Honors Experiential Learning Project Proposal Form–Community Engagement
Basic Information
Full Name: Zachary Hayden Tucker
UC ID #: M04101669
UC Email: [email protected]
Phone: 567-712-8953
College: CEAS
Major: Electrical Engineering
Title of Project: International Service Trip
Expected Project Start Date: Mid June 2012
Expected Project End Date: Mid July 2012
Project Information
Provide a brief overview/abstract of your proposed honors experiential learning project.
I plan to travel to the Dominican Republic with the service group International Service Volunteers to assist in community development projects. ISV trips consist of two weeks of service work, two weeks of an adventure tour, and optional week-long programs immediately before and after the standard four week program. I plan to attend the first optional week-long program, but not the second. For the Dominican Republic service project, the first week is an intensive Spanish language crash course. I will live with a host family in the Dominican Republic in order to learn more about Latin American culture and language. The two weeks of service work include projects such as building homes, community centers, and schools, health education for impoverished people, and improving access to water, electricity, and sanitation. The adventure tour consists of activities such as white water rafting, snorkeling and scuba diving, rappelling, and Latin American culture submersion.
Clearly state how each of the following elements will be exhibited in your work (refer to the first two pages of this document with the full description of what is expected in each of these areas).
1. Substantial Content and Quality within Community Engagement Theme
Through helping to build homes, I hope to gain a greater understanding of how homeless people fit into societies and how it affects the society when impoverished people are brought up in social status, and gain valuable experience in the electric wiring of houses. Also while in the Dominican Republic, I intend to interview as many people as possible regarding the electrical distribution system in place there. The Dominican Republic is very unique in that there is electricity in place and most of the country has easy access to it. The infrastructure is not in place, however, to record how much power an individual home uses, and so many homes have access to electricity without paying for it, or by paying only a small monthly charge. This results in electricity companies not having as much money to adequately service all the lines and consequently, the consistency of power is questionable on any given day. I intend to research the pros and cons of this type of system.
I feel that there might be a good compromise somewhere in between the standard United States power distribution system and the looser Dominican Republic system that is far superior to both power distribution systems, both for providers and consumers. This type of system would hopefully go very far to build up the impoverished parts of the community and stimulate the economy in general. This project involves a very intense time commitment, because any time not spent building homes for impoverished people will be spent becoming immersed in the Dominican Republic culture and figuring out how it relates to the electrical grid of the country.
2. Connection to Academic Goals
This project relates very directly to my major and future goals. After college I hope to get into the power distribution industry and this trip will provide invaluable insight into different systems of electricity dispersal, and the reactions consumers have to the more obscure systems, such as the Domincan Republic’s. I have a personal
belief that the standard producer/consumer energy distribution system used by most of the world is very flawed. This project is for me the first step to discovering a more practical system that does not involve as many steps and conversions to deliver energy. The other aspect of my project, which involves constructing homes for the needy, is also very important to me as an electrical engineer (and actually what attracted me to the Dominican Republic project in the first place), because I will gain insight into the practical construction of complex circuits and how to best link a home into a centralized power grid.
3. Initiative, Independence, and Creativity
The only part of my project that ISV organizes is the two weeks of service work, two week adventure tour, and weeklong Hispanic culture immersion. I have planned and organized all the electric grid research that I intend to conduct. I will conduct this research by interviewing citizens of the Dominican Republic while staying in the country, and by observing how the electricity works in the Dominican Republic. The goal is to find out how satisfied the citizens of the Dominican Republic are with their electric service. This type of research has not typically been conducted before, because from the viewpoint of an electricity producer, the Dominican Republic system is never beneficial, and the citizens using the system do not normally conduct research. Hopefully I can convince some of the other people on the service trip with me to aid in my research, particularly the interviews if they are more fluent in Spanish than I am.
4. Reflection and Dissemination
I plan to record and create translated transcriptions of all the extended interviews I conduct. I will then compile all the pertinent information into an analysis of the
Dominican Republic’s system of power distribution. I will continue with this kind of research after my service trip, and this analysis will be a valuable part of it. During the actual service trip, analysis of each individual interview will point me in the direction I should go for the next one in order to gain more insight into whatever holes are present in the previous interview. If I find the information I gather sufficiently important or revelatory, I hope to draft a paper or article to submit to a journal or electric company for their benefit. Also, ISV encourages people who participate in their programs to come and speak to potential volunteers about future programs.
I intend to participate in this program to help others have similar experiences to me.
5. Advisor (list the person's name, title, and contact information)
Randy Sykes
Director
(714)-779-7392
6. Budget (if applicable)
Program: $3499
Airfare: ~$1000
Equipment: $100
Basic Information
Full Name: Zachary Hayden Tucker
UC ID #: M04101669
UC Email: [email protected]
Phone: 567-712-8953
College: CEAS
Major: Electrical Engineering
Title of Project: International Service Trip
Expected Project Start Date: Mid June 2012
Expected Project End Date: Mid July 2012
Project Information
Provide a brief overview/abstract of your proposed honors experiential learning project.
I plan to travel to the Dominican Republic with the service group International Service Volunteers to assist in community development projects. ISV trips consist of two weeks of service work, two weeks of an adventure tour, and optional week-long programs immediately before and after the standard four week program. I plan to attend the first optional week-long program, but not the second. For the Dominican Republic service project, the first week is an intensive Spanish language crash course. I will live with a host family in the Dominican Republic in order to learn more about Latin American culture and language. The two weeks of service work include projects such as building homes, community centers, and schools, health education for impoverished people, and improving access to water, electricity, and sanitation. The adventure tour consists of activities such as white water rafting, snorkeling and scuba diving, rappelling, and Latin American culture submersion.
Clearly state how each of the following elements will be exhibited in your work (refer to the first two pages of this document with the full description of what is expected in each of these areas).
1. Substantial Content and Quality within Community Engagement Theme
Through helping to build homes, I hope to gain a greater understanding of how homeless people fit into societies and how it affects the society when impoverished people are brought up in social status, and gain valuable experience in the electric wiring of houses. Also while in the Dominican Republic, I intend to interview as many people as possible regarding the electrical distribution system in place there. The Dominican Republic is very unique in that there is electricity in place and most of the country has easy access to it. The infrastructure is not in place, however, to record how much power an individual home uses, and so many homes have access to electricity without paying for it, or by paying only a small monthly charge. This results in electricity companies not having as much money to adequately service all the lines and consequently, the consistency of power is questionable on any given day. I intend to research the pros and cons of this type of system.
I feel that there might be a good compromise somewhere in between the standard United States power distribution system and the looser Dominican Republic system that is far superior to both power distribution systems, both for providers and consumers. This type of system would hopefully go very far to build up the impoverished parts of the community and stimulate the economy in general. This project involves a very intense time commitment, because any time not spent building homes for impoverished people will be spent becoming immersed in the Dominican Republic culture and figuring out how it relates to the electrical grid of the country.
2. Connection to Academic Goals
This project relates very directly to my major and future goals. After college I hope to get into the power distribution industry and this trip will provide invaluable insight into different systems of electricity dispersal, and the reactions consumers have to the more obscure systems, such as the Domincan Republic’s. I have a personal
belief that the standard producer/consumer energy distribution system used by most of the world is very flawed. This project is for me the first step to discovering a more practical system that does not involve as many steps and conversions to deliver energy. The other aspect of my project, which involves constructing homes for the needy, is also very important to me as an electrical engineer (and actually what attracted me to the Dominican Republic project in the first place), because I will gain insight into the practical construction of complex circuits and how to best link a home into a centralized power grid.
3. Initiative, Independence, and Creativity
The only part of my project that ISV organizes is the two weeks of service work, two week adventure tour, and weeklong Hispanic culture immersion. I have planned and organized all the electric grid research that I intend to conduct. I will conduct this research by interviewing citizens of the Dominican Republic while staying in the country, and by observing how the electricity works in the Dominican Republic. The goal is to find out how satisfied the citizens of the Dominican Republic are with their electric service. This type of research has not typically been conducted before, because from the viewpoint of an electricity producer, the Dominican Republic system is never beneficial, and the citizens using the system do not normally conduct research. Hopefully I can convince some of the other people on the service trip with me to aid in my research, particularly the interviews if they are more fluent in Spanish than I am.
4. Reflection and Dissemination
I plan to record and create translated transcriptions of all the extended interviews I conduct. I will then compile all the pertinent information into an analysis of the
Dominican Republic’s system of power distribution. I will continue with this kind of research after my service trip, and this analysis will be a valuable part of it. During the actual service trip, analysis of each individual interview will point me in the direction I should go for the next one in order to gain more insight into whatever holes are present in the previous interview. If I find the information I gather sufficiently important or revelatory, I hope to draft a paper or article to submit to a journal or electric company for their benefit. Also, ISV encourages people who participate in their programs to come and speak to potential volunteers about future programs.
I intend to participate in this program to help others have similar experiences to me.
5. Advisor (list the person's name, title, and contact information)
Randy Sykes
Director
(714)-779-7392
6. Budget (if applicable)
Program: $3499
Airfare: ~$1000
Equipment: $100