Showcase Rationale
The ultimate objective of Milking the Rhino: Innovative Solutions Showcase is to engage students in Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship.
The educational objectives of the showcase include:
1. Appreciation for Indigenous Knowledge
Over the course of human history, some communities have thrived without damaging or compromising the natural environment. Indigenous knowledge is gradually being re-evaluated and considered as an inspiring source of strategies for sustainable development. Indigenous knowledge has immense value for the culture in which it develops and also for entrepreneurs and problem-solvers seeking solutions to community problems across the world. For solutions to be successful and sustainable, they must be designed with the intimate involvement of all stakeholders so that the design meets their needs and use preferences and contributes to a self-determined improvement of their livelihoods and agency. The showcase emphasizes the importance of preservation and respect for indigenous knowledge.
2. Ethics Education
The showcase intends to provide an environment for students to explore the ethical intricacies of engaging in social ventures in international contexts. For example, a Fundamental Canon of many engineering professional bodies is to “Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public”. If teams add safety features to a product for the developing world without regard to affordability, the target users may not be able to afford it - rendering the innovation meaningless! How do teams, then, design products for extreme affordability and live up to the Fundamental Canon at the same time? The showcase aims at eliciting discussions about the design trade-offs considering the nature of the product and the stakeholders’ profiles. The objective is to engage students in debates on ethical issues related to science, technology and society in a seemingly “real” setting – thanks to the intimate connection to people and place provided by the documentary.
3. Non-Travel Based Global Experience
Globalization increasingly forces us to interact with and understand cultures unfamiliar to our own. Traditionally, adding global elements into the curriculum has been linked to experiences that require international travel, such as study abroad, international co-ops, and exchange programs. However, only a limited number of students are likely to be able or willing to participate in these types of experiences due to high barriers such as travel costs. The MTR Innovative Solutions Showcase is
a non-travel based global experience that requires the students to understand a radically different context and culture and develop appropriate technology solutions and business strategies for it.
4. User Centered Design
User-centered design (UCD) is an approach to design that grounds the design process in information about the people who will use the product. UCD processes focus on users throughout the planning, design and development of a product. The showcase focuses on attempting to understand the context of use and the specific requirements to develop technology-based solutions that address some of the challenges faced by the Maasai and Himba tribes in Kenya/Tanzania and Namibia respectively. The teams are encouraged to unravel the “sticky information” related to the context of the problem and develop effective and sustainable strategies to address developmental challenges.
5. Frugal Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Attracted by the size and rapid growth of emerging markets — concurrent with a growth slowdown in the developed world — companies in a range of industries are establishing distribution and manufacturing operations as well as research and development centers in these regions. Customers in these markets demand a different set of product features and functions than their developed-world counterparts, but still insist on high quality. Simply selling the cheapest products on hand or reusing technologies from higher-priced products will not cut costs enough and is unlikely to result in the kind of products these new customers will buy. Current students will develop products and services for emerging markets or resource-constrained communities some day and will need innovative thinking to succeed.
The educational objectives of the showcase include:
1. Appreciation for Indigenous Knowledge
Over the course of human history, some communities have thrived without damaging or compromising the natural environment. Indigenous knowledge is gradually being re-evaluated and considered as an inspiring source of strategies for sustainable development. Indigenous knowledge has immense value for the culture in which it develops and also for entrepreneurs and problem-solvers seeking solutions to community problems across the world. For solutions to be successful and sustainable, they must be designed with the intimate involvement of all stakeholders so that the design meets their needs and use preferences and contributes to a self-determined improvement of their livelihoods and agency. The showcase emphasizes the importance of preservation and respect for indigenous knowledge.
2. Ethics Education
The showcase intends to provide an environment for students to explore the ethical intricacies of engaging in social ventures in international contexts. For example, a Fundamental Canon of many engineering professional bodies is to “Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public”. If teams add safety features to a product for the developing world without regard to affordability, the target users may not be able to afford it - rendering the innovation meaningless! How do teams, then, design products for extreme affordability and live up to the Fundamental Canon at the same time? The showcase aims at eliciting discussions about the design trade-offs considering the nature of the product and the stakeholders’ profiles. The objective is to engage students in debates on ethical issues related to science, technology and society in a seemingly “real” setting – thanks to the intimate connection to people and place provided by the documentary.
3. Non-Travel Based Global Experience
Globalization increasingly forces us to interact with and understand cultures unfamiliar to our own. Traditionally, adding global elements into the curriculum has been linked to experiences that require international travel, such as study abroad, international co-ops, and exchange programs. However, only a limited number of students are likely to be able or willing to participate in these types of experiences due to high barriers such as travel costs. The MTR Innovative Solutions Showcase is
a non-travel based global experience that requires the students to understand a radically different context and culture and develop appropriate technology solutions and business strategies for it.
4. User Centered Design
User-centered design (UCD) is an approach to design that grounds the design process in information about the people who will use the product. UCD processes focus on users throughout the planning, design and development of a product. The showcase focuses on attempting to understand the context of use and the specific requirements to develop technology-based solutions that address some of the challenges faced by the Maasai and Himba tribes in Kenya/Tanzania and Namibia respectively. The teams are encouraged to unravel the “sticky information” related to the context of the problem and develop effective and sustainable strategies to address developmental challenges.
5. Frugal Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Attracted by the size and rapid growth of emerging markets — concurrent with a growth slowdown in the developed world — companies in a range of industries are establishing distribution and manufacturing operations as well as research and development centers in these regions. Customers in these markets demand a different set of product features and functions than their developed-world counterparts, but still insist on high quality. Simply selling the cheapest products on hand or reusing technologies from higher-priced products will not cut costs enough and is unlikely to result in the kind of products these new customers will buy. Current students will develop products and services for emerging markets or resource-constrained communities some day and will need innovative thinking to succeed.