International Development

Sustainable concrete: U of T alumni recognized for innovation to use waste of one industry to benefit another

noreen.rasbach — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 20:02:23 +0000

Sustainable concrete: U of T alumni recognized for innovation to use waste of one industry to benefit another

noreen.rasbach Thu, 01/10/2019 - 15:02

Cutline

Kimberly Asemota (far right), Blandine Barthod (right) and David Aceituno-Caicedo (left) receive the SDSN Youth Special Prize in Geneva from Nane Annan, a lawyer and wife of former UN secretary general Kofi Annan (photo courtesy of Kimberly Asemota)

Alexa Battler

Topic

Global Lens

Alumni

Environmental Science

Global

Graduate Students

International Development

Research & Innovation

Sustainability

U of T Scarborough

Water

Subheadline

A group of alumni from the University of Toronto has been internationally recognized for its proposal to create more environmentally friendly concrete that would help nations fight climate change, build sustainably and save valuable drinking water in the process.

Concrete is an important material for developing nations, but it has downsides, including using clean water as one of its three ingredients.

“Climate change isn’t just a scientific problem, it’s a problem in almost every discipline that exists – it affects everything directly or indirectly,” says David Aceituno-Caicedo, a recent graduate of U of T Scarborough's Master of Environmental Science program.

While finishing the program, Aceituno-Caicedo and fellow alumna Kimberly Asemota were inspired by two class topics.

In one week, they learned about bioconcrete, an emerging technology for “self-healing” concrete. It’s a mixture that becomes limestone when bacteria and nutrients are exposed to water. In another week, they were introduced to the sustainable use of brine – the highly concentrated salt mixture left over from making saltwater drinkable.

“We thought, ‘Why not just take the brine that has to be managed from the water desalination process and use that to mix bioconcrete?’” says Aceituno-Caicedo. “It’s mixing the two industries together, bridging this sustainability gap and taking the waste of one and using it to benefit the other.”

Through Maria Dittrich, an associate professor in the department of physical and environmental sciences, the students were connected to Blandine Barthod, a Master of Environmental Science student doing a one-year exchange program from the University of Geneva.

Dittrich, who supervised Barthod's master thesis, felt their fields of expertise would complement each other. Aceituno-Caicedo’s background is in microbiology, while Asemota’s is in chemistry and Barthod’s is in international development.

“It’s even better when people work together, when they start mixing the backgrounds for interdisciplinary solutions to an interdisciplinary problem,” says Aceituno-Caicedo.

Dittrich also encouraged them to enter the Geneva Challenge, an annual competition for master students to showcase ideas to solve an international development issue. Their proposal was one of the top 15 global semi-finalists. They were awarded the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Youth Special Prize.

The trio were invited to Geneva for the award ceremony and to network with other global leaders. Their work will also be published on the Youth Solutions Report platform.

“It was a good learning opportunity with like-minded individuals who have similar goals,” says Asemota.

Their proposal used Cape Town, South Africa as a case study. The city is suffering from drought and is expecting “Day Zero” this year, when its taps will run dry and people have to use communal water stations.

“We are dealing with issues of water scarcity and we are also tackling the issues of sustainable development for infrastructure,” says Asemota. “Our major goal was having more water available to the public in areas that are water-stressed.”

For the proposal, Asemota focused on the possibility of using the new concrete in Cape Town, while Barthod concentrated on broader international development concerns. Aceituno-Caicedo looked at the feasibility of using brine to mix bioconcrete.

Their next steps: Find the best ways to mix the concrete and start working on a pilot project.

“It’s like a domino effect,” says Aceituno-Caicedo. “If you give people the basic necessities for life, like water, that leaves room for them to start developing in other areas."

Queen Elizabeth scholar from U of T worked with an NGO in Tanzania

ullahnor — Thu, 12 Jan 2017 20:16:49 +0000

Queen Elizabeth scholar from U of T worked with an NGO in Tanzania

ullahnor Thu, 01/12/2017 - 15:16

Cutline

U of T Scarborough student Tumaini Shoo (third from right) worked with an NGO in Tanzania as a Queen Elizabeth scholar (photo courtesy of Tumaini Shoo)

Laurie Stephens

Author legacy

Laurie Stephens

Topic

Global Lens

U of T Scarborough

Queen Elizabeth Scholar

International Development

Environmental Sciences

Human Geography

Physical Geography

Global

The opportunity to attend school is something that Tumaini Shoo has cherished. So when she went to Tanzania this past summer to work with six young women at risk, she was stunned by their reality.

“The thing that was so overwhelming for me was being with girls who can’t go to school simply because they can’t pay for it,” she says. “I know it’s a lived reality, but it’s different when you’re right there. You hear their stories. You’re with these girls who are so motivated and want to pursue an education but just can’t.

“That was eye-opening. I realized how privileged we are.”

Shoo, who is finishing up a double major in international development studies and human and physical geography at U of T Scarborough, spent three-and-a-half months in Arusha, Tanzania, working with the non-governmental organization Green Hope. The opportunity came out of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Scholarship program, which allows students to complete a paid internship at an organization in a commonwealth country that focuses on social impact, literacy, scientific research, education, or Indigenous issues.

Green Hope provides life-skills training and support for young Tanzanian women who lack education or economic opportunity in an effort to deter them from taking up risky livelihoods, such as prostitution.

The students, ranging in age from 16 to 19, are taught English, computer skills, sexual education, nutrition, entrepreneurship and business planning.

Tumaini Shoo says she would like to continue with hands-on work in the development field (photo courtesy of Tumaini Shoo)

Shoo’s role with Green Hope was multi-faceted. As an economic empowerment officer and program coordinator, she helped compile lesson plans, scheduled lesson times and travel needs, and documented the curriculum for future use by the young women.

She explored with them a number of business ideas, including becoming a tailor or starting up a business collective in agriculture or jewellery-making using Masai rubies. She also supported home-based and socio-economic programs, such gardening and computer literacy.

“While we’re not providing them with money, we are providing the girls with a safe space where they can build a social network and learn useful skills,” says Shoo. “We also hoped to build their confidence in themselves so they could share the information they are getting from us in their homes and their communities.”

Shoo’s letter of reference for the scholarship was written by Adam Martin, an assistant professor in U of T Scarborough's department of physical and environmental sciences.

He says Shoo was a perfect candidate because of her interest in environmental sciences and her desire to learn about the social and cultural context in which her placement was taking place.

He says the value of these programs is second to none because they provide context to seemingly simple issues.

“In Tumaini’s instance for example, it is critical to understand that environmental concerns don’t always play out as simply as they may appear to in textbooks,” he says. “Specifically, it’s crucial to learn how context-specific experiences with local environments shape how environmental concerns are actually addressed.”

Shoo says she tries to keep in touch with the group of Tanzanian women to see how they're progressing, and she hopes her continued support inspires them to keep pushing for positive change in their lives.

The internship has also helped her figure out what she wants to do after she graduates.

“I loved the work I was doing there, and I do think that I want to pursue the practitioner part of development where you’re working directly with people,” she says. “You may not be doing research, but you’re using the research that is there to help you in those moments of providing some sort of developmental assistance.”