INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS 2021-22
Biochar ProjectPartners: TCHO, Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana
Malaysia has been cultivating cocoa for over two centuries, with the first reported pods found in 1778. Today, cacao trees can be found mainly in the Malaysian wild and create a source of revenue for the small-batch chocolate makers. In contrast, Ghana is the world’s second largest cocoa export next to the Ivory Coast. The chocolate industry comprises a significant portion of the market economy in West Africa. Both of these industries produce large amounts of discarded cacao husk, which are typically left to decompose. Our proposal is to produce biochar from these cacao husks for on site water filtration or soil amendment. Biochar is a sustainable solution that can be used for purposes of carbon sequestration to combat global climate change. As such, its exploration can serve as an opportunity to affect change in water safety as well as in the economic vitality of farmers. Check out the blog Team Members Nomunzul Battulga Bryana Gastelum Julia An Kao-Sowa Sebastian Madrigal Isabelle Loughran Pilson Ananya Lakshmi Sridhar |
Cacao ProjectPartner: Zorzal Cacao
Zorzal Cacao is a cacao distributor in the Dominican Republic established with the goal of funding conservation efforts on the Reserva Privada Zorzal. Zorzal partners with local farmers to ensure adequate reforestation offsets the carbon emissions of cacao production, improving the health of the reserve’s ecosystem while supporting both conservation efforts and the local agriculture industry. Our project involves creating a web based tracking application to provide Zorzal with an accurate and efficient way of tracing their cacao production. Making this information more accessible allows them to improve their own production process and better inform consumers about the origins of their cacao. Higher quality, more transparent crops fetch a higher price from buyers, which is especially important since cacao sales are one of the most important sources of revenue for both the local farmers and Zorzal. We hope to positively contribute to Zorzal's mission of environmental and economic sustainability. Check out the blog Team Members: Simi Aluko Kristy Chan Alice Chen Kai Ssempa |
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Boomitra ProjectPartner: Boomitra
Boomitra is a private company focused on working with farmers to sequester carbon through improved agricultural practices and to measure soil carbon through AI satellite imaging. They incentivize farmers to adopt practices that retain more carbon so that it is not released into the atmosphere, which in turn allows an increase in soil carbon and fertility. For this project, Engineers for a Sustainable World Stanford (ESW), will partner with Boomitra to design and prototype a mechanical shredder to prevent stubble burning in India. The purpose of the shredder is to shred agricultural waste such as husks, stalks, and agricultural surplus. Once they are shredded, the tiny pellets will be dispersed throughout the field which ensures that the carbon content of the waste is retained within the soil rather than released into the atmosphere from burning. Check out the blog Team Members: Sree Sundararaman Alawab Aldulimy Jierui Fang Isabella Tavarez |
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ENGR177A & ENGR177B
For the past five years, ESW has offered a two-quarter course sequence to complement club members’ work on engineering projects.
These courses aim to address the ethical, cultural, political, organizational, technical, and business issues at the heart of implementing sustainable engineering projects in the developing world. As students work on project teams with NGO and social entrepreneur partners, they think critically about the impact of their work and how to collaborate ethically and effectively as engineers.
Teaching Team
Shoshanah Cohen, Faculty Advisor
D'Arcy Seamon, Course Instructor
Celine Wang, Course Instructor
Emily Wong, CEL Coordinator
These courses aim to address the ethical, cultural, political, organizational, technical, and business issues at the heart of implementing sustainable engineering projects in the developing world. As students work on project teams with NGO and social entrepreneur partners, they think critically about the impact of their work and how to collaborate ethically and effectively as engineers.
Teaching Team
Shoshanah Cohen, Faculty Advisor
D'Arcy Seamon, Course Instructor
Celine Wang, Course Instructor
Emily Wong, CEL Coordinator