The young woman sitting across the aisle leaned over and asked in broken English “Where are you going in Haiti?” As soon as Professor Blood replied with ‘La Victore’, a weak smile formed across her face and her eyes seemed to say ‘I understand what you will be doing in Haiti’. I realized then that this trip would be different than my previous work in Haiti, Mexico, or Nicaragua.

Without internet access, I was forced to use this nifty invention called a pen and paper to record my experience in country. Here is what I wrote:

Day 1 (07/19)

Ten of us piled into a minivan to start our trip from the capital, Port au Prince, to La Victore located in northern Haiti. The driver brought his whole family along for the expected 5 hour drive. Dodging weaving motorcycles and four lanes of traffic on a two lane road, we managed to escape the vehicle madness and enter the country side. We drove up rolling green mountains and through brown flowing rivers both of which sprinkled with plastic bags and bottles. After nine hours,… yes nine… and observing the countryside as well as a man hanging on a speeding truck for dear life while disposing his breakfast due to motion sickness, we arrived in La Victore.

Mosquito Bite Count: 3

Typical river in Haiti

Day 2 (07/20)

At five in the morning the rooster crows and a Haitian song that was played on repeat the rest of the week makes its way through our open window. Professor Blood, Kortney and I start to assemble the power pack. The power pack is essentially a mobile outlet. In the bottom container are two 24 volt car batteries with the wires connected to the top container containing a charge controller, inverter and outlets. The power pack allows the school to charge the batteries via solar or generator then wheel the pack to any location that needs power (the electric water pumps, lighting the school etc).

We then took the power pack to the school and installed our first well. Upon returning at the end of the day, we heard cries from a chicken getting plucked and prepared for dinner*. While the scene unrolled,  I found it ironic that the rooster was watching the entire thing. Later that night, we had chicken soup huddled around a dim battery power lamp. As I raised my spoon to my mouth about to take a sip, I realized the chicken’s foot was sprawled across the spoon. Needless to say, I felt full after that. The question remains: Is getting the chicken foot in my bowl a sign of good luck or bad luck? Please leave your comments below.

Mosquito Bite Count: 19

*Please note chickens were harmed in the making of this trip

The top of the power pack with the inverter and charge controller

Day 3 (07/21)

The morning started with the Haitian song on repeat. We drove to the guest house to install our second well. After all the work was done, we pumped a few gallons from the well until we discovered that the people who drilled the well did not go deep enough and the well was dry. Rather than sulking, we made the best of the situation and started throwing rocks at mango trees to knock mangos down. Mangos in Haiti are very good.

Mosquito Bite Count: 23

Throws to Mango Ratio: 6:4

The electric pump attached to 130 ft of pipe ready to be put in the well.

Day 4 (07/22)

Our last day of worked involved wiring solar panels for the power pack, cleaning and priming the well at the school and testing the water at three sources to determine the cleanliness. We took samples straight from the pump or river as well as tested them after they went through an aqUV’s bottle.

Mosquito Bite Count: 27

The electrical box and well cap to connect the well to the solar panels/generator

120 ft of pipe going into the well

As I reflect on my experience, it amazes me how quickly we go back to warm 20 minute showers compared to the cold 2 minutes ones or how we NEED to respond to the 39 emails, 27 Facebook Notifications, 15 Groupme Messages, 7 Snapchats, 2 text messages, and 1 Facebook Message. I saw the importance of coordinating trips, things to bring, and how to prepare for the worst when traveling. All of which come with stories, but I need to leave some content for @kcena.

Stateside, one of my favorite projects from this summer was developing the Monte Carlo simulation in Matlab with the help of Professor Venstrom. The program randomly selects a light beam and initial direction from the UV Light bulb then proceeds to track it as it reflects off the water and the steel side until it finally gets fully absorbed.The program is a game of probability where the ray, direction and outcome (reflected or absorbed) are essentially determined with a dice roll. The more dices we roll, the more accurate our results will be. So I ran the program 10 million times.  In order for the program to be accurate, I had to create an experiment measure the light intensity of the UV light (does it shine more like a flashlight or a laser pointer). There was no procedure, materials given, or expected outcome like in class. I designed something like a 3-D protractor that could hold the sensor and measure the light at all angles. Professor Venstrom and I are looking into publishing our method.

Measuring the light intensity of the UV light bulb

Kortney and I ended the summer creating our own aqUV bottle

As the fellowship comes to a close, although it is not doing them justice, I would like to thank a few people for the experience and knowledge bestowed upon me this summer.

• Kortney – Thank you for making this summer more socially appealing than being trapped in Gellersen all summer, for your daily optimism and cheerfulness, and showing me the hard work/willing to learn mentality.
• Steve  – Thank you for being a great alumni mentor. The hidden gems to search for jobs, the networking and career path advice, all of which I think about constantly.
• Professor Venstrom – For your school and career advice both this summer and during the year and help with the Monte Carlo Ray Tracing.
• CAPS Fellowship Coordinators- Thank you for selecting me and the opportunities you put in the doorway. This summer has been full of meeting people, and constant learning. None of which could have been done without the CAPS program.
• Dr. Blood – Thank you for not only this summer, but the three years of mentorship. I can’t imagine what EWB, WAVES, TED (whatever you want to call it) would be without your direction. The time and investment you put into the organization and myself, I can not thank you enough. This summer has shown me I want to be a humanitarian and an engineer where before I wasn’t so sure I wanted to the latter. I look forward to another year and potentially longer.

Many of my peers have described exploring new cities and interacting with new people. However, I have been spending the past 5 weeks inside the building I already spend so much time in, Gellersen at Valparaiso University… Seems I may never leave.

But that’s alright because the University is a place that “prepares students to lead and serve in both church and society”, a perfect place to continue my journey. I search for a balance of engineering and humanitarian work, both subjects I am passionate about. While I am still waiting to see where this journey will take me, my experiences at Valpo have led me to a summer with aqUV through the CAPS program.

aqUV is a new company that manufactures water bottles with UV-C lighting to kill harmful pathogens in water as seen in the picture on the left. The bottle is activated wirelessly, waterproof and can be charged using solar panels. aqUV’s market are campers and hikers as well as developing countries as a part of their philanthropic arm.

I have been given multiple tasks to complete this summer, starting with a design and prototype of a non-mobile solar charging station. The station is casted out of concrete ensuring strength and stability while encapsulating the delicate electronics needed to charge the water bottle (solar panels, a battery pack, arduino etc.). This task included learning about micro controllers, 3-D printing a mold as well as making my own circuit board to go with it shown in the pictures on the right. 

Thus far other tasks included sizing solar panels for a guesthouse and two wells as well as using Monte Carlo Ray Tracing to determine if the UV light is effectively reaching everywhere in the bottle. Where my engineering education increases by the day and the knowledge I already have is tested by the hour. aqUV has toned my engineering skills.

I look forward to implement my work in Haiti at summer’s end and see the balance of engineering and humanitarian work that aqUV has used as the platform of its company. Whether or not aqUV’s balance is compatible with mine, only time will tell. Nevertheless, this summer will give me an opportunity to learn and serve in the best way I can through engineering.