In California for a few hours...
I’m finally back in CA—but not for long….my flight leaves at midnight tonight! The CRAZIEST thing happened to me!–So, I’m trying to maneuver my 3 heavy bags through LAX on my way to catch my super shuttle—and who do I randomly bump into? Dr. Jean-Lou Chameau, PRESIDENT OF CALTECH and his wife, Dr. Carol Carmichael!!! What a crazy coincidence!! Out of all the people to run into at the airport upon minutes of arriving back in California…lol. I think they were just as shocked to see me as I was to see them! They had just flown back from a few days out of town, and were surprised when I told them I was headed back out to Guatemala the same day after coming back from Houston.
I don’t think I’ve had the opportunity to actually explain what my Guatemala trip is all about…so let me elaborate….
In the fall, I am enrolled in a course called: E/ME 105: Product Design for the Developing World, taught by Professor Ken Pickar. It’s a course that focuses on designing products for the 2 billion people that exist on less than $2/day. The main focus is on the people within the rural Mayan community of Guatemala. Past projects have included designing a corn sheller, portable water filter, vegetable carrier, etc. The class is a collaboration between Caltech, Art Center College of Design and Universidad Rafael Landivar; and the trip will have participants from all schools. The research trip I am about to take will involve observing the lives of those who we are designing for, exploring Guatemala and working with the Guatemalan University students. I am working on the hydroponic/vertical farming project which will hopefully provide a solution to the lack of land that families have in Guatemala so they may grow their own small crops and vegetables. For more information about the project and course, check out these websites: https://www.pickar.caltech.edu/me105/projects/vertical.html https://www.pddw.org/community/viewforum.php?f=8&sid=1cc198a3be970a7d0ed2f0e8671c58c7 Since I will be without my laptop for the next 10 days… I will try my hardest to keep you all updated with my whereabouts in Guatemala. I gotta go meet my group soon to leave for LAX (deja vu??). I’m so excited about this trip—and can’t imagine what new adventures will be in store for me!
