This blog entry may be a little posthumous, but in the whirlwind of graduating and packing and leaving for Ethiopa neither Emily nor I really had time to do all of our prep work justice.
Our team has the very unique and very fortunate opportunity to be working closely with another group of interns on our project in Ethiopa. Our powers (and names) combined for teme MEME (Melody Emily Matt Emily), and we have had a lot of fun getting to work together on our technology prep. While our main goal is to create a sustainable equipment database at several locations throughout the region, we are also demonstrating a diverse sample of BTB technologies to the faculty and students at our partner universities here in Ethiopia. Over the last two weeks we constructed or acquired working prototypes for all of the devices of interest (ranging in complexity from passive syringe clips to active digital patient monitors). We worked together in the OEDK to construct two SAPHE-PADS, two ASAPHE Monitors, repair a set of Phototherapy Lights, and get everything else together and ready to bring on our flight. The parts for the Billimeter did not arrive until the day of our departure, but we were able to take the pieces and hope to be able to assemble it in the hotel this weekend. We learned and/or practiced practical skills (precision soldering, sewing, electronics debugging, and art) during the OEDK build, and while there were many late nights and lots of tough hours put into the projects, we are leaving the United States with some good technology demos and new friends.