Engaging Undergraduate Students to Solve

Global Health Technology Challenges

Maria OdenDepartment of Bioengineering

Rice 360o Institute for Global Health Technologies Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen

Rice 360o: Global Health Technologies

HaitiMexico

Nicaragua

Ecuador

Brazil

GuatemalaHonduras India

LesothoSwaziland

Botswana

Nigeria Rwanda

MozambiqueMalawi

Tanzania

Sierra Leone

United States

• Established 2008• Based in School of

Engineering• Minor in GLHT• Students from all

majors• Design based program:

Freshman thru Senior • Internships

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

23.5%

64.6%

Survival for Babies with RDS

Surv

ival

(%)

4/17 31/48

Keys to Success/Lessons Learned• Real projects with real partners in the field• Internship opportunities• Long-term commitment to solve challenges• Listen to partners in the field• Identify need, understand context, design, build,

evaluate, iterate, re-evaluate, lather, rinse, repeat…. • Encourage journal publication• Pursue opportunities for follow on grants to advance

successful projects• Commercialization partners