Innovator

IDIN Summer Research Fellows Report- Indonesia and Malaysia

  • Research

This report summarizes the work of IDIN Summer Research Fellow Kelly Heber Dunning, who traveled to Malaysia and Indonesia during Summer 2015 to study community-based approaches to managing coastal natural resources such as coral reefs and mangroves. This research, which forms part of Kelly's doctoral dissertation, finds that community-based resource management arrangements afford greater opportunities for innovation in natural resource management and sustainable livilihood development compared to top-down management arrangements.

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PET Bottle Strip Cutter

  • Student Papers

Trash is a big problem in Sao Paulo, Brazil. UC Davis students Ryan Pang and Daniel Quinn from D-Lab have worked to design and prototype a PET Bottle Strip Cutter for Miguel Chavez in the Innovation Center-Vila Nova Esperanca. The problem with the existing bottle strip cutter currently used by the center is that the design will not allow for adjustments to be made in the size of the plastic string created and is not set up for different sized plastic bottles. Cutting bottles into strands of plastic is important because the string can then be woven to make items such as chairs, green houses, fencing, and more. These products can generate income to improve the lives of people living in poverty. Additionally, in improving this design we can decrease the amount of plastic trash accumulation by repurposing it to create desirable goods.

Author: 
PET Bottle Strip Cutter
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IDIN Innovation Center Tips to Engage Community Members

  • How-to

This document gives Innovation Centers in the IDIN Network ideas on how to engage local community members in their activities and trainings. 

Author: 
Molly Rubenstein
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IDIN Maker Space Ideas

  • How-to

This document provides guidance on how to start a maker or innovation space. 

Author: 
Molly Rubenstein
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IDIN Summer Research Fellows Report-Ghana

  • Research

This report presents the research of two IDIN Summer Research Fellows, Grace Connors and Jessie Press-Williams, who traveled to Ghana during the summer of 2015 to conduct exploratory interviews with local innovators in Accra, Kumasi, and Tamale. The report contains their research findings as well as profiles of 31 Ghanaian entrepreneurs of varying ages and backgrounds. 

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IDIN Summer Research Fellows Report- Nepal

  • Research

This report was produced by IDIN Summer Research Fellow Shweta Rajbhandari, who traveled to Nepal during the summer of 2015 to conduct exploratory research in two remote communities at the epicenter of the 2015 Nepal earthquake focused on understanding factors contributing to villagers' abilities to cope with the disaster and demonstrate resilience. 

Author: 
Shweta Rajbhandari
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IDIN Summer Research Fellows Report-Pakistan

  • Research

This report presents the research of IDIN Summer Research Fellow Rida Qadri, who traveled to Lahore, Pakistan during the summer of 2015 to conduct exploratory research on the impact of an innovative agricultural crop residue-to-energy project in rural Punjab. This report present preliminary findings of her analysis of the economic benefits that this project generated throughout its rural supply chain.

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Reusing Rubble Project Report, IDDS Zero Waste

  • Presentations & Reports

IDDS participants and community members experimented with different mixtures of these materials to find the combination that could produce bricks with the highest durability at the lowest cost, while recycling waste.  For more information about this project, contact idds.waste.cali@mit.edu.

This report was written in Spanish by a team of participants at the International Development Design Summit in Colombia. It is not final or comprehensive, but seeks to share information and knowledge gleaned from the team’s work during the summit.

Author: 
Reusing Rubble Team
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Design for Development Workshop: Evolving the Paradigm

  • Presentations & Reports

IDIN Network member Heewon Lee summarizes his approach to leading a Design for Development workshop based on MIT D-Lab and IDIN principles to tackle water challenges in Southern Kenya. 

Author: 
Heewon Lee
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Zero Waste Park Project Report, IDDS Zero Waste

  • Presentations & Reports

IDDS participants and community members designed a plan for an aesthetically pleasing public space to change the image of waste (as a resource and not as a problem) and waste-pickers.  The space will be a place for waste-pickers to rest and get some shade, with furniture and installations all made from recycled materials, as well as raising awareness through waste-picker biographies and its “Super-recycler” game (which includes profiles of each recyclable material).  For more information about this project, contact idds.waste.cali@mit.edu.

This report was written by a team of participants at the International Development Design Summit in Colombia. It is not final or comprehensive, but seeks to share information and knowledge gleaned from the team’s work during the summit.

Author: 
Los Cartomagos Team
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