Milking the RhinoInnovative Solutions Showcase

Amanda Perez + Khanjan MehtaHumanitarian Engineering & Social Entrepreneurship

(HESE) ProgramThe Pennsylvania State University

HESE: Convergence for Impact

Affordable Greenhouses Solar Food Dehydrator

Mashavu Telemedicine Business Networking

Milking the Rhino: The Documentary

• Jeannie Magill, Originator and Co-Producer

• Kartemquin Films and Bullfrog Productions

• How the Maasai and HimbaMilked the Rhino: Leveraged natural resources (wildlife) to empower own community by tourism and conservation

www.milking therhino.org/film.php

Indigenous Knowledge

…is the accumulated experience, wisdom and know-how of a local environment that has been developed over many generations through careful observation, listening, experimentation and adaptation

Educational Goals

Indigenous Knowledge and User Centered

Design &

Ethics & Self Determination

Global EngagementInnovation &

Entrepreneurship

HESE

The Challenge• Empower indigenous

communities to sustainably utilize their cultural and natural resources

• Engage students to identify pressing issues and design sustainable and creative solutions

Competition Guidelines

• Video pitch of indigenous problem and innovative solutions

• 3 minute video uploaded to Youtube.com

• 1-4 students per video, external advisor permitted if acknowledged in video

• Videos are public and must abide by all copyright regulations

http://mtrsolutions.weebly.com/solution-guidelines.html

Judging Criteria:5 member interdisciplinary panel

Problem

• Specific problem is articulated

• Appropriate for context and population

• Addresses African problem

Solution

• Innovative, practical, feasible

• Economically sustainable

• Potential for Scale Up?

Video

• Pitch has logical Flow

• Audio and visual are professional, entertain and intrigue

Farrell Center for Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship

MTR-ISS Sponsors

Sample Solutions

• Simple and inexpensive method of extracting Avocado seed oil for sale to cosmetic industry.

• Making jewelry from indigenous resources

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgAyOVI5E-c

• Indigenous pottery techniques

• Moringa Seeds

Design $550 Affordable Greenhouse

Assessment Results

• Focus groups:

• Global awareness, teamwork, communication and collaboration skills– constraints and challenges of the competition

– impact of student learning relative to the competition

• All students agreed that this competition helped them better understand the challenges and opportunities facing indigenous people

Assessment Results

• “I learned that designing low cost engineering solutions can be successful for people with economic hardship”

• “The idea of learning about your users is important [in order] to know your users”

• Time management and collaboration created challenges for the teams. They wanted clearly defined objectives and expectations!

Critical Reflection

• Entrepreneurship

• Q• Global Education

• Q

Critical Reflection

• Indigenous Knowledge + Western Knowledge

• Development Ethics & Self Determination

• Innovation and Entrepreneurship

• Global Engagement

• Context-Driven + User-Centered Design

• Systems Design

Is it worth it?

• Student teams

– “Random” Students

– Integrated into classes

– Real Ventures

• University Competition?

• Global Competition?

To Milk or not to Milk the Rhino?