Purdue-inspired experiential teaching methods at the residential school, including hands-on opportunities to help build and maintain utility vehicles, have improved students’ skills, self-esteem and aspirations. In addition, work in progress to commercialize the local manufacture, sourcing and repair of the vehicles promises practical applications for farmers and municipalities, with students’ involvement.  

Engineering might seem an unlikely fit for youths in a developing nation who until recently lived on the street and relied on handouts for food. But two intertwined Global Engineering I²D Lab projects are proving otherwise.

Teams led by Jennifer DeBoer, PhD, assistant professor of engineering education and (by courtesy) mechanical engineering, and John Lumkes, professor of agricultural and biological engineering, are transforming education – and outcomes – at the locally run Tumaini Innovation Center in the rural Kenyan city of Eldoret.

By applying an engineering approach to teaching at this nonprofit residential school, as well as introducing multipurpose utility vehicles that students help build and maintain, the projects are opening new doors to students and helping solve local agricultural, transportation and energy challenges.

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