December Trip to Ethiopia for Solar Power Africa Course

As part of the Solar Power for Africa Course (CME 3010) four Engineering undergraduates and one Industrial Design student traveled to Ethiopia on a two-week trip. The course has been offered annually in the Fall semester with live web links to five universities in sub-Saharan Africa including Haramaya University (HU) in Ethiopia. The students traveled to Addis Ababa via Istanbul and then traveled twelve hours by van across the rift valley to the Oromo Mountains about 50 miles from the Somali border. Students from Haramaya worked with UC students in design and construction of a solar panel support for a small clinic that serves about 2,000 farming families in an agricultural village near HU. The solar panel will power a refrigerator for storage of vaccines and other medicines as well as lights and a computer. The trip also included visits to several cultural and natural sites in Ethiopia including the medieval, walled city of Harar, one of the holy cities of Sufi Islam. In addition to HU the class visited Addis Ababa University School of Design and had lunch with the Cultural Affairs Officer of the US Embassy. The visit to Haramaya was featured on the local radio station. The students gained unique exposure to the developing world and gained insight into how their engineering and design skills can be utilized to address needs in sub-Saharan Africa. Two of the students are pursuing graduate studies next year coupling development work and engineering.

UC students working on the design of a solar panel mount with HU students.

UC students enjoying lunch on the road from Addis Ababa to Haramaya

Ceremony presenting the solar panels to the villagers and local politicians.

Village children and UC students at the elementary school

UC and HU students installing solar panel at clinic while villagers watch.

UC Engineering Students on a volcanic lake in Ethiopia.