A capstone project conducted by the Engineering school normally lasts one year, but some students developed their endeavors into a long-term pursuit.
Seven students traveled to Cameroon last year with the goal of introducing a new, sustainable water filtration system to Tourou, a local village.
The Engineering in Context program through the University allows students from multiple disciplines to collaborate on what is called a Capstone project.
"Its intention is to provide a culminating experience for fourth year undergraduate students in engineering," Material Science and Engineering Prof. Dana Elzey said.
This project in particular included students from numerous disciplines within the Engineering school.
Engineering graduate Brooke Yamakoshi said the program provided her team with "an amazing research experience to go into the lab and then go into the field and apply the same techniques."
Seven students originally began the Cameroon project. Together, they worked to create a system utilizing filters made of indigenous clay and a combustible material with small pores that removed the dirt and bacteria from the water.
"There were two main parts to this project; to come up with a solution to the drinking water problem and to make sure that whatever solution you come up with is a sustainable solution," Elzey said.
Not only did they develop a new filtration system, these students also raised funds to travel to Cameroon to meet with a water team and present their ideas to the community, Yamakoshi said.
"The water team was very receptive and very enthusiastic about adopting anything that would improve community health," Yamakoshi said.
According to Yamakoshi, diarrhea is a chronic childhood illness in Tourou; one that can easily be prevented by cleaner water.
"It was a very powerful experience," Yamakoshi said of her travels in Cameroon. "Things are so different; it's really hard to try to verbalize."
Fourth-year Engineering student Ezekiel Fugate joined the Clean Water for Cameroon project this year. He and Yamakoshi will travel to Cameroon from December to January, where they will join Jason Manto, an original team member who returned to Cameroon earlier this month.
"I don't really know what to expect, to be honest," Fugate said. "I think I'm going with as open of a mindset as possible. I'm really excited to experience a whole knew culture."
While in Cameroon, the students have stayed with Eric Pohlman, a Peace Corps volunteer who responded to their email last year when they were looking for a community where they could implement their technology.
Yamakoshi said Pohlman and the Tourou community were very hospitable when the original team arrived last year. "Everyone was very welcoming in general in having us in the community," she said, describing the fun of trying to learn the local language while playing with the children in Tourou. "We're all really excited about going back."
In returning to Cameroon, the students said they plan to re-evaluate the water situation and the effect of their technology on the community. They will make adjustments where necessary to make the process more efficient and better suited to the local residents.
"We have a lot of hope based on [the original team's] preliminary assessment from when they went there," Fugate said. "We have a lot of hope that the filters will work and that the community will accept them."
Yamakoshi said some challenges included fundraising around $22,000 for the materials, travel expenses, and pay for the local potters who made the clay filters. She said the Engineering School was especially helpful in securing the necessary funds.
Fugate said time limitations also provide a challenge to the project. He said he's working on his double-major and doing thesis work, but mostly he is interested in this project.
"It's sort of what I want to devote all my time to," Fugate said. "The information is out there, it's just about finding the most pertinent information for what we want to do."
Elzey said after mentoring and supervising the team he found they were very ambitious and dedicated to making their technology work.
"In order to get the kind of problem ownership that this team demonstrated, you really have to have intellectual and a kind of spiritual connect to what you're trying to do," he said.
Elzey said this team took the program further, demonstrating true interest and passion for their project.
The team had "an atmosphere or character of cheerful seriousness," Fugate said. "They really enjoyed what they were doing and they had a lot of fun at it, but they were serious about it at the same time."
In addition to returning to Cameroon this winter, Yamakoshi and Fugate plan to return once again in the spring.
"We really want to see the whole thing through -- to see that it's effective," Fugate said.
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