Team Members

Thomas Veraart and many others from the following schools/colleges: Literature, Science and the Arts, Stamps School of Art & Design, College of Engineering

Summary

BLUElab India is an interdisciplinary student organization dedicated to co-designing appropriate technology with the community of Kalol in Gujarat, India. Our objective is to design water purification and storage technology in tandem with the residents of Kalol, in order to develop a sustainable solution that is implemented and utilized for many years to come.

The ultimate goal of this group is to install a sustainable water storage system in every household in Kalol and to educate community members on water sanitation. The project objectives are to be accomplished in incremental stages, over the course of five years. The goals are as follows:

Year 1. Ethnographic and scientific research/community development;

Year 2. Implementation of Prototype 1;

Year 3. Assessment of prototype one/community outreach;

Year 4. Implementation of Prototype 1 with modifications/promotion of technology;

Year 5. Widespread Installation/Project Assessment and Evaluation

In this first year, the team will travel to Kalol to conduct ethnographic and scientific research to understand the cultural norms and water conditions of the community. In addition, we will begin to build relationships with the community members through educational workshops. The team will build and install the technology in certain parts of the community in year two, so that residents and students can begin to test the design. In year three, the team will work with the residents to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the design, so that they can install a modified design in the villages in year four. The team will collaborate with community members to promote the use of the technology, and in year five the team will install the project in most households. The team will then conduct a project assessment to determine the project roadmap for the next five years.

Project Report

Factsheet