Low technologies, high aims

This New York Times article talks about what MIT is doing for the improvement of poor people’s quality of life. In fact, they developed a four-week design laboratory leaded by Amy Smith. This workshop has participation from abroad students and volunteer mentors, who receive challenges to design solutions for basic problems from poor communities that have limited resources. Hence, those teams have to work hard in a proposal and build prototypes for their projects. Ms. Smith thinks that design revolution should focus in critic issues for very poor people like water, food, energy and health.

I chose this article because it is important that universities work for the development of society in a practical way too. Usually, academic institutions prepare important information or studies about poorest people, give advices to the Governments or International Institutions, or simply criticize their policies or laws. However, working in specific solutions for specific problems really impact positively the people’s life. I believe that MIT projects will help a lot of people, because they first understand the issues and second build a solution available for them in costs and materials required.

By Juanita
EAP 2 B