DR:Mali Water and Disabilities Study/07-08 Project planning article
From The Collaboratory
Contents |
Stakeholders
Sponsors
- Group - Disability Resources
- Client - Citizens of Mali in the Tominion and San Regions
Team members
- Team advisor - Dr. Ray Norman
- Team leader - Scott Eshleman
- Team leader elect - Scott Eshleman
- Additional advisors - Dr. Barbara Ressler, Dr. Timothy Van Dyke
- Additional students -
Jim Davis - Water Transport Subteam Leader
Kay See Tan - Water Transport Team Member
Stevie Baum - Water Transport Team Member
Robert Effinger - Pumps and Associated Structures Subteam Leader
Emily Howell - Pumps and Associated Structures Team Member
Scott Eshleman - Latrines and Domestic Water Use Subteam Leader
Amanda Bonanni - Latrines and Domestic Water Use Team Member
Maria Brown - Latrines and Domestic Water Use Team Member
Adam Lenon - Financial Manager
Project update
Progress report
The Mali Water and Disabilities Study is continuing on schedule. The Fall semester will begin the second half of the first official year in this three year study. Since the team's formation in the Fall of 2006, there have been two trips to Mali and a large amount of organization and research completed. Last year, the Fall semester was spent largely in recruiting members, organizing the team, and conducting preliminary research. In January, 2007 the first trip team travelled to Mali. There, they began building relationships with Mali World Vision (MWV), conducting surveys and observational research as directed by the three subteams, and contributing ideas to the formation of an official survey for the Tominion and San Regions. The Spring semester was spent working with WVM as they developed and conducted this survey, as well as continuing our background research. A first draft of the survey was provided by WVM at the end of February. The team analyzed the survey, making several suggestions to WVM of necessary changes. After the team received the final draft of the survey in March, we programmed the survey into SPSS format and sent an electronic copy back to WVM. Using this program, WVM conducted the survey and gathered the results. During our June, 2007 trip to Mali, the team participated in discussions of survey results and assisted in the presentation of these results. Throughout the Spring semester, we worked within our subteams researching already available technologies for people with disabilities, eventually presenting our subteam findings at the end of the semester. The teams also began brainstorming possible research initiatives appropriate to our subteams.
Status assessment
Continue as planned.
Work needed
The Mali Water and Disabilities Study is gearing up for a productive semester, as much work is still needed. Our first goals is to translate the survey results documents provided by WVM from French into English, so that our team members can digest the results and gain a more thorough knowledge of the situation and needs in Mali. Recruitment of statistics majors to aid in the analysis of the documents will streamline this process and hopefully create a simple, comparative chart of the most prevalent disabilities and how they affect the population’s water needs. Completing the synthesis of our data will enable us to formulate 3-4 research priorities for each sub-team that will provide focus for the remainder of the project. These priorities need to be researched extensively, including background information from scientific journals, the library, and the internet. A formal presentation will be given at the end of the Fall semester summarizing our findings and suggestions for solutions.
Further, we are having one of the pumps used by World Vision shipped to Messiah College and we plan to construct a full-scale mock up of the pump area. This will require further research into the layout and structure of the pump, base, drainage, and walls, as well as organization of the construction process. The structure will allow all three sub-teams to test and re-evaluate solutions without having to wait for a site visit. It will also facilitate testing of design elements using student participants of varying shape, size, and ability, to imitate the abilities of our client. With the help of our research and the pump structure, we need to have at least two working prototypes of solutions from each sub-team by the end of the 07-08 school year.
Annual plan
Methods and deliverables
We plan to accomplish everything listed under Work Needed above. Primarily this includes recruitment of additional team members, understanding the survey results, developing research priorities, researching those priorities and presenting our findings, constructing a pump area replica, and completing two solution prototypes for each sub-team. If the pump arrives later than expected, research will be our singular focus and the deadlines will be moved forward.
Time line
Personnel
The Mali Water and Disabilities Study is still in need of more engineering majors, in addition to the four members currently involved. Those majoring or minoring in the French language will also be of much use with translation as well as speaking with locals during upcoming trips to Mali. In addition, analysis of surveys conducted in Mali will be aided by recruitment of statistics majors.
Each subgroup could use the help of an additional member. This is especially important for the Pumps and Associated Structures Subteam, our smallest subteam, which will need at least one to two more members.
The Mali team has five members that will be graduating and not returning to work with the Mali Water and Disabilities project. Next year, there will be a greater need for helpers studying engineering as two of our seniors are engineering majors.
Facilities
Due to expansion and anticipated growth, weekly meetings in Frey 136 may need to be relocated to a larger room. Meetings during collaboratory time will either take place with Disability Resources as a whole, or be conducted in the Frey 68 basement lab. Outdoor experiments with well pumps will require an open field with which to work.
Housekeeping
- Have you updated your project article? - Yes: Aug. 31, 2007.
- Have you updated project photographs on the cumulus database? - Not yet.
Budget
- {{{Budget link}}}
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