The giant suitcase is packed, the inflatable baby is deflated, and the airport-smart shoes are on. Tomorrow I leave for 4 weeks in Zomba, Malawi. I'll be there with two groups: primarily I will work with members of my research lab, the Pediatric Medical Device Institute (PMDI). The goal of PMDI is using creative engineering to design medical devices tailored for use in low-resource communities, specifically Malawi where PMDI has been sending researchers every summer since 2014. My primary work has been designing a system of wireless thermistors that can monitor infant temperature and report it to a tablet. Malnourished children have trouble regulating body temperature because their bodies are calorie conserving, so they can become hypothermic in the night and die. Hospitals in low-resource countries like Malawi are often under-staffed, so a system that lets a single healthcare worker monitor many infant temperatures simultaneously is a good deal! I will be (hopefully) demonstrating this system in the hospitals and getting feedback on how we can improve it.
My companions from PMDI (we call ourselves the med team) will be Dr. Penny Muelenaer, who has been visiting Malawi for many years and who is a physician and MPH, as well as the wife of Dr. Andre Muelenaer, the director of PMDI. She co-directs the lab and specializes in water-related projects. I will also have Ashley Taylor, who just graduated from VT with a masters in mechanical engineering and a masters of public health. This is her third trip to Malawi. Halfway through my 4 weeks, Ashley will head home and we will receive Jessica Top, the chief resident at Carilion Clinic who will be assessing infant and child malnutrition. So that's the PMDI team.
We will be joining an existing study abroad program operated jointly between VT and Radford called "Teaching and Learning in Malawi" which is sending about 7 students and 2 faculty members. I met the students at a meeting in February, but another joined since then and I haven't been able to go to any more meetings...so I will meet the whole team tomorrow! T&L leader Dr. Talbot is our fearless leader in many ways and did all the flight and accommodation selection, so I am really grateful for her. Somehow, everyone on the trip between PMDI and T&L is female, so I am very looking forward to meeting all these adventurous women and forming great relationships.
The general outline of the trip is to land in Lilongwe, travel to Zomba, and stay there for the majority of the 4 weeks. Each day, T&L will go to schools and teach children English while the med team will go to hospitals to observe, assess, and demonstrate. It'll be great to get data from our assessments and show what we've been building, but a major goal of this adventure is to form and maintain strong relationships with our medical partners in Malawi and to show them respect and friendship. Occasionally we will make outings like to a Safari after two weeks, a day trip to Mulanje, and a trip to Cape Maclear at the end.
So that is all the exposition I think. some personal musings:
I am very nervous. As stated (probably supportively) by Dr. Muelenaer in a recent email "this project is Lauren's to make or break." I am not an electrical engineer, nor am I a computer programmer, but those are the bulk of the thermistor project. I am still working on the Android application to make the temperature data easy to interpret, but it's difficult to test because the circuit boards I currently have are limited in their bluetooth communication. I'll get a better version of the boards when I meet the rest of the med team tomorrow (fresh from production by my advisor Dr. Bird), but the idea of working on the project in-country is scary. Also I'll be finishing and submitting my medical school application from Africa which is nerve-racking. Still, better late than never! I am constantly reminding myself that my job in this country is simply to give my best effort and live the spirit of global brotherhood. I have no idea what to expect of Malawi, but those are what I expect of myself.
Lastly, I'm trying out the 5 minute journal...because it was free on my Starbucks app! I'll try to share it every time I post. Here was this morning's:
I am grateful for...
1. My trip to Malawi
2. waking up with Loki on my tummy (Loki is my cat)
3. Faithfulness to trusting the Lord
What will I do to make today great?
1. Letting go of worry
2. Being nice to Mom
3. Read (currently You Before Me)
Daily affirmations. I am...
Loving (or definitely trying to be!)
Thanks everyone for reading and sorry for the lack of exciting Africa info, that'll change pretty soon! With love and insect repellant,
Lauren
some photos from my last day in Yorktown:
Packing was a battle. Thank goodness for space-saver bags.
Our inflatable baby in his travel-form and thermistor supplies
The turtle Mom and I rescued from the street this morning. I will never forget you Charlie.
Seeing my wonderful friend Steph in Reston and exploring this bird nest art.
And for reference:
This is what the thermistor armbands look like. The black bead on the red bit is the sensor, and the circuit board/battery combo has a flat ceramic Bluetooth antenna and is covered in epoxy to waterproof it.
This is Loki, a very silly cat.
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