Humanitarian Engineering

In this episode of the Humanitarian Engineering Podcast, we speak with Tim Ribberink, an MSc student in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Twente, who carried out his thesis project at RisE in Madagascar, a start-up dedicated to developing clean cooking solutions. During his project, Tim designed and developed new cooking functionalities that make use of surplus heat generated by the system, helping to improve its efficiency and usability.

In this episode of the Humanitarian Engineering Podcast, we speak with two MSc Humanitarian Engineering students to learn more about one of their projects in the master programme tackling real-world challenges in collaboration with field stakeholders. Conducted in Q1, the project involved working alongside the NGO Jiro-Ve to enhance the use of solar hubs installed in remote areas of Madagascar.

In this episode of the Humanitarian Engineering Podcast, we explore the groundbreaking work of the MIT Senseable City Lab in gathering and analysing data within informal settlements. The Lab’s research pushes the boundaries of urban science by using innovative sensing technologies and participatory methods to better understand the dynamics of urban communities.

In this episode, Michele Di Marco from Téchne WHO shares his insights on developing Infectious Disease Treatment Modules (IDTMs) and the Health Emergency Facility (HEF) providing rapid deployable, easily transportable, extendable, self-contained and self-sufficient treatment centre for infectious diseases. He also highlights the importance of collaborating with academia, and explains the various projects he is conducting with UT students.

In this episode, Thomas Groen, Programme Director of the MSc in Spatial Engineering, and Peter Chemweno, Programme Director of the MSc in Humanitarian Engineering, discuss the vision behind each programme, their unique approaches, and where their paths cross. 

Visit the official websites of the MSc in Humanitarian Engineering and the MSc in Spatial Engineering to dive deeper into each programme.

On this episode of the Humanitarian Engineering Podcast, we welcome Norden Wangchuk and Ngawang Chojey from Jigme Namgyel Engineering College, Royal University of Bhutan. They discuss their collaboration with CSOs on sustainable community projects focused on waste management and the vital role of cultural appropriateness in combining traditional and innovative values to build earthquake-resilient houses. Tune in to explore how engineering solutions can drive positive change in local communities while respecting cultural heritage.

In this episode, the Humanitarian Engineering group interviews Dr. Eefje Hendriks, an Assistant Professor in Disaster Resilience and Humanitarian Assistance at the University of Twente's ITC faculty. Eefje shares her insights on Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Resilience, emphasising how underserved communities can more effectively recover from disasters. She also highlights the crucial role of careful listening before taking action.

In this episode, Zikambiyani talks about her past experiences working with rural communities in Zambia, the challenges of co-designing with different community groups, and her reasons for starting a PhD project at the University of Twente on the topic of design for social justice in humanitarian engineering.

How to learn to create an impact in underserved communities as students? Teodora Citia and Mariam Diarra talked about their BSc thesis and internship assignments they had carried on in Nepal and Madagascar. How to work with the communities from a socio-technical standpoint.

In this episode, the Humanitarian Engineering group talked with Arash Kargar, a consultant and trainer with years of experience in capacity building for refugees in Jordan and Afghanistan
He shared a few practical examples of why shifting focus from only supporting soft skills development to changing local community beliefs and identities can positively impact developmental work, and how this can supported through neuro-linguistic programming. We also discussed the need to understand local communities before implementing solutions for them.