UK Students Bring Renewable Energy Technology to Africa

By Denise Brazzell

Jeffery Seay, assistant professor of chemical and materials engineering at the UK Paducah campus, led seven UK Paducah chemical and mechanical engineering students in a design project to develop low-cost, environmentally friendly technologies to produce biodiesel for rural villagers in Cameroon, Africa. Seay and the students worked with the African Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology (ACREST) to design the process using resources and materials readily available in Cameroon. A 10-day trip to Bangang, Cameroon to work with the local villagers in implementing and refining the design was the culmination of the year-long project.

UK Students Provide Branding Help to South African Charities

By Erin Berger

This summer, seven University of Kentucky students traveled to Cape Town, South Africa, for a three-week course on integrated strategic communication. 

These students professionally designed and pitched branding campaigns for two separate child welfare organizations in the Cape Town community, both of which are currently being implemented.The course offered students the opportunity to apply their classroom knowledge in a global professional context while exploring the challenges of diversity.

Students Samantha Brown, Alex Gorrell, Ellen Jacobs, Bryan O'Loughlin, Sarah Peterson, Ashley Scoby and Ali Wallace toured various places of interest, such as Robben Island, and experienced overnight homestays in the township of Gugulethu. They spoke with numerous people about their experiences, how South African culture has shifted after the end of apartheid, and their struggles in communicating within such a diverse population.

“This experience reminded me that there are bigger things out there — bigger things than myself. Bigger problems than America’s problems, and bigger-hearted people than I will ever be,” said Ashley Scoby, a rising sophomore journalism major. “Expanding my worldview and being part of something larger and more impactful than I ever could have been a part of in the U.S. is what I will mostly take away from my time in South Africa.”

Read more in UKNow. 

Shoulder to Shoulder Global Celebrates Fifth Anniversary

By Sarah Geegan, Craig Borie

Shoulder to Shoulder Global's May 2012 brigade to Ecuador marked the fifth anniversary of the Centro Médico Hombro a Hombro program in Santo Domingo, Ecuador. Students, faculty and staff from the UK College of Health Sciences, UK College of Arts and Sciences, Transylvania University as well as members of the community attended to 704 patients at the Centro Médico and partnering communities.