When I first heard about the Global Social Impact Fellowship, I was amazed by how expansive and interesting the research appeared. I had done lab research in previous semesters at Lehigh, and while that was great technical experience, it was limited to doing what I was told in the lab. It did not appear as there was a larger goal. Through GSIF, not only would I be working with like-minded dedicated undergraduates towards making an impact, but I would also have the opportunities to travel and be professionally published. My acceptance into the Sickle Cell Anemia Group is truly a blessing as I believe I can provide the most insight into this group while still being inquisitive and learning from my tenured teammates. I fully understand this program is going to be arduous and that mistakes will be made, but mistakes birth success. In the end, all the work we do will be worth it if we can put a smile on someone’s face or save someone’s life in Sierra Leone. I have always been an individual devoted to service and helping those in need, and this program allows me to do this in an educational and fulfilling manner.

I have no doubt that the seminar and the concurrent research will make me a better Chemical Engineering, and even a better Finance student. Although on the surface this group seems to best complement my Chemical Engineering skills, an important part of Finance is listening to your clients, being personable and complex problem solving, which this program heavily encourages. My chemical engineering knowledge, especially my understanding of antibodies and chemical reactions will be tested and improved through the research I am able to do with my team. One thing that significantly interests me in my group is the creativity beyond the diagnostic device. The group has a functional prototype, but there is still so much work to be done after that including interfacing, marketing the device’s benefits to the public, budgeting etc. My diverse skill set will aid the group as I can help with many different sections of the work. Finally, I am excited to have the opportunities to meet new people and make connections with undergraduates and professors through GSIF. These will be important connections that I will have through my Lehigh tenure and beyond, another amazing feature of this program.

The World Health Organization estimates that over one billion people could benefit from access to proper eyewear. This huge health crisis prevents at least one out of every seven people from living their best life because they do not have access to something we take for granted in developed parts of the world. Personally, I cannot imagine how life would be if I did not have access to proper eyewear. I needed several surgeries on my eyes at a very young age and I still would be almost legally blind without my eyeglasses. With clear vision, work would be more efficient, education levels would improve and life in developing countries would be safer. With these effects, the issue becomes one not only of health, but also of economic development. I believe the most logical solution would be creating buzz to encourage philanthropies and social enterprises to fund eyewear projects to the developing world. A campaign to propagate change has worked before, and I believe it would work here through the help of peers and a well organized campaign. “Buy one, Donate one” programs are the easiest solution, but it is unrealistic to say every company would buy into this philosophy. There are products on the market that, if distributed to developing nations, would significantly improve the lack of access to proper eyewear. Adaptive spectacles, introduced in 2003 by the Centre for Vision in the Developing World at Oxford, can accommodate a large range of prescriptions and, therefore, are the cheapest and most logical channel to pursue to solve this problem. Without adaptive spectacles, there would need to be an intermediate step in which people are eye tested and then glasses are made to suit their specific prescription. These adaptive lenses cannot negate the effects of an astigmatism, but these lenses would solve problems for a large sector of the population without access to proper eyewear. However, an underlying issue in the lack of access to proper eyewear is the lack of access to optometrists. Being an optometrist in a developing country would not be the most prosperous use of your doctorate degree, but eyewear distribution programs are bound to fail without professional expertise on-site. Service-minded professionals need to be funded to set clinics up in developing nations or the project will fail. 75% of Americans use some type of corrective eyewear, so it is plausible to say that we are cutting off 75% of the population in developing areas from their best life. As many countries in the world are teaming up to reverse the effects of climate change, the nations of the world need to team up in giving access to proper eyewear worldwide.

Sources:

https://www.college-optometrists.org/the-college/museum/online-exhibitions/virtual-spectacles-gallery/adaptive-eyewear.html

https://www.thevisioncouncil.org/sites/default/files/Q415-Topline-Overview-Presentation-Stats-with-Notes-FINAL.PDF