Learning design and helping victims of Hurricane Haiyan

Students in ENG 100A got to try their hand at building prototypes and then testing them on other users--in this case their fellow students. The prototypes represented solutions that could be deployed in the Philippines, where the Jacobs School's Global TIES program works with Gawad Kalinga, a local non-profit organization. The prototypes were designed in response to problems created by Typhoon Haiyan, better known as Typhoon Yolanda in that country. All the while, students were learning about the human-centered design process.

Jacobs School Team Competes at Clinton Global Initiative Univeristy Conference

A team of Jacobs School engineering students is competing in a March-madness style competition at this year's Clinton Global Initiative University conference. Supporters have until 11 a.m. (Pacific) Thursday, March 28 to vote for their team and send them to the Sweet 16's next round. Vote now here!

The Jacobs School team is designing model homes for a village in the Philippines that uses sustainable energy sources and will withstand typhoons and earthquakes. Students are working with Gawad Kalinga, an organization that aims to end poverty in the Philippines by 2024. Some are originally from the Philippines.

Engineers are using a couple of strategies to tap into renewable energy resources for the village. They are building low-cost devices made from recyclable materials. They are developing a sand filter that can remove bacteria, microbes and dirt from water. To protect the home against typhoons, students are recommending that homes be outfitted with metal brackets, known as hurricane straps, that connect roofs to walls and stay put even in hurricane-force winds.

The team is part of Global TIES, a program that allows undergraduates to work on ambitious projects with nonprofit organizations and government agencies throughout the world.