International Engineering Proposal

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Background Our generation has become attached to technology, a fixation characterized by our endless fascination with our cell phones. Therefore, it didn’t take long for our group, engineers of different majors, different backgrounds, and different beliefs, to find some common ground: our cell phones. Any college student feels at a disadvantage if they forget their phone during a class or two; our group immediately realized how disadvantaged those in developing nations are without the same technology we take for granted. Therefore, after some brain storming, we decided to create a venture in which we could distribute inexpensive cell phones to those in developing nations. After some research and more brainstorming, it was evident that many people in Africa have access to cell phones, yet may be unable to charge them due to little access to electricity. However, people in Sub-Saharan Africa do have access to ample sunlight. It became clear that our focus should be on distributing inexpensive solar powered cell phones to people in Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, because someone in our group was already familiar with Nigeria due to their involvement in Engineers Without Borders, we narrowed down our region of interest to Nigeria. Objective/Accomplishments The main objective of our project is to create and distribute an affordable, user-friendly cell phone based on the needs of the Sub-Saharan population. In order to fulfill these standards, we plan to create a cell phone that is equipped with a solar panel and distribute it in Nigeria. The cell phone’s importance in everyday life is simple: it connects people from different societies over vast distances. Kathryn Vercillo describes cell phones as a “prerequisite to maintaining ... ... middle of paper ... ... Active. Mobile Active. Web. 26 Oct. 2011. . "The Life Cycle of a Cell Phone." US Environmental Protection Agency. Web. 02 Nov. 2011. . Marks, Paul. "Self-Powered Displays Keep Gadgets Live." New Scientist 194.2602 (2007): 30. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Nov. 2011. Umesi, Napoleon O., and Sinclair Onyia. "Disposal Of E-Wastes In Nigeria: An Appraisal Of Regulations And Current Practices." International Journal Of Sustainable Development & World Ecology 15.6 (2008): 565-573. Academic Search Premier. Web. 4 Nov. 2011. Vercillo, Kathryn. "Mobile Phones in the Third World." Mobile Phone Blog. 30 Apr. 2008. Web. 04 Nov. 2011. .

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