Summary of Ideas Fair Projects
Emergency planning and other projects (slides, .pdf, .8MB) The City of Somerville Health Department is overseeing all emergency planning for the city. They have a range of issues that they could use support on, including: maintaining power to home medical equipment during power outages; water purification for shelters during contamination, so as not to need to boil water; administering large quantities of vaccines/medications during a pandemic. Ben will discuss these projects on behalf of the city. Ben will also provide information about a potential project on hazardous material detection in New Orleans. Finally, this session will be an opportunity for students to learn how Ben can support their work throughout the semester on any service project. Elderly travel emergencies (slides, .pdf, 14.7MB) The Visiting Nurse Association runs several elder care facilities, including two in Somerville. The home itself has a Life Alert system to notify staff of an emergency in a room. However, the VNA also takes its residents on trips outside the facility, and has no such system for safety. MIT emergency planning (slides, .pdf, 5.6 MB) The MIT Police Department is deeply involved in emergency planning and response on MIT's campus. The Chief is interested in talking about a range of possible projects for students to take on. Flooding issues (slides, .pdf, 22.4 MB) The DCR's Hazard Management department primarily focuses on flooding. There are a number of potential projects for lower-level emergency flooding. One involves protecting utilities during a flood, to prevent power outages and fire. Another possibility revolves around evacuation during a flood; recently a nursing home had to evacuate patients in laundry hampers. Rural and developing country challenges (slides, .pdf, 1.7 MB) Design that Matters will present two specific projects. The first challenge is keeping TB medication cold in rural communities without electricity. The second is creating a device to protect and warm infants in rural communities. Issues involving public safety (slides, .pdf, .9 MB) Chief Holloway would like to discuss a range of potential opportunities with the students. While he does not have a specific project in mind, he will discuss issues around public safety and other emergency situations. MIT security and emergency management (slides, .pdf, .15 MB) The EHS and Security and Emergency Management Office work closely with Cambidge Police and Fire to effectively deal with emergencies on the MIT campus. Peter and the SEMO representative will bring projects around a range of campus emergencies, and will be looking for student ideas on products that could support the mission. Hospitals and clinics The Cambridge Health Alliance works with many hospitals around public health preparedness. Lynn is putting together both specific and general proposals around support for hospitals and clinics during pandemics, including H1N1. Homeless challenges Heading Home supports homeless individuals moving into low-income housing. They run shelters, but the main focus of their program is this permanent housing. Many of their clients do not have phones; Heading Home is looking for a way to have security systems or intercoms without phones. They may also have other products for supporting students. Cambridge emergency management Cambridge Emergency Management has a number of potential projects that students could undertake, including work with the Fire Department to work on emergency situations.
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