Karibuni Tena! Welcome back everyone!

Although Week 7 had its challenges, it was filled with even more unforgettable memories and more progress on all of our projects as we head into our last week in Tanzania!

Upon our arrival from Zanzibar this past weekend, myself and Aryun along with several of our friends at DIT who traveled with us were able to recharge our batteries heading into our penultimate week in Tanzania.

We had planned on beginning experiments with cow intestines on the gastroschisis bag heading into week 7. However, beginning Monday morning I began to develop a stomach ache. As the day went on, this stomach ache worsened and I ended up leaving the design studio early to get some rest. After discussing my illness with our host mentor Mr. Joel, he was able to deliver me much needed antibiotics and medication. A day of rest later and plenty of liquids consumed, I was feeling better than ever! It is very easy to get in your head when feeling under the weather in a new country, thousands of miles away from home. With that said, I am incredibly grateful to have such an understanding and helpful host mentor like Mr. Joel as well as a thoughtful and kind co-intern like Aryun. They, along with our friend Gerrard from DIT were able to deliver me all the food and medicine needed for my recovery.

While I was getting some much needed rest and recovering from my stomach ache, Aryun was able to make some good progress with the gastroschisis bag. Using cow intestines and spare leather with a 4 cm cut, we were able to simulate a newborn with gastroschisis. Preliminary leakage tests conducted with our silo bag prototype yielded promising results!

By Wednesday, I was feeling a lot better so I headed back into the design studio to progress with all of our different projects. Throughout the week, we made incredible progress with the NICU-T continuous temperature monitor for newborns. I learned that when creating devices, they seem to stop working right when everything is assembled which requires disassembly to diagnose the problem for reassembly again. After much trial and error, I was able to develop a workable prototype of NICU-T!

This was an incredibly gratifying experience for me. This prototype of NICU-T represented almost 2 months of hard work and multiple failures with getting the code to work, reprinting multiple cases for the device, and brainstorming how many batteries would be enough to supply power just to name a few. As much as I wanted to celebrate and showcase this device to neonatologists at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH), I knew there was more work to be done. In order to put forth the best prototype possible, I got back to the designing board and reprinted the case to include two backstrap holes such that this device could be fastened to the crib with easy removal. Additionally, I resoldered the wires for the two temperature probes, repurposing a charging cord such that the wires would be more insulated and pose a lesser danger to the newborn and nurses. Below was the final prototype we ended up showcasing 2 months of hard work! The final prototype features two displays for the baby’s temperature and ambient temperature inside the crib. It also features a battery level indicator and a speaker that will sound an alarm and a red LED that will flash when the baby’s temperature goes above or below a pre-set threshold. This alarm can then be switched off with a mute button located in the middle while the alarm light continues to flash until the baby’s temperature returns to normal.

We were lucky enough to showcase NICU-T to the chief pediatric surgeon at MNH as well as one of the neonatologist. We received valuable feedback including a better fastening system to the cribs as well as a method to recharge the batteries once they deplete their charge.

There was also immense work done for the photo-light therapy device to treat newborns with jaundice. Much of our work this week consisted of devising both the sliding mechanism along the rails for the two LED light strips as well as the rotating mechanism. After receiving the metal frame of our device, we began 3D printing different prototype of the locking mechanism as well as repurposing PVC tubing to serve as the casing for the two LED light strips.

Lastly, for the infant transport incubator, we were able to design the casing to house all of the heating elements and circuitry. We settled on a material known as Alucobond which is composed of two layers of aluminium sheet metal with a fire-retardent layer in the middle such that the device can withstand the temperature of the heating element. Below is the design of the casing and the printed elements.

On Friday, we were able to find enough time at the end of the day to play a fun game of billiards at the local City Mall. Even though I lost almost every game, it was incredibly fun to play with our friends from DIT.

As we approach our final week, I am eager to showcase all our projects to the physicians and neonatologists at MNH. Before departing for my internship, I read past interns’ blogs and noticed a common theme: time in host countries seems to fly by. I can now wholeheartedly echo that sentiment, as it’s hard to believe I have just one week left here in Tanzania. This experience has been truly transformative as I have learned many new hardware and software skills, made countless unforgettable memories, and made lifelong friends at DIT. While I am reluctant to see it end, I am excited to see what this last week holds for me and Aryun.

As always, Asante Sana!! Thank you all for tuning in!

-Suran

Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog! Our fourth week was amazing, and marked a shift from the brainstorming/designing phase of our projects to the prototyping phase! The week involved finalizing designs, testing materials, presenting our projects at a health conference, and even speaking with local street vendors to purchase industrial-grade materials. Twende!

In terms of designing, we spent the earlier portions of the week drawing printed circuit boards (PCBs) for our devices. The PCB of a device is used to electrically connect its components, so that they can work together. It was very interesting to not only learn how a circuit board works, but to actually build one from scratch! We also spent time simulating a heating system for our transportable incubator. We discussed many methods of controlling the internal temperature, ultimately settling on a heated-blowing system using a fan.

Since we already made initial prototypes for the gastroschisis bag, we moved on to testing the materials. There are a variety of plastics to choose from, and different ways to seal the bags. We created many combinations of materials and sealing methods and conducted water leakage testing.

Something I’ve realized at this point in the internship is that engineering is a very multidisciplinary field, regardless of what type of engineer you are; our devices have mechanical aspects, electrical aspects, and software that all work together under the guise of a biomedical issue. Some of our projects involve more of one field than others (gastroschisis bag is mostly mechanical, NICU temperature sensor is mostly electrical and coding-based), but all fields rely on each other to some extent. That’s why engineering is so complex and has many applications, but also why it can be challenging!

On the last two days of the week, we attended the 2024 MUHAS Scientific Conference, where we heard from distinguished health professionals on their various research projects. We were also able to present our projects on behalf of NEST360, and speak with local medical students and faculty/lecturers. It was a great learning experience, and a way to see what innovative research people are doing!

Over the weekend, we visited Kariakoo Market, one of the largest and busiest markets of East Africa, to find materials for building our hardware. I was amazed by how vibrant and packed the streets were, with vendors selling produce, clothes, accessories, automotive parts, electrical devices, construction materials, furniture, and pretty much anything else you can think of! We talked with a few shop-owners, but didn’t end up buying anything that day. After that, we spent time walking through the entire market and trying some local snacks!

Overall, week four was very productive and eventful, and I’m glad that we’ve made a lot of progress in the first half of the program! Hopefully the next four weeks don’t go by as fast, but are just as significant.

Tutaonana baadaye,

Aryun

Karibuni Tena!! Welcome back to my blog!

Week 5 was filled with amazing progress on all four of our projects, valuable feedback from clinicians, and even more unforgettable memories!

On Monday, we hit the ground running by brainstorming design ideas for the photolight therapy device. There were multiple ideas discussed involving modelling our device off of current prototypes that NEST360 has developed. These included the different models of Colibri, one that featured an adjustable panel with blue lights attached and another with two strips of lights with a gap in the middle to allow for the use of a radiant warmer. After much brainstorming, we ended up deciding to move forward with a design that incorporates both models. Our proposed design looks very similar to the Colibri model with two separated light strips, however, it will feature both a sliding mechanism to join the two fixtures if a radiant warmer is not being used in tandem and a rotating mechanism as to provide the maximal light intensity to the baby to treat Jaundice as necessary by the nurse.

On Tuesday, we met with Dr. Evelyn, a neonatologist working at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) where we received valuable feedback on the gastroschisis bag project. Initial meetings with Dr. Evelyn provided us with enough guidance to pivot from the original IV bag design into one that resembled the Alexis Wound Retractor that is currently being used for babies with gastroschisis. After designing and producing multiple types of the redesigned gastroschisis bag, with different ring sizes and bag materials, we presented them to Dr. Evelyn, who was very impressed with our progress. Although impressed, she mentioned that it was of utmost importance to test whether the bag material would be able to withstand UV-C radiation for sterilization purposes. Additionally, she mentioned leakage tests and tests with simulated gastroschisis treatment protocols should be conducted to further test the validity of the prototype. With such valuable feedback gained from Dr. Evelyn, we headed back to the design studio to prepare for such tests throughout the week.

As for the photolight therapy project, we began testing on what the exact power specifications of the lights were. By noting the power consumption and overall layout of the different LEDs, we can have a better idea of how the entire system with all components can fit together.

On Wednesday, we decided to work more on NICU-T, the continuous temperature sensor for newborns. Seeing as we completed the design of the electronics on the breadboard, it was now time to translate this onto a printed circuit board (PCB). Completely new to circuit designing, I was incredibly grateful that the students at DIT were kind enough to teach me all about the different aspects the PCB software included. After lots and lots (and lots) of trial and error, I was finally able to design a fully functional (hopefully) PCB that included all necessary parts for the final device! Below you can see images of the different components and connections as well as a 3D rendering of the PCB:

Later in the day, we celebrated Cleria’s birthday, a fellow design studio student! It was incredible to see just how close each student was with one another and even the design studio coordinator. While experiencing this fun event, it really felt as though we were all celebrating a family member’s birthday. After eating delicious chocolate cake and drinking apple cider, we then celebrated even further with some dancing.

On Thursday Ali, one of the students at DIT, took me along on a short 5 minute walk to a nearby printing service where we could print the circuit design on gloss paper. Once we had this precious printed PCB design, we could then begin with the PCB making process. We used an iron to melt the ink of the PCB design onto the actual copper plate. Then, using vinegar, table salt, and hydrogen peroxide with all amounts used according to Ali’s expert opinion, we were able to create the desired solution. This solution reacted with the exposed layer of copper and left the copper beneath the ink untouched, which will now be the routes of the different connections of our circuit! It was now time to drill the pin holes for each connection on the PCB.

Seeing as this was my first time ever designing and building a PCB, it was an extremely grateful and humbling experience being taught both the mechanics and principles behind circuit design and knowing that this process is repeated dozens of times each week for all kind of projects students here at DIT work on. After soldering most of the pins, all that is left to do is solder the rest, 3D print the case for the device and assemble everything and the first prototype of NICU-T should be complete!

Friday morning, we continued work on the last project, the transport incubator for infants. We first began by brainstorming what heating mechanism would be best suitable for the device such that it remains effective and rapidly heating the crib but also portable and maintains a low power consumption. We narrowed it down to two different heating mechanisms: multiple, small heating pads that can line the inside of the crib and a small heating rod with an accompanying small fan to lightly fan the warm air throughout the crib. We first tested the heating pads and initial tests suggest that the heat output of the pads were relatively low, so next week we plan on testing the heating rod and fan mechanism to determine which one to move forward with.

Later in the day, we began working on our independent project. When we visited MNH hospital, Aryun and I noticed lengthy queues in the waiting area to get into the hospital as well as those waiting to pick up prescription medication from the pharmacy connected to MNH. We discussed this issue with several students from the connected Muhimbili University of Health and Applied Sciences (MUHAS) as well as students from DIT and were able to further identify a specific problem space where doctors often prescribe patients medication, but when the patients wait in line and finally arrive at the pharmacy to pick up their medication, it may be out of stock or expired so they have to return at a later date. After working with Josh, one of my great friends I have made at DIT, we began initial work on a rudimentary software application where pharmacists can input their stock of medication where doctors can access this stock before the prescribe medication to see which medication is available. Seeing as I am completely new to database coding and application building, it was quite a challenge to begin working on this project but with the immense help from students at DIT, I am confident we can create something operational by the end of the program!

After a long day and even longer week of work on all four of the prototypes, Aryun and I, along with our friends from DIT decided to go out for dinner and watch the Euros knockout game on our phones. Everyone had different teams that they supported so it was incredibly fun to watch the game and everyone’s differing reactions.

 

I began this internship feeling a mix of nervous excitement and anxiety. The prospect of working on four projects, plus an independent project, seemed incredibly daunting, especially with the added challenge of collaborating with people I had never met before. However, all the stress and uneasiness I felt before the program quickly vanished, as this experience has already been truly life-changing. Over the past five weeks, we have achieved more than I ever imagined and formed connections with some of the most genuine people, who I can confidently say are now lifelong friends. It’s hard to believe we’re already at the end of Week 5. While I’m sad that we’re more than halfway through, I’m excited to see what the next few weeks have in store for Aryun and me!

Thanks for sticking to the end of my blog and I’ll see you again in a couple weeks!

Asante Sana!!!

Karibuni tena! or Welcome back!

This past week was filled with productive progress on our prototypes, beautiful scenery, and unforgettable memories. It’s hard to believe it is only Week 3!

In the week prior, President DesRoches and Rice360 affiliates visited different hospitals in Tanzania and the design studio here in DIT to commemorate the launch of Phase 2 of NEST360. It was incredibly gratifying to showcase all the progress Aryun and I have made so far as well as all of the amazing projects the students here at DIT developed. We also received a lot of promising feedback and ideas for all four projects as we head into this week.

Seeing as Monday was a national holiday (Eid al-Adha), Aryun and I spent our day catching up on some much needed sleep, as well as a trip to the local City Mall where we hit the gym and ate some good grub.

Heading into Tuesday, we continued our work on all of the four projects.

For the photo-light therapy device, we continued brainstorming the physical shape of the project. There are multiple devices currently in use for neonatal care and it is important to keep this in mind as to develop a device that can be compatible with as many pre-existing technologies. As for the continuous newborn temperature sensor, or NICU-T, we first began by outlining the flow diagram for the device in order to better help us code for all the different sensors, probes, and displays. Below you can see the brainstorming process in action and later you can see the working rough sketch of our device that we completed on Friday!

For the gastroschisis bag, we were able to develop a prototype of the wound retractor that is currently being used in hospitals around Tanzania. The current wound retractor features a rubber ring connected to a latex material with another rubber ring at the top. Our prototype consists of rubber rings that originate from a nearby shop with similar elastic properties to the wound retractor. With regards to the gastroschisis bag, it is quite important that we design a device that consists of locally sourced materials such that it can be reproduced en masse locally in Tanzania. This would substantially improve the supply of gastroschisis bags as currently, Muhimibili National Hospital receives around 200-300 bags as donations to supply to hospitals for the entire neonatal population of Tanzania.

On Wednesday, we woke up bright and early to visit the nearby Ifakara Health Institute where the NEST360 offices are located. Here, we were welcomed by many NEST360 affiliates and discussed recent progress on current and future projects and devices. We were also able to receive more valuable feedback on the projects we are currently working on. It was absolutely incredible to see how despite how busy those working at NEST360 were, they were still able to make time and include everyone’s contributions to all of the different projects they are currently working on.

Thursday and Friday consisted of progressive work on all four projects. For the previously mentioned NICU-T project, after hours and hours and hours of trial and error, we finally developed a working prototype with all of the components. It’s remarkable how straightforward the initial flowchart of the device was, compared to how difficult getting the code figured out was. Briefly, this device will be able to continuously monitor the baby’s body and ambient temperature and sound a visual and audible alarm which will then have a reset button for the nurse to press to turn off the buzzer. This is designed to replace the current method of manual temperature checks with thermometers every 4-6 hours. Below, you can see the fully designed initial prototype of NICU-T.

With regards to the transport infant incubator project, we designed a low-fidelity prototype out of cardboard that features all of the intended capabilities the future device will have. Key considerations we discussed were the method of heating (utilizing heating pads or a gentle heating fan), the efficiency and speed of the heating mechanism, and the power consumption of the device as to maximize the amount of operational time while the baby is in transport from one setting to another. We then developed higher-fidelity prototype with pre-existing materials and will begin testing starting next week. Below you can see the different prototypes for the device:

Alternate Prototype with Heating Pads

Seeing that we made much progress on all of our projects, we decided to plan a trip to Serengeti National Park, just before the end of the Great Migration. Friday evening, we boarded our flight to the city of Arusha (my first time on a propellor plane!). We then woke up outlandishly early Saturday morning and travelled with a group of 6 to Serengeti National Park. Our driver Damian taught us that in the Maasai language, Serengeti means endless plains and it was clear why. The beautiful savannah of Serengeti seems to go on forever, in every direction.

We were lucky enough to see a cheetah, giraffes, and even some sleepy lion cubs!

At the end of our game drive, Damian drove us to our lodge where we woke up the next morning to a wild buffalo yards away from our room (which seemed to scare Aryun more so than me😂). Early Sunday we traveled to the nearby Ngorongoro Crater. Damian mentioned that long ago, this crater was a large volcano (taller than Kilimanjaro!) that erupted and left behind a crater almost 12 miles in diameter. As we traveled down and into the crater, every view seemed to be more beautiful than the last. We were also able to stop and get a much needed hot chocolate at the only coffee truck-shop in the entire crater (seems like a good business!).

It was an incredibly surreal experience to witness animals I’ve seen in nature documentaries in their vast, breathtaking natural habitat. From elephants, giraffes, wildebeest, buffalo, hippos, more lions, and even a rhino, we were lucky enough to see it all.

After a short 1 hour drive to Kiliminjaro, we took a quick flight back to Dar Sunday night just in time to get some sleep and prepare for next week. Here in Dar, each week seems to top the last! With that said, I truly cannot wait to see what the next month has in store for us.

Thanks again for joining me on my blog… Asante Sana!

…also here’s a photo of Aryun and I stopping to get our new favorite snack, kitumbua, on our way back to our hotel in Arusha

Hello everyone, and welcome back to my blog! Last week was packed with amazing activities, from visiting neonatal surgeons in national hospitals to commemorating the expansion of NEST360 initiatives in Tanzania to showcasing our projects to the President of Rice University and advisory board members! There’s a lot to cover, so I’ll get right into it!

We started the week by visiting Muhimbili National Hospital to get feedback on our projects from pediatricians and neonatologists. As the largest hospital in the country, Muhimbili often receives patients from referral hospitals in surrounding regions, so it has access to the most resources and surgeons. As such, we wanted to speak with doctors from this hospital first, as they could give us a broad idea of the areas in which the most support is needed.

We spent three days receiving general advice on all four of our projects (low-cost gastroschisis bag, neonatal temperature sensor, infant transport incubator, and phototherapy machine). The feedback was extremely constructive, ranging from the intricate mechanisms and features of the designs to which materials would work best. There are many factors we hadn’t initially considered, and the doctors advised us to keep the end user – the patient – in mind during all phases of the engineering process. Suran and I quickly learned that our ideas needed to be taken apart and put back together, over and over again, to make an efficient and sustainable product.

We’ve made lots of headway incorporating the feedback of the doctors, and we already have an initial prototype of the gastroschisis bag that resembles a commercial one!

Later in the week, President DesRoches of Rice University, several Rice360 advisory board members, and representatives of NEST360 arrived in Dar for the NEST360 Phase 2 launch!

The launch celebrated the past 5 years of improved neonatal health outcomes due to collaborations between local hospitals and NEST360. It also marked the beginning of new partnerships and technological expansion, with NEST360 committing another 5 years towards increasing accessibility to medical technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa. The ceremony was nationally televised, and government officials even spoke at the event to endorse the efforts of the collaboration!

On Friday, the visitors from Rice University came to DIT to witness a showcase of the design studio and all of its current projects. It was a privilege to show the work that we’re doing to members of the Rice community and give them a glimpse into our day-to-day. After lunch, we said goodbye to our friends from Rice, and just like that week two was in the books!

Well, almost. The weekend brought its own adventures, namely beach soccer! We took a short ferry to a nice beach with some of our friends from DIT and our mentor, Joel. We set up some sticks as the goals, and ended up playing until there was no more sunlight. I was quickly humbled by the terrain and the skills of the DIT students; playing in the sand is harder than it looks!

That’s all for now, I hope you enjoyed! It’s hard to believe that June is almost over; it feels like just yesterday when we landed here. Looking forward to more wonderful experiences. Stay tuned!

Aryun