Believe it or not, this is a picture of the controlled chaos of a creative technical work. For the last five years, R&D engineers at EMI Uganda have been at play on a number of unique problems. We went behind the scenes to learn more and meet the team.
They were occupied with a curious blue box...
![Blue box](/sites/default/files/styles/small/public/images/2023/2021-12-article-blueboxes.jpg?itok=UF6Wpp7F)
Recently the R&D team has been working on evaluating a water purification box invented by EMI Volunteer Engineer Paul Berg. The team is designing a research study in conjunction with a Ugandan university that will field test the system in selected villages.
![Hand cranking the blue box](/sites/default/files/styles/small/public/images/2023/2021-12-article-crank.jpg?itok=sy0fUsOO)
Instead of the common domestic practice of using wood fuel to boil water, the gallon of water inside the Water Box is purified by ultraviolet light. A few minutes of this light - powered by hand-cranking or by a wall outlet - is enough to kill off unwanted bacteria for potable drinking water consumption.
This research study will help guide the development of this appropriate technology product before it goes to market.
And behind unique projects like these, there’s a unique EMI R&D team:
Daniel Propst has roots in East Africa as a missionary kid. He’s been part of R&D since the beginning, and enjoys the challenge of problems at the intersection of missions and engineering.
![Experimenting with different roof panel designs](/sites/default/files/styles/small/public/images/2023/2021-12-article-slider-a1.jpg?itok=mS06WYdw)
![Graph of temperature performances across the day](/sites/default/files/styles/small/public/images/2023/2021-12-article-slider-a2.jpg?itok=hQCqRwxw)
![Repurposed shipping container](/sites/default/files/styles/small/public/images/2023/2021-12-article-slider-a3.jpg?itok=Ql0aDP-E)
![Container retrofitting](/sites/default/files/styles/small/public/images/2023/2021-12-article-slider-a4.jpg?itok=E1MOfN0a)
![Container installed](/sites/default/files/styles/small/public/images/2023/2021-12-article-slider-a5.jpg?itok=6S718JEM)
Dr. David Wituszynski came to EMI during PhD studies in Ecological Engineering, ‘pretending’ to be a Civil Engineer. Now, as an EMI fellow, he’s found a community of people to problem-solve with.
![Smoke inside kitchens](/sites/default/files/styles/small/public/images/2023/2021-12-article-slider-b1.jpg?itok=hFdnioPD)
![Vermiculite grout mixture](/sites/default/files/styles/small/public/images/2023/2021-12-article-slider-b2.jpg?itok=r9SbhWca)
![Data showing different stove materials and fuel types](/sites/default/files/styles/small/public/images/2023/2021-12-article-slider-b3.jpg?itok=tVfin88_)
![Prototype stove](/sites/default/files/styles/small/public/images/2023/2021-12-article-slider-b4.jpg?itok=rM-W-WYp)
![Stoves installed](/sites/default/files/styles/small/public/images/2023/2021-12-article-slider-b5.jpg?itok=LelDfMvG)
Bruce Arensen was immediately attracted to the work of R&D at EMI. Now, he is using his experience an Aerospace Engineer in the context of solving Majority World design problems.
R&D is new to the EMI playbook and aims to influence not only EMI design but the construction industry at large.
![Workshop](/sites/default/files/styles/small/public/images/2023/2021-12-article-workshop.jpg?itok=OW_5Iwca)
This year, EMI is raising funds to enable R&D to grow into a dedicated space of its own—the same place the Construction Workshop began in.
The container facility will be repurposed as R&D’s new home—with offices, labs, and an experimentation floor. It will be a place to explore and be curious: to better understand materials used in EMI projects, to prototype and find weaknesses before implementation, and to share these results with the larger local industry. A place to study things and discover how to do something better.
![Prototype solar kiln](/sites/default/files/styles/small/public/images/2023/2021-12-article-kiln.jpg?itok=u0pkFZSW)
More than that, for the R&D team, this creative chaos is a form of worship to God. It’s about discovering the Creator in the things He has made.
They seek to use that knowledge to improve lives, use resources more efficiently, and preserve the creation. Play on, engineers!