HUMANITARIAN PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT
~ Open to All Majors ~
Go HERE to apply
Course Schedule:
ES 277 Humanitarian Product Design: Fall (MW 4-6 pm)
ES 277 Humanitarian Product Prototyping: Spring (MW 4-6 pm)
Course Overview:
This program was created in response to students’ desires to apply their engineering skills to solve some of the world’s most compelling problems. Humanitarian Product Development is a project-based course for undergrads. Students work in small teams to address the needs of refugees, displaced people, and others who have limited resources. Projects are suggested by a senior officer at the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), who provides guidance throughout the semester. Over the course of two semesters, teams work to research, conduct experiments, and create prototypes while learning about principles of design, project management, and product development.
The class will consist of ~20 engineering students plus ~5 students from other disciplines such as Design, Social Work, Public Health, Natural Sciences, Nursing, and Liberal Arts. Each team will consist of ~4 engineering students and a student from another field who will bring expertise on the social, economic, or cultural aspects of the product. This is a hands-on course and students will spend much of their time in campus labs, or at our field lab working on their prototypes.
Example Syllabus:
ES 277 Syllabus-2025-Spring
Past Projects:
- Solar heating for a low-cost biodigester
- Dewatering device to process latrine waste
- Device for fabricating customizable sanitary pads
- Minimal solar-powered lighting system for latrines
- Sensor to relay information across satellites and internet
- Small-scale wind energy generator for lighting and charging phones
Contact Info:
Dr. Janet Ellzey (course coordinator) – jellzey@mail.utexas.edu
Professor Bailey Briscoe Jones (course instructor) – bailey.jones@utexas.edu