CINQ 388: Inquiry to Impact WorkShop Series
As a materials science engineer, I have a strong passion for growing and synthesizing materials with unique electrical, magnetic, or optical properties that could enhance energy-power conversion in support of a more sustainable lifestyle. As an undergraduate assistant, I have exposure to crystal growth of nitrides using solvothermal and flux methods. I designed a gas manifold required for filling autoclaves with ammonia and other gases to grow high-purity bulk single crystals of gallium nitride. I worked on the software development of an interface for electron microscopes. I collaborate with graduate students on the corrosion study of indium on refractory metals.
During this journey, I feel that I am missing something, something important. Is that the passion for new knowledge? Not really. Is it that my research work is not crucial to advance the boundaries of knowledge? Probably not. So, what is it? What am I lacking on my journey?
It’s the human component. It’s the social impact.
There is a difference between a research assistant and a researcher.
There is a difference between learning about social impact and making a social impact.
I’m enrolled in the Global Social Impact Fellowship program because I seek an opportunity to bridge this gap. I want to challenge myself in an environment that I can develop skillsets and mindsets to solve complex societal challenges. The “Philippines: Copra Processing and Process Streamlining” project will provide me an excellent opportunity for me to grow and become a better, well-rounded researcher who can advance the knowledge of humanity and at the same time apply my knowledge and experience to deliver meaningful impact to the society.
So how can we make a social impact? First, we need to be able to recognize the problems and propose solutions that are original, viable, and impactful. Here’s an example of an open-ended case study that we will be discussing in the course:
“The World Health Organization estimates that over one billion people who need eyeglasses do not have access to them. The vast majority of these people live in developing countries like Kenya where there is barely one optometrist per one million people. Given the high poverty levels, access to eyeglasses is almost nonexistent. Lack of proper eyeglasses severely impacts people and their livelihoods by decreasing their productivity at work, limiting or eliminating new opportunities, affecting their quality of life, deteriorating their general health and possibly leading to (preventable) blindness. What solution do you propose to address this problem?”
To solve this vision problem in developing countries, there are two main issues that should be addressed: (1) the lack of access to eyeglasses and (2) the insufficient number of well-trained eye doctors even in low-income developing countries.
1) The lack of access to eyeglasses
Some of the ideas are:
- Collect used glasses (via donation?) and check if they are still in usable conditions
- Partner with governments and organizations that can provide free eyewear
- Conduct research on new materials or novel processing methods that can create high-quality lens and frame of the glasses at a much lower cost (to an extent that might be affordable for people in low-income developing countries).
2) The lack of well-trained eye doctors
To address this, there are two main approaches: traditional “humanitarian” method and modern “tech-driven” method.
a) Traditional “humanitarian” method:
- Find and connect with optometrists or eye doctors at universities, hospitals, or organizations who can volunteer to travel to low-income developing countries
- Set up temporary eye-care clinics that provide free vision, eye medication, and glasses that match the description.
Advantages:
- The impact might be felt directly.
- The screening decision made by the specialists might be more reliable.
Disadvantages:
- This solution might not be practical to markets where there is a lack of optometrists, e.g. Kenya.
- Not scalable or sustainable in a long-term
So how can we overcome these limitations? One of the possible solutions is to take advantage of advanced computing and the availability of large data sets of retina and vision problems. This leads to the modern “tech-driven” solution below.
b) Modern “tech-driven” method
- Develop a vision-testing android/iOS app that can screen large populations for vision problems, including short-sightedness, long-sightedness, and astigmatism.
- Develop a smartphone app that apply machine learning and deep learning to detect eye conditions by taking images of the retina and analyzing them.
- Integrate these ideas into a virtual-reality headset that might provide a full range of lenses which the person can look through (in the virtual reality environment) and have their digital prescription checked, verified, or refined.
Advantages:
- Sustainable, scalable, and affordable
- Several apps/devices for diagnosing vision problems and eye diseases have already emerged in the market, such as Peek Acuity and NETRA → show promising potentials
Disadvantages:
- Lack of governance and regulation subject to artificial intelligence and big data technologies
- Vision diagnosis apps/devices can provide screening decision with high accuracy, but there are circumstances that patients would be better off with physical well-trained eye doctors.
Are these solutions effective? Maybe. But are they the best solutions? I hope to figure out through this class.
See you then!