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March 28, 2005 Vol. 76,
no. 10S
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| CARING
CONCEPTS: Sketches of protective gear drawn
by students in E 10. The students created product designs that would
help protect farm workers in California's agricultural valleys from
pesticides.
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Designing
for the greater good
E 10 class creates gear to protect farm workers
from pesticides
Laborers in California's
agricultural valleys are routinely exposed to pesticides. They inhale
pesticides from the air, drink pesticides in the water, and wear them
in their clothes. The result isn't good, said ME professor Alice Agogino.
Studies have found that human exposure to pesticides is linked to cancer,
birth defects, stillbirth, infertility and nervous system damage. Agogino
asked her E 10 Engineering Design and Analysis students to help. Their
assignment? Design a cost-effective and user-friendly product that would
protect farm workers as they go about their jobs.
No ordinary class exercise, but then, this is no ordinary class. In
an experimental version of E 10, Agogino's class is one of three five-week
modules the students are taking this semester. New this year, Agogino's
module is called "Human-Centered Community Design."
With this approach, Agogino says, "Students learn to hone their observation
skills and develop an empathy for the people they're designing for."
That leads to better design, she says, and, in this case, supports underserved
communities.
The project got its start during a brainstorm last year. A student familiar
with the farm worker community relayed the pesticide problem to Agogino
and Leslie Speer, an instructor at California College of Arts (CCA).
The professors thought, Why couldn't Berkeley engineers design protective
gear, and why couldn't CCA students build a prototype? The two pitched
their idea to Procter & Gamble. In December, the company awarded
them $40,000 to develop a design.
Enter Jaime Suavedra, a chemistry junior, and Jose Gomez, a chemistry/
biology senior. Suavedra's family farmed in Mexico, and Gomez's parents
work in California's fields. Gomez picked grapes during high school.
When Agogino asked for class helpers, the two volunteered. "I've always
wanted to help my community," says Gomez. "This was a perfect example
of applying what I know from school and helping my community."
The two became class advisors and crucial resources. With their help,
students created profiles of typical farm workers and then traveled
to the small agricultural town of Earlimart in the Central Valley to
ask farm workers about their needs.
The class spent the next couple weeks hammering out designs. They focused
on protective eyewear and headgear, a water filtration system and protective
clothing. On Febuary 18, they presented their designs to a positive
reception from the instructors.
"I think I have a better understanding of what engineering is now,"
said ME freshman and E10 student Leslie Uke.
CCA students are busy refining the designs and building a prototype.
The end goal? "I would like something to be produced and have the workers
embrace it," says Suavedra. "I'd like to see everybody in the fields
wearing our designs and staying protected."
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