should I be interested in a future in STEM. To be shown what might happen if I were to pursue something would make me so much more open to the concept of not closing my doors.”

In Canada, there are 40 institutions offering 239 engineering accredited programs. That’s a TON of choice! In university, you can earn your engineering Bachelor’s degree in 4 years.

To get in an engineering program, you’ll need to take math and science all the way through high school:

  1. The following Grade 12 U/M courses. Averages needed to get in will vary by University and programs:
    • English (ENG4U)
    • Calculus and Vectors (MCV4U)
    • Chemistry (SCH4U)
    • Physics (SPH4U)
    • Advanced Functions (MHF4U)
  2. A competitive average (each school will have their own requirements)
  3. Ontario Secondary School Diploma (yep, you need to graduate high school!)

To learn more about what the WEMADEIT Universities offer, check out:             

TOP 5 ENG MOVIES

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Tired of spending more time combing through Netflix in search of a movie than on watching the movie itself? LOOK NO FURTHER. We’ve compiled a list of five of the coolest engineering-related movies… which also happen to be generally awesome movies! Pop some corn, get comfy and start watching!

#5

Apollo 13

Did you like watching Sandra Bullock save the day in Gravity? If so, we’ve got one better! Apollo 13 is a classic space thriller based on the true story, starring Tom Hanks and Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton as a team of astronauts who embark on America’s third moon-landing mission. Things… don’t go as smoothly as planned. Which ends up being a great thing for viewers, because it’s awesome to see some of NASA’s brightest minds working to make sure the men get home safely!

#4

Iron Man

Get your Netflix fired up because Iron Man (and Iron Man 2…. and Iron Man 3!) feature one of the coolest engineers ever – Tony Stark – who builds himself a powered suit of armour makes him virtually impenetrable. Watch him do what engineers do best – make the world a better place – by fighting terrorism using his amazing invention. Plus, Stark is played by Robert Downey Jr. #score.

#3

Flash of Genius

Based on a real story, underdog-engineering professor Robert takes on Ford Motor Company after they build an intermittent windshield wiper based on his patented ideas (rude!). This movie is a perfect example of how the little things we take for granted in life – like windshield wipers – are often based on the stroke of genius of an engineer like Robert. Also features Lauren Graham of Gilmore Girls “coolest-mom-ever” fame!

#2

Egypt : Engineering An Empire

Prepare to have your mind blown. If you want to watch a movie that’ll both entertain you while teaching you a million cool facts that you can brag to your friends about, THIS IS IT. Egypt: Engineering an Empire is a documentary about how the ancient Egyptians managed to build some of the most mind-blowing moments, systems and buildings ever. It’ll have you spellbound, seriously.

#1

Wall-E

Last, but CERTAINLY not least, WALL•E is a computer-animated, science fiction rom-com. It takes place in 2085, where a (strangely adorable) robot named WALL-E, has been designed to clean up an abandoned Earth, which is covered in waste due to mass consumerism. After falling in love with another robot named EVE, he follows her on her programmed task into outer space, catapulting them both into an adventure that changes the destiny of humankind. It’ll make you laugh. It’ll make you cry. It’ll make you seriously consider becoming an environmental engineer.