W.S.G. Isaac Newton

The internship assignment concerned the development of a remote logger for the TokenTap innovation, launched by the Practica Foundation. Three (3) milestones were identified throughout the internship and were used as the guideline for the completion of the project. The first milestone was mapping the WASH sector in Africa and understanding the necessity for humanitarian aid, realized through technological interventions. The second milestone was to identify what the vulnerabilities of the technologies already present in the field were, and how they could be eliminated in a technically and socio-culturally acceptable manner. The third milestone concerned the development and implementation of the identified solution. In the case of this internship assignment, designing and testing a SIM card-based remote logger to replace the previous, Bluetooth-centered technology.

The personal experiences acquired during the internship can be described as valuable. I familiarized myself with the Dutch professional environment, its structure, benefits, expectations, possibilities for personal and professional growth, and weak points. It is an experience impossible for someone to acquire unless they experience it themselves. Another interesting aspect was identifying and contemplating the differences between the academic and professional sectors in the Netherlands.

The field of humanitarian engineering presents its points of interest as well. I found the socio-cultural impact of technology, a parameter with significantly reduced impact in the Global North, significantly interesting. It was, thus, very interesting to work on a real-life project that required the engineering team to consider that. Furthermore, there is a special personal and professional fulfilment knowing that you are actively striving to enhance the capabilities of the so-called” underserved communities” and improve the living standards of thousands of people. It's a form of engineering transcending the typical ”revenue-generating” formula and has much to offer to the people involved.