I was motivated to apply to be a global social impact fellow because of my interest in research. What specifically caught my eye about this program was the fact that you are not just doing busy work. We will be performing research and working towards making a real impact. There is a broad goal, and it is the group’s responsibility to positively contribute to this goal. My group’s project focuses on the plastic issue, specifically looking at the Philippines. Our goal is to create some form of biodegradable packaging, that can be used in place of plastic. We are looking to derive this from corn husk, but are still unsure of what product we are looking to make. Some possibilities would be “plastic” pellets that manufactures can use to make into their own utensil, or maybe we press the material into plates or to-go containers ourselves.

This topic of study also interested me because I am planning to major in bioengineering. I assume that we will need to look into the bio-components of the corn husk to be able to determine how best to manufacture it into a plastic replica. We will need to do a lot of lab research this semester if we are going to have a product ready by the summer. I look forward to this because I hope to continue research in the future. I will be able to learn the basics of working in the lab, and gain experience that will help me with future projects. Although I decided on pursuing a degree in bioengineering, I was initially interested in environmental engineering. I switched to bioengineering with the intent of still incorporating sustainable practices into my work. This projects perfectly suits my interests because it focuses on how biomaterials can be used to advance efforts to protect the environment.

Assignment Question: What are possible solutions to lack of eyeglasses in developing countries?

One of the major difficulties when it comes to eye care is that people’s prescriptions are contently changing, as their eye sight deteriorates. The cost to frequently buy new glasses must add up. For some, improving their prescription every few months may not be a top priority. One potential solution would be if we could develop thin strip of magnifying material that customers could add onto their glasses as they feel they need a stronger prescription. These could be magnetic so that the strips could be added or removed. I feel like this would make the glasses more versatile as multiple people could use them. The only issue is a magnetic strip sounds like it might end up being pretty expensive. A likely cheaper option would be to just have the strips be sticky and attach to the current lens. Either way customers would only need to invest in one pair of eye glasses, and would be able to strengthen their prescription without purchasing new glasses, which would likely save money if the strips are able to be made cheaply enough.

One issue with this plan would be if people are not able to buy the base eye wear frame. Many countries are highly consumeristic and buy more than they need. This results in much waste. In the U.S for example, we often discard our old glasses, even if they would still be fully functional for someone else. It may be possible create a sharing system, where old eyeglass frames are sent to a center where they are provided for free or at a low cost. In theory, people would be able to take glasses from the center, and exchange them once a heavier prescription is needed. This would kill two birds with one stone by improving access to eyewear while also limiting waste that ends up in land fills. One issue with this plan is that the cost to transports these glasses over seas would be high, and someone needs to fund it. Another issue is this plan is built on a trust system, and relying on other people’s generosity. People in consumeristic countries would need to take the time to drop there old eyeglasses of at a collection center instead of just tossing them in the trash can. Additionally, once the glasses are in country they are also meant to be shared. This means that people would need to only take what they really need, and it would also help if they returned the glasses once they got ones with a better prescription. There could be a monetary incentive put in place to return the glasses, but this would also increase the overall cost of the project.