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Honey bee publish details |
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DIALOGUE |
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Frugal engineering
Chloé Lecomte
chloe.lecomte@grenoble-inp.fr
I’m a third year PhD student working on frugal engineering and design practices for the BOP at the GSCOP laboratory, in Grenoble (France). My PhD project is on product design for the low-income population, especially, on the very first phases of the requirements definition. As I come from a Human and Cognitive sciences background, the goal is to gather issues from sociology, mechanical engineering and economics. I recently had the honour to receive a grant to come to India for three months, until the end of December. I am now living in Bangalore. I have read a lot of your articles on grassroots innovations and it would be with great pleasure that I will come to Ahmedabad.
(Chloé, I was recently at ECE engineering university in Paris. We discussed about launching techpedia.in in France and there is a good chance that it may happen. You are welcome to visit us so that you can meet colleagues here. -Ed.)
How can we assist the local people?
Shrinkhla Ghildiyal
shrinkhlaghildiyal@gmail.com
I listened to your recent talk at BARC. It was really heartwarming to know that local problems can be addressed in this way. I am from Uttarakhand and concerned about the local people’s situations after the natural disaster. Although earlier, the situation was not pleasant either - almost no employment opportunity, a lot of difficulties even for daily life, poor connectivity & many more - tourism was a major source of income for many people, but now that wouldn’t be there any longer. I want to know, have you & anybody from your network been there? How can we assist the local people? Maybe if you ask something specific about the state; I’ll try to gather in & things may progress well.
(I was in Uttarakhand on 16th and had a meeting with VCs and secretary higher education about educational initiatives and with MSME secretary about livelihood initiative. But we can do a lot more. -Ed.)
Innovation Technological Parks in Peru
Augusto Mellado
amellado@infonegocio.net.pe
I am Professor Augusto Mellado; in charge of the “Special Program on Technological Enterprises” at the Facultad de Ingeniería of San Martin de Porres University in Lima Perú. The aim of this small program is to integrate ‘Innovation Industrial Parks’ in Peru. Since more than ten years ago, Peruvian Government, through Governmental institutions such as Indecopi and CONCYTEC, has been attempting to identify innovators and inventors by opening yearly contests between universities, enterprises, high school students and the population in general. However, once the contest finishes, all this effort is lost since there is not any policy to give the winners and the participants an opportunity to receive support to continue their work. Therefore, I am proposing the organisation of Innovation Technological Parks in Perú in such a way that these young innovators, inventors and researchers may have the opportunity to receive appropriate support.
(It was great meeting you and we will support your efforts in this extremely important mission. -Ed.)
Warm greetings from Malaysia
Dr Shariha Khalid
sk@scopegroupasia.com
I just came across your article in SSRI. Wanted to write to say hello and send you warm greetings from Malaysia. Many exciting and interesting things are happening here and I have not forgotten your wish to engage more with school children and tap their creativity and innovation. Best wishes from our team here especially Christoffer and me. Take care!
(Many thanks for your mail and I hope that sooner or later, we will have a Honey Bee Newsletter in Malay and other languages. Similarly, we also hope that the HBN database will be available to people in Malaysia in all the three languages. Sustain your interest in creativity of children. -Ed.)
Setting up a film report
Juliette Lacharnay
jlacharnay@france24.com
I work for the France 24 TV news channel based in Paris and more specifically for the sustainable 12 minute programme Down to Earth (in English) / Elément Terre (in French). We work in partnership with the African Development Bank. I have heard about the Honey Bee Network initiative and would be interested to report on it. I’ll be interested to discuss to know if you would be willing to help us to set up the filming and to know more about your ongoing projects and the latest innovations you have highlighted.
(Sure, please give some more information about your programme. Also visit our websites sristi.org, nifindia.org, anilg.sristi.org, techpedia.in? -Ed.)
To what extent am I contributing?
Sarah Ali
sarah_binte@yahoo.co.in
Your lecture today regarding biodiversity conservation was very inspiring. The highlight being the role of masses at the grass-root level was something that made me question as to what extent amI contributing being an environment research fellow at NBRI? I recently joined NBRI and I’m working on the role of plant hormones in combating heavy metal stress in crop plants (rice). I am eager to work wherein my study will not only be fundamental but will prove to be a tool in providing sustainable development in the society.
(Thanks Sarah for reaching out and asking a basic question about how to blend excellence with relevance. I think we can blend both without failing in our duty to be accountable to ourselves, profession and society at large. If you are working on triggering hormones which help in overcoming heavy metal stress in rice say in alkaline or sodic soils, then one can try to do the following: A. Local varieties which already have higher ability to beat stress could be taken as building block. B. identify those practices which farmers may have developed to trigger stress adjustment capabilities not knowing that they are actually triggering hormones. To illustrate from a different context, farmers made sheep to graze chickpea fields to promote lateral branching and overcome apical dominance. ICRISAT did studies to prove it. Likewise, in Karnataka farmers use extract of ragi plumule on buds of cotton to prevent falling of premature balls. Apparently the plumule has high content of IAA.
I will be happy to hear from you about various other approaches that might come to your mind. But please keep asking such questions, it is in these questions that our hope lies. All the best and sustain these dilemmas. -Ed.)
A Eureka Moment
Raghunath Lohar
raghunathlohar@gmail.com
It was really a eureka moment. The final testing of the Bamboo Splinting Machine was a great success. I have attached a 0.5 HP motor and the machine is extremely efficient now. It took just one minute to splint a broom with great fineness. Now it is not just a prototype, it is a complete market-ready product costing around Rs. 3700. I can start its mass production immediately but I need some help for marketing or to reach the end users. I am also trying to reduce its cost. I have shown the machine to broom makers and the feedback is a boost. They want to use it. Now I am trying to approach banks for some loan for the initial capital funding to enter into production. I’m hoping to start it soon. I’m sending you the link of video and images.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtZvgY2f-vw
(Thanks Raghunath. What an inspired pursuit of a mission, what started as a small step in the SRISTI summer school on elimination of child labour, could become a reality so soon! We are proud of it and as soon as you get some orders, we will give you a loan for expanding the manufacture of the machines. We are also willing to give a guarantee if you borrow from a bank so that the bank does not hesitate in supporting you. This is a concrete step in giving children a small part of their sky, not a broom in their hand. -Ed.)
I teach to create ideas
Paul Macartney
learn2invent@btinternet.com, learn2invent.com
I am a retired Product Design teacher in the UK. I have designed and prototyped many products and have sold the rights around the world. I have been an inventor since I was 16 years old. I have been teaching other people from ages of 11 years upwards to create ideas from minimal materials. I am a qualified engineer with 12 years in educating people with simple ideas in the many ways to exploit their invention, making sure that they don’t give it away! In the UK this is called Product Design, I teach up to university level, but some of the best ideas come from young
people aged 11 years. Any interaction with any student is in strict confidence for the protection of their idea. I teach people the process of how to come up with and idea - what to do with the idea - how to progress an idea from inside your head and into a prototype -
how to put that idea into production
and sell it to the public. I have visited India but have never thought about the exciting opportunities present in this country.
(You have to engage with the Honey Bee Network. See the IGNITE page at nifindia.org for ideas of children that we reward every year and try to convert into prototypes and products. Mentoring of experts like you would be a bonus for our children. Have you seen our websites sristi.org nifindia.org anilg.sristi.org techpedia.in/award techpedia.in? Please engage and join the Honey Bee Network. -Ed.)
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| Volume No. |
Honey Bee 24(3) 21-22, 2013 |
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