Grand Challenges Living Learning Community
Before attending Georgia Tech, I applied to the Grand Challenges Living Learning Community, which is a program that allows participants to live in the same dormitory together and to work on projects tackling wicked problems that have real-world impacts. I have always dreamed of making my mark on the world, and I thought that this program would be the perfect opportunity to pursue something truly worthwhile. That worthwhile project evolved into VivalinQ.
After being accepted into the program, I quickly formed a group of like-minded philanthropic and entrepreneurial students. We called our group the Guardians, because we wanted to safeguard people all across the globe. We were also all big fans of the Marvel cinematic universe, and the Guardians of the Galaxy particularly struck a chord with us. As a group of misfits with wildly different backgrounds coming together for the common good, we bonded in a similar way to the characters in the movie. Little did I know that, like the Guardians of the Galaxy, I too was forging lifelong friendships and that my work would lay the foundation for great scientific advancement.
After being accepted into the program, I quickly formed a group of like-minded philanthropic and entrepreneurial students. We called our group the Guardians, because we wanted to safeguard people all across the globe. We were also all big fans of the Marvel cinematic universe, and the Guardians of the Galaxy particularly struck a chord with us. As a group of misfits with wildly different backgrounds coming together for the common good, we bonded in a similar way to the characters in the movie. Little did I know that, like the Guardians of the Galaxy, I too was forging lifelong friendships and that my work would lay the foundation for great scientific advancement.
A Practice Problem:
Reducing Stress at Georgia Tech
Before we could begin brainstorming the ideal problem space, we were assigned a practice problem: reducing stress at Georgia Tech. After researching the physiological mechanisms, psychological reactions to stress, and countermeasures the body employs during demanding situations, we interviewed other students and found quantifiable experiments and statistics. We discovered that stress at Georgia Tech primarily arose from the academic demands of classes as opposed to social or economic factors. Thus, we began determining ways our team could maximize productivity while minimizing stress. Through our research, we found that the optimal productivity ratio was 52 minutes of work to 17 minutes of rest or break. So, we prototyped an ergonomic cushion with an Arduino microcontroller on the side. The Arduino would emit an ascending tone (alarm) 52 minutes after the user sat down on the cushion. Then, after the user stood up, the Arduino would emit a descending tone 17 minutes later. This cycle would repeat until the user switched off the Arduino. The idea behind this device was that the user would not need to think about using the device; as soon as he or she sat down, he or she would be reminded to take breaks to lessen stress without having to turn on the device or open an application. Our team was proud of our project, and although we needed to transition from the practice problem to our new project, we learned about research, teamwork, brainstorming, ideating, and prototyping. We identified a problem as a team and worked towards solving it.
Discovering A New Path:
VivalinQ
Another teammate recalled that one of his high school teachers was a volunteer firefighter who kept his gear in the trunk of his car. This seemed odd to us, so we did research and found that up to 70% of firefighters die from cancer, as opposed to 22% for the general population. The incorporation of synthetic material into household items like furniture causes the smoke generated by burning these materials to be more carcinogenic. However, most firefighters are not breathing in the carcinogens. They have SCBA masks connected to oxygen tanks, and the masks have a positive pressure to prevent any smoke from getting in if the mask were to be loose. Carcinogens like PAH and benzene are getting into the firefighter’s body through their skin. Dermal absorption rates increase 400% for every 5 degree increase in temperature, and due to the high temperatures associated with firefighting, these brave firefighters are absorbing ample amounts of carcinogens via their skin. We presented our findings to our program coordinators and other Georgia Tech professors, and we received praise for our work. Since the spring semester was ending, some of our teammates could not commit to our project for the next year, but two teammates and I decided to continue the project.
Once my group came back to Georgia Tech for the fall semester, we got right to work. We did even more research and began reaching out to local fire stations asking for tours and interviews. Soon, we met with firefighters from Gwinnett Fire Station 11, and they gave us a tour of their station. After examining their firetruck, rest area, gear-washing room, and equipment room, we interviewed them about the risks associated with being a firefighter. Meeting the firefighters and hearing their stories had a large impact on me personally. They are putting their lives on the line for their community, and even though they know the risks, they go anyways. They told me about their families and how they wanted to make them proud. I knew that we needed to try our best to solve this problem, and I thanked them for their bravery and their service. After we had gathered our information, we began designing experiments to pinpoint any weak spots in their bunker gear. The main problem was that we did not have access to any bunker gear. So, I took it upon myself to call as many local fire stations as needed until we could find bunker gear to test on. After many attempts, I convinced the Division Director of the Georgia Fire Academy to loan my team the bunker gear. |
Our Experiment and Future Work
We quickly set up and ran our experiment. We dressed a test dummy in undergarments and bunker gear, and we circulated color powder in a closed environment with the dressed dummy inside. The change in mass of the undergarments would reveal how much powder got through the bunker gear, and the color powder itself would reveal the locations. We also wanted to test if a barrier would be able to block out some of the color powder (simulated carcinogens). To do so, we sealed the suit at the waist, arms, and legs for half of their trials.
Despite the quantitative data being inconclusive, the visual data from the color powder revealed that there are gaps in the bunker gear primarily surrounding the abdomen. Color powder also got through the sleeves of the bunker gear to a lesser extent. However, less powder seemed to penetrate the gear when the gear was sealed. Using logical reasoning, these results support the notion that bunker gear is not completely sufficient at blocking out carcinogens. If color powder can get through the suit, so can carcinogens. Additionally, the visual data supported our hypothesis that sealing the gear will cause less matter to get through the suit. In the future, we plan on prototyping a barrier similar to an elastic band in a ski jacket. We will test the prototype considering additional factors such as smoke behavior and firefighters’ movement; future testing will also involve the use of carcinogens such as PAH instead of color powder. However, for the time being, our team is taking a break from the project to focus on classes or to seek other opportunities. Nonetheless we have made great strides in this problem space. |
Our Experiment in Action
Personal Growth
When I joined the Grand Challenges Program, I had no idea that it would impact me to such an extent. I joined because I wanted to create something that helped people in some way, but the Grand Challenges Program helped me come into my own. When I started Georgia Tech, I was incredibly timid and afraid to live on my own. I wasn’t sure who I was or how I would combat the problems life would throw at me. But through the Grand Challenges Program, I met so many incredible people and worked with an amazing team to accomplish something I had never dreamed of. I had helped reduce the risk of firefighters getting cancer. I came out of my shell, bonded with my classmates, improved my conflict management skills, planned experiments, ideated, prototyped, negotiated, and learned how to be a good teammate and a leader. If you had told me that I would be calling strangers asking them to lend a group of college students expensive firefighting gear, I would never have believed you because I had so much trouble talking with people on the phone in the first place. However, I have learned how to find what I’m passionate about and go after it with everything that I’ve got. I have matured as a result of this incredible journey, and I cannot express the amount of joy I feel when I look back on how far I’ve come.