Tag: International Development Planning Studio

2015 ID Studio Presentations

This year, 13 students took part in my International Development Planning Studio and developed 13 high-quality project proposals. The studio was supported a range of international development experts at Virginia Tech, who worked closely with the students to challenge and refine their ideas and help them develop the wide-range of skills needed to create an international development project proposal. I’d especially like to thank Bill Anderson, John Browder, Emily Van Houweling, Susan Marmagas, Kurt Richter, Kerry Redican, Keith Moore, James Foreman, Sophie Wenzel, and Shantal Hover for the expertise they brought to the studio.

18I have listed below the titles of the student proposals to provide an indication of the range of subjects that the students explored this semester.

  • Increasing Livelihood Opportunities and Productivity for Tuvalu’s Outer Islanders
  • Foundation of a Sanitary Pads Manufacturer in Makoko, Nigeria
  • The DTaP Project: Minimizing the incidence of Bordetella pertussis in Sokoto, Nigeria, through a vaccination and infectious disease education intervention
  • Addressing the High Incidence and Case-Fatality of Human Rabies in the Guntur District of Andhra Pradesh, India
  • Safe and Affordable Drinking Water in Santa María del Carbón, Honduras
  • Statelessness: Improving access to citizenship for stateless Dominicans of Haitian descent living in the Dominican Republic
  • Veron Mobile Clinic Project, Veron, Dominican Republic
  • Development Proposal to Reduce Iodine Deficiency in Nampula Province, Mozambique
  • HIV Prevention among Women in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
  • Proposal for Addressing Poverty in the Department of Alta Verapaz, Guatemala
  • Scaling up sanitation demand in iganga district: A proposal for improved sanitation and hygiene
  • Improving the Access and Quality of Education in rural areas of China
  • Defensive Driver Education Program to Reduce Road Deaths in Georgetown, Guyana

The images below were taken during the last two studios when the students formally presented and defended their proposals to a panel of international development experts.

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IDPS Final Presentations

This afternoon, students in the International Development Planning Studio (IDPS) presented their final project proposals to a review panel of international development experts from Virginia Tech. This final session of the studio provides students with an opportunity to showcase and defend what they have been able to develop over the past 14 weeks. This year, I was very pleased to have Susan Marmagas (Public Health), Michael Bertelsen (Director, OIRED), Kurt Richter (Associate Director, OIRED), and John Browder (SPIA) serve as members of the review panel. I’d like to congratulate the students on making it through the event and for giving a series of professional and high-quality presentations.

The images below (taken #throughglass) capture a few key moments from the final studio session.

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Project Ideas for UAP 5764

20131122_094126_003This morning I spoke with Prof. Akshay Sharma about the three products his students are developing in his industrial design studio. In the spring 2014 semester, students taking my International Development Planning Studio (UAP 5764) will have the opportunity to build on the work of Prof. Sharma’s students by developing a project proposal around one of the three products described in the video below. Students will also have the opportunity to develop their own ideas into an international development project proposal.

My collaboration with Prof. Sharma is part of an ongoing effort to create connections between programs and courses at Virginia Tech in the area of international development.

Spring 2014 Courses

With Spring 2014 preregistration starting today, I wanted to post an update on the two courses I will be offering next semester.

UAP 5324 / BSE 4394: Water Supply and Sanitation in Developing Countries

IMG_0751In this course, we will examine the planning process for the provision of water supply and sanitation (W&S) services in developing countries. The course is structured to provide both an engineering and policy perspective on the subject. Thus, the readings, class discussions, and assignments will require students to think as both an engineer and planner/analyst. The course will begin with a review of the state of water and sanitation services in different parts of the world and will raise the question of what constitutes “access” to water. Following this introduction, we will study the design of important W&S technologies. We will then examine the broader environmental and public health considerations in water W&S planning. Armed with an understanding of critical W&S issues and technologies, in the final section of the course we will examine key ideas/topics such as multiple-use water services (MUS), demand-oriented planning, service pricing, decentralization vs. centralization of W&S services, community participation in the planning process, and post-construction support.

Note: I plan to use a Google Glass and Google+ platform to support this course and transform the way in which the material is delivered.

Prerequisites: None (The CEE3104 prerequisite no longer applies. Students in BSE and Engineering, please “force add” the course on the first day of the class if you are unable to preregister.)

When: Tuesdays, 12:30pm to 3:15pm

Where: Wallace 407

UAP 5764: International Development Planning Studio

Concepts and practices in the field of international development have changed dramatically over the past few decades and even the past few years. This studio course is designed to prepare students with the most current approaches to the practice of international development as implemented by leading actors today. Students will learn the traditional project planning tools used by multi-lateral and financial institutions as well as alternative processes. They will be equipped with a variety of skills necessary for working on development projects in the real world.

Throughout the studio, elements of project development, planning, management, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation will be covered from the perspective of the prevalent development sectors. Emphasis will be placed on synthesizing and practicing skills through the preparation of a proposal for an international development project/program. During the studio, students will work on, present, and critique different elements of their project proposals. To complement the theoretical discussions, several studios will be led by experienced practitioners and academics in the field of international development.

Prerequisites: UAP 5764G International Development Policy and Planning

When: Thursdays, 12:30pm to 3:15pm

Where: Architecture Annex 200

The slideshow below shows the studio cohorts for 2012 and 2013. This studio is an intensive experience, but we do have some fun along the way.

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