Oi! Bem-vindo ao meu blog!

Thank you, Duolingo for teaching me how to say “Hi! Welcome to my blog!” Georgia and I are all packed and ready to start this adventure with Rice 360˚. We have walked the streets of Barretos, Brazil on Google Maps, studied a bit of Portuguese on Duolingo, and planned our first week agenda with Ms. Carolina of the hospital’s Institutional Affairs Department. (Thank you, Ms. Carolina for helping us get organized!)

We enter this experience with three main program goals. The first goal is to introduce current Rice 360˚ technologies and receive feedback for further development. The second goal is to formulate, and scope five potential Rice 360˚ projects based on needs-finding interviews, observations, and experiences. Design teams will look to this as a base for their projects, which makes this research an exciting opportunity to take part in the program’s future. The third goal is a little less defined because it will take form after the other tasks are complete. From the days of observation, we will decide upon a collaborative project to work on while we are there.

Georgia and I spent two weeks working in the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK) building the prototypes we will be introducing. Georgia and I will be bringing the following three Rice 360˚ designs, all of which are low-cost:

• Breast Test: breast cancer training model for nurses and patients, including malignant, benign, and normal models
• MaThermal: continuous maternal thermometer worn to monitor temperature of the mother during labor
• Colostomates: durable and reusable colostomy bag with disposable inserts

The countdown to Brazil is still going but we are all packed and ready to go! Until then, I’m waiting eagerly for the experiences ahead!