Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship @ Penn State University

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Invest in our students as they try to change the world!

Khanjan Mehta
Program Director
213U Hammond Building
University Park, PA 16802
(814) 863-4426
khanjan@engr.psu.edu

News Archive

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2013
2012
- Penn State Live: Baskaran, Dzombak win 2012 Kopp Award
  March 2012
  Shruthi Baskaran, a senior majoring in civil engineering, and Rachel Dzombak, a senior majoring in bioengineering, both in the College of Engineering, have been awarded the 2012 W. LaMarr Kopp International Achievement Award. Baskaran and Dzombak are honored as co-recipients of the undergraduate award. The award recognizes undergraduate students who have contributed significantly to the advancement of the international mission of the University. It is named in honor of the late deputy vice president for international programs.
- Penn State Live: Students showcase creative solutions to global problems
  February 2012
2013
2012
- Penn State Live: Baskaran, Dzombak win 2012 Kopp Award
  March 2012
  Shruthi Baskaran, a senior majoring in civil engineering, and Rachel Dzombak, a senior majoring in bioengineering, both in the College of Engineering, have been awarded the 2012 W. LaMarr Kopp International Achievement Award. Baskaran and Dzombak are honored as co-recipients of the undergraduate award. The award recognizes undergraduate students who have contributed significantly to the advancement of the international mission of the University. It is named in honor of the late deputy vice president for international programs.
- Penn State Live: Students showcase creative solutions to global problems
  February 2012
2011
- Penn State Live: Scholarly conversations examine open access
  October 2011
- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Law school clinic is interdisciplinary
  October 2011
  Turns out it's hard to be a international humanitarian without encountering some international legal obstacles. Students involved in the Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship program at Penn State's Dickinson School of Law have discovered this challenge in one of their ongoing pilot programs: They've designed a system for impoverished Kenyan citizens living in remote communities to bypass the typical two-day walk to a doctor by sending a patient's medical records and vitals to the doctor in less than 20 minutes.
- ASEE Prism Magazine: Low Cost, High Impact
  October 2011
- Penn State Live: CORED to hold instructional development workshop on Sept. 22
  September 2011
  The Commission on Racial/Ethnic Diversity (CORED) will hold its first instructional development workshop, titled “Diversifying Undergraduate Instruction: Exploring New Curricular Models for Global Engagement,” from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 22, in Room 129 Waring Hall on the University Park campus. Information about Mehta and his presentation can be found on CORED's website at http://www.equity.psu.edu/cored/.
- Penn State Live: Penn State Law launches clinic focused on international development
  September 2011
  The new International Sustainable Development Law Clinic gives Penn State Law students the chance to join University colleagues from a wide range of disciplines who are working to develop, design and implement humanitarian projects and social ventures in the developing world.
- Penn State Live: Penn State students in Los Angeles to collaborate with Diavolo dancers
  June 2011
  Ten Penn State students are in Los Angeles through June 28, collaborating with renowned dance theater company Diavolo, whose members collaboratively create performance on oversized sets and everyday structures. The trip to Los Angeles, which began with the University Park students’ arrival June 19 and lasts until they depart June 28, is part of The Secret Life of Public Spaces, an 18-month collaboration among the Center for the Performing Arts and other Penn State departments, created with funding provided by a $200,000 Creative Campus Innovations Grant from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation.
- Next Billion: From Inventions to Ventures: NCIIA’s 2011 Open Minds Showcase
  March 2011
  It all started with asking. Interviewing 50 farmers in Tanzania, all women and with plots of land ranging from large to small, a faculty team from Penn State University started gathering information about how they limited their business to trusted networks of family and close friends. Trust often matters more than price, they found. The asking continued.
- Penn State Live: Banya, Lackey honored with 2011 Kopp International Achievement Award
  March 2011
  Ahmed Banya, a doctoral candidate in agricultural and extension education in the College of Agricultural Sciences and a master's candidate in the School of International Affairs, and Jeffrey Lackey, a recent graduate in electrical engineering in the College of Engineering, have been awarded the 2011 W. LaMarr Kopp International Achievement Award. Banya receives the graduate award, and Lackey is honored as the undergraduate recipient.
- Penn State Live: Colledge named recipient of Kopp International Achievement Award
  March 2011
  Thomas Colledge, assistant professor of engineering design in the College of Engineering, is the recipient of the 2011 W. LaMarr Kopp International Achievement Award. Established in 1995, the award recognizes faculty and staff members who have contributed significantly to the advancement of the international mission of the University. It is named for the late deputy vice president for international programs.
- Penn State Live: Penn State launches 'AcademIK Connections' video series
  February 2011
  Sometimes seeing -- and hearing -- is believing, and that may be especially true with indigenous knowledge. That's why a transdisciplinary team of Penn State educators, collaborating with community members and scholars at other universities, has created a series of 12 compelling videos demonstrating the importance of indigenous knowledge in developing and implementing entrepreneurial strategies to foster self-determined development. The videos are intended for use in educational settings where locally generated knowledge generally takes a back seat to knowledge generated in institutional laboratories. The "AcademIK Connections" video series, which can be found at...
- Penn State Live : HESE program wins national entrepreneurship award
  January 2011
  The College of Engineering's Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship (HESE) Program has won the 2011 Outstanding Specialty Entrepreneurship Program Award from the U.S. Association for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (USASBE).
- Penn State Live : Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship Program Formalized
  January 2011
  Ongoing efforts that teach students to solve social problems in developing communities will now become a formal program in the College of Engineering.
- The Mashavu Blog - Steve and Jeff : HESE Fellows in Kenya
  January 2011
  Over the past 3 years, students at the Pennsylvania State University have been working on a social entrepreneurial venture in Kenya called Mashavu: Networked Health Solutions. Mashavu is a telemedicine system that enables medical professionals to connect with patients in rural communities. The overarching objectives of the venture are 1) improved access to pre-primary healthcare, 2) improved community health education and 3) socio-economic development through micro-enterprise. This initiative is led by the Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship program in the College of Engineering and is focused on the East African countries of Kenya and Tanzania.
- Penn State Live : Engineering Student Project Wins British Airways Prize
  January 2011
  A Penn State engineering student project was recently selected a winner of British Airways' 2010 Face-of-Opportunity prize.
- NCIIA: WishVast has been invited to the Open Minds 2011 showcase at the NCIIA Annual Conference.
  January 2011
  Open Minds (formerly known as March Madness for the Mind) is the acclaimed annual exhibition of cutting-edge innovation from NCIIA's best student teams. The exhibition takes place each year during NCIIA's annual conference, and is an opportunity for student teams to demonstrate their products and companies, and receive local and national media coverage. 10-15 teams are selected to participate in this high profile event, which involves an evening exhibition for NCIIA conference attendees as well as an exhibition open to the general public and an exciting video competition.
2010
- My perspective
  Spring 2010
  Many engineering students of this generation seek opportunities to apply their academic training and engage the world by “doing”—not merely studying in a classroom, attending seminars, or even simply traveling to witness conditions in other countries. They seek to apply their academic training to make a difference.
- Engineering and Community Engagement Certificate
  Spring 2010
  The International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering (IJSLE) seeks to nurture service learning in engineering as a distinct body of knowledge. A primary purpose of the journal is to foster inquiry into rigorous engineering design and research and to direct those efforts to service-related projects. The examination of cultural appropriateness and its inclusion in design and research efforts is emphasized along with the application of appropriate technologies. Focus is also placed on associated service learning pedagogy and the dissemination of project results.
- Update: International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering
  Spring 2010
  The International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering (IJSLE) has updated its name to reflect better its mission and focus. Journal Editor-in-Chief Thomas Colledge explained that the title International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering: Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship provides more clarity about the journal’s focus on three broad areas: service learning, humanitarian engineering, and social entrepreneurship. In all correspondence, the IJSLE title will be maintained, but the trailer will be used in the title in the future.
- Keystone Edge: Social Entrepreneurship Takes Root In Happy Valley
  December 2010
  PowerPoints and prototypes ready, teams of young entrepreneurs are eager to pitch their ideas to angel investors and venture capitalists. There's a website for Penn State students looking for the perfect roommate and off-campus apartment. A set of headphones embedded into a headband so you can use your digital music player to lull yourself to sleep.
- Eberly College of Science - Featured News : Penn State Science Students Cover the Globe
  November 2010
  The benefits of traveling abroad are truly immeasurable. Spending time in a foreign country is not only a great addition to any resume, but it also leaves students with unforgettable experiences and new perspectives that last a lifetime.
- The Daily Collegian : Students Get A Global View Point
  November 2010
  Students and faculty gathered Monday night in the Information Science and Technologies building to gain an international perspective of the world from Khanjan Mehta, a senior research associate at Penn State.
  
  Mehta spent time as a mentor to students this past summer, where and he and other members of the Penn State community studied Kenyan culture and conducted research.
  
  “One of our main themes is convergence between countries, as well as academic and research aspects,” he said.
  
  Mehta was the keynote speaker of Penn State’s annual celebration of International Education Week, sponsored by the University Office of Global...
- Penn State Live: Mehta keynote to kick off International Education Week
  November 2010
  Khanjan Mehta, senior research associate in the electronic and computer services department and affiliate faculty member in the School of Engineering Design, Technology and Professional Programs, will speak at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 15, in 113 Information Sciences and Technology Building on Penn State's University Park campus. Mehta is the keynote speaker of this year's International Education Week, Nov. 15-19, and his presentation will kick off the week.
- Penn State Live: Mashavu student project wins second place in global contest
  November 2010
- Penn State: HESE Program featured in 2010 State of the University Address
  September 2010
  Wondering what's happening at Penn State? Watch Dr. Spanier's 2010 State of the University Address...which features HESE ventures (in Students and Faculty segments). WE ARE...PENN STATE...and we are striving to change the world to a freer, fairer, friendlier, and more sustainable planet.
- Penn State: Mashavu featured in the Penn State "For the Future" capital campaign
  September 2010
- Penn State Live: Center for the Performing Arts garners $200,000 Creative Campus Grant
  September 2010
  The Association of Performing Arts Presenters has awarded the Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State a $200,000 Creative Campus Innovations Grant, funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, for integrating the performing arts into the academy and surrounding community. The center was awarded an additional $51,670 in operating support for its ongoing performing arts presenting program. Penn State’s project, "The Secret Life of Public Spaces," is built around a collaboration with renowned Los Angeles-based Diavolo Dance Theater. Diavolo features dancers, gymnasts and actors who collaboratively create performances on moving structures such as doors, chairs and stairways.
- Popular Science: HESE named one of 30 Awesome Labs Across America!
  August 2010
- WPSU, Penn State: HESE ventures - Mashavu, WishVast and Essential Design are the topic of the pilot episode of the Global Penn State program on the Big Ten Network
  July 2010
- Penn State Live: Big Ten Network's 'Global Penn State' showcases service learning
  July 2010
  College students who have studied overseas often return home finding that their experiences transformed them. Many Penn State students’ global education focuses on service-learning projects in developing nations. The results of their extended visits have transformed entire villages with improved quality of life. A Big Ten Network series premiering in July highlights several of these dual-benefit service-learning opportunities.
- Daily Nation: E-medicine brought to a remote village in Kajiado
  June 2010
- Penn State Live: Team receives honorable mention at sustainable design expo
  May 2010
  A team of Penn State engineering students received an honorable mention at the recent National Sustainable Design Expo in Washington, D.C. The students were competing in the Environmental Protection Agency's P3: People, Prosperity and the Planet Student Design Competition for Sustainability. The team's project, "Design of an Engine Generator for the Rural Poor: A Sustainable Systems Approach," focused on developing a business venture to produce electricity for rural subsistence farmers in Kenya. The system uses canola seed oil, grown by local farmers, as the feedstock for production of biodiesel. The fuel is then combusted to produce steam that powers a low-cost steam engine generator that...
- Office of Global Programs, Penn State: HESE ventures featured in the 2010 Mosaic magazine published by the University Office of Global Programs
  May 2010
- Outreach Magazine: Virtual Access
  May 2010
- Design News: Telemedicine Brings Low-Cost Medical Care to Africa
  February 2010
  Technology is playing a bigger role in medicine throughout the globe, but its impact is dramatically different in industrial countries and developing nations. While U.S. patients rarely get a test that doesn't cost $200, product developers who target Africa's underprivileged population are creating complete systems that cost less than $200.
- HESE research papers take first and third place at undergraduate research competition hosted by the Africana Research Center
  February 2010
  "Labor Hiring Practices and Produce Supply Chains in Rural Kenya: the Case for WishVast Networking" research paper wins First Place at Africana Research Center's Research Competition while "Validation Process for a Social Entrepreneurial Telemedicine Venture in East Africa" takes the Third Place.
2009
- Penn State Live: Students invited to devise 'Milking the Rhino' solutions
  November 2009
  Penn State will host the inaugural "Milking the Rhino: Innovative Solutions Showcase" at 7 p.m. on Nov. 18 at Pattee Library's Foster Auditorum. The showcase will be the culmination of two weeks of students' efforts to develop appropriate, innovative and sustainable solutions to empower indigenous communities to leverage wildlife and natural resources for self-determined development in Africa.
- Penn State Live: Film to show interaction of animals, people
  November 2009
  Penn State will hear from a documentary filmmaker who has experienced the hardships of rural Africa firsthand with tonight's free screening of "Milking the Rhino." Debuted in 2008, "Milking the Rhino," which was filmed primarily in Kenya and Namibia, examines the lives of people in rural African communities, their relationships with the wild animals they live with and the conservation of animal resources. "It's an excellent film," said Khanjan Mehta, a professor in the School of Engineering Design, Technology and Professional Programs. "You will feel like you are right there in the action."
- NI Week Keynote Video: Mashavu Team invited to deliver keynote address at NI Week Conference
  August 2009
  NI Week is the annual conference of National Instruments and is held in Austin, TX. This talk was given to the 3,000 member audience by Brittany Flaherty, Aaron Fleishman and Khanjan Mehta.
- Penn State Live: Team Mashavu participates in March Madness for the Mind
  April 2009
  Penn State's Excellence and Entrepreneurship Team, or E-team, Mashavu, participated in March Madness for the Mind on March 20, at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. The annual showcase, which is sponsored by the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance, brings together the country's top E-teams to display their inventions at both a public and private exhibition.
- Penn State Live: Marshall, Sauder receive Kopp International Achievement Award
  March 2009
  HESE Students Steven Marshall and Eric Sauder, both undergraduate mechanical engineering majors and Schreyer Honors College scholars, have been awarded the Undergraduate W. LaMarr Kopp International Achievement Award. The award recognizes one undergraduate annually who has contributed significantly to the advancement of the international mission of the University.
- BusinessWeek: Mashavu featured on BusinessWeek
  March 2009
  The Mashavu team is leveraging mobile phone and Internet technologies to enable doctors to connect with patients in the developing world. Operators at Mashavu stations in rural communities would regularly collect medical information and photographs that medical professionals in the U.S. could then review.
- Advanta News Release: Khanjan Mehta wins Ideablob Innovation in Teaching Entrepreneurship Award
  January 2009
  Ideablob is proud to shine the spotlight on two innovative Entrepreneurship Professors who are raising the bar on engaging and supporting college students. Khanjan Mehta from Penn State University and Jeff Cornwall from Belmont University are pioneers in the field of entrepreneurship education. We salute you.
2008
- Engineering Penn State Magazine: Bridging the Health Gap: Student project looks to export healthcare to Africa
  December 2008
  For Aaron Fleishman, what began as a class project evolved into a higher calling. Fleishman is leading a team of Penn State students that’s developing a method to remotely deliver health care to people in Africa. “The idea came out of a class I had,” the chemical engineering senior recalls. “It was a sensor and controller system integration class. Our project was a cell phone-based system for disaster relief and refugee camps.” The project caught the eye of the course’s instructor, Khanjan Mehta, a senior research associate with the College’s Electronic and Computer Services group, who does a great deal of outreach in Africa.
- Penn State Live: Grants announced for student service projects
  May 2008
  Three service-based student projects have been awarded grants through a joint effort between the International Journal for Service Learning in Engineering (IJSLE) and the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Partnership Foundation. The IJSLE-Carter Academic Service Entrepreneur (CASE) grants are designed to foster collaborative engineering design efforts in community service projects. Winners of the IJSLE-CASE grants receive $1,000 towards the implementation of their projects along with certificates of merit signed by the Carters.
- Penn State Live: Student project to help Tanzanian children wins $10,000 idea contest
  March 2008
  A team of Penn State students have won $10,000 in an online contest that will help fund their project to aid Tanzanian children. The students, from the Colleges of Engineering, Health and Human Development, Business and Medicine, entered their project on ideablob.com to compete for the best social entrepreneurial idea. The team was pitted against seven other finalists during an online vote in February.
- Daily Collegian: Group receives funding
  March 2008
  Last night before a crowd of more than 50 people, Aaron Fleishman along with four other Penn State students were presented with a check for $10,000 for their Mashavu idea. The award winning idea? A network of medical sensors, laptops, and cell phones that connects orphans and citizens in Tanzania with doctors all around the world. The sensors would read bodily vitals such as blood pressure and lung capacity, transferring them directly onto a cell phone. This phone would transmit a signal over the Internet to doctors in countries across the world who "electronically adopt" each patient.
- Penn State Live: Mehta recognized with Kopp International Achievement Award
  March 2008
  Khanjan Mehta, senior research associate in the College of Engineering, is the staff recipient of the 2008 W. LaMarr Kopp International Achievement Award. The award, established in 1995, recognizes faculty and staff members who have contributed significantly to the advancement of the international mission of the University. It is named for the late deputy vice president for international programs.
- Centre Daily Times: Student's plan to bridge health care void
  March 2008
- 25 Degrees: Field Study: Starting a windmill-based business in rural Kenya
  February 2008
  The installation of hybrid power in rural Kenya. The objective was to build the system in Kenya using Kenyan resources, and set up a profit-driven business around it to ensure economic sustainability.
2007
- Daily Freeman: Source of power
  September 2007
  At a time when most college graduates are pounding the pavement in hopes of scoring their first job, 2007 Penn State alumnus Alex Thornton spent the summer after his senior year entrenched in work of another kind: erecting a windmill to generate electricity for villagers in Kochia, Kenya.
2006
- The Daily Collegian: Students explore projects in Africa
  December 2006
  African Student Association members learned about current efforts to improve conditions in Africa and other countries as part of their meeting Friday. Penn State students and faculty presented their ongoing projects in parts of Africa, El Salvador and Kentucky.
- Penn State Live: Penn State engineers address poverty, sustainability through ESW
  July 2006
  For Thomas Colledge, Penn State assistant professor of engineering design, an education in engineering means more than learning the math and science that go into technical design. It also means understanding how those efforts can be used for the betterment of the world.