TheTuftsDaily04-14-15

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THE TUFTS DAILY

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Archimedes Project to host Ideation Lab at Tufts by Gabriella Zoia Assistant News Editor

From April 17 to 19, the Tufts chapter of the Archimedes Project will host a weekend-long Ideation Lab on “Technologies for Clean Water and Sanitation in India.” The Archimedes Project is a national organization that develops social ventures to increase and maintain clean drinking water access and sanitation systems in the developing world. Jordan Klein, a junior, decided to found the Tufts chapter of the Archimedes Project when he heard about the organization and wanted to get involved, but was unable to travel to Haiti to work on its project. Nikhil Shinday, a junior, explained that the Archimedes Project is different from other non-profits. “[The] social enterprise part [of the Archimedes Project] precludes the ‘white savior’ mentality that a lot of non-profits have by avoiding human capital, which is relatively plentiful in developing nations, as the main resources provided,” Shinday said. Shinday also noted that the Archimedes Project empowers locals socioeconomically by providing them with entrepreneurial business plans to run themselves.

TUFTSDAILY.COM

Tuesday, april 14, 2015

VOLUME LXVIV, NUMBER 51

Klein added that Tufts was a great place to start a campus chapter. “There is a large South Asian community at Tufts, and it’s great to see people who want to help out where they’re from in a meaningful way,” he said. Klein recruited students to work on his team to plan the Ideation Lab together in order to create an effective Archimedes Project program. “The idea was to find a problem that we could solve and subsequently find the money to fund the program,” he said. “We’re thinking cohesively — we also want to get the right experts and a good group of students that all want to get something done.” Klein explained that his passion for the project is at the nexus of social enterprise and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). A cohort of 30 students from a variety of backgrounds, who will be divided into teams, will be involved in this weekend’s Ideation Lab. Klein explained that what makes the event unique is its inclusion of students from a variety of perspectives. “An ideal team looks like this: one student from Fletcher, one undergraduate student majoring in computer science, one undergraduate international

Russell Watkins / The Department for International Development

UN’s Office for Project Services built this toilet in Kalvallam, Sri Lanka, with funding from UKaid.

relations student, one graduate student from the Sackler School and one graduate student from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy,” Klein said. Shinday noted that the Ideation Lab is designed to “attract some really bright and motivated students, faculty and community members that can share and debate ideas from their paradigms of specialization.” The event brings thinkers from a variety of different disciplines together, according to Shinday. “We want students to be exposed to ideas and principles prevalent in other fields of study that they might not have necessarily encountered on their own,” Shinday said. “By using a multifaceted approach, we hope to maximize the potential that each business idea has in the Lab.” Klein added that the Ideation Lab differs from a hackathon or a business planning competition in various aspects. “In a hackathon, you don’t know anything until you’re there. In a business planning competition, you submit your plan beforehand,” he said. “In our Ideation Lab, everyone knows what the topic is, but everyone will find out their teams on Friday.” He added that the organizers aim to encourage both collaboration and competition at the event. “This is not a competition of teams or people, but of ideas,” Klein said. Klein explained that at the event, the best idea will win the competition. “If your idea wins, you don’t have to work on it moving forward. If your idea didn’t win, but you still really want to be involved, you’re more than welcome to join the winning idea’s team,” he explained. The winning team will receive $1,000 in seed money to help cover expenses during their project’s incubation period. Then, Klein predicts that grants and other funds will be able to cover ongoing costs. In the future, Klein sees the organization as being a general space for students interested in water sanitation issues and social enterprise. “[I plan on] planning Ideation Labs in the future to solve different issues and ideally incubate business plans for Tufts students that have ideas but don’t necessarily want to launch it themselves,” Klein said. The Archimedes Project would then connect ideas with someone who “ideally has roots in the area [that the idea is based on], has that entrepreneurial drive and would be able to commit to it full-time,” he said. Klein concluded that he wants the Ideation Lab to “provide a space to put your heads together and solve a problem by working with students in other disciplines that they usually wouldn’t be able to access.”

Inside this issue

Where You Read It First Est. 1980

Health Service to offer free HIV testing by Melissa Kain Assistant News Editor

From April 15 to April 30, Health Service will be offering free HIV testing to students. The free testing aims to raise awareness about the importance of getting tested for HIV, in order to begin treatment and to prevent further transmission of the virus. According to Michelle Bowdler, senior director of health and wellness service, the screening involves a blood test. Students interested in receiving the test should make an appointment, and they will receive results three to five days after the test is taken, she said. “There are such good treatments for HIV infection now, and it’s just so important for people to know their status,” Bowdler said. Medical Director Margaret Higham also testified to the importance of detecting HIV early, regarding both the available treatments and the importance of preventing further transmission. “They are also less likely to spread [HIV ],” she said. “Early in the illness, people are extraordinarily infectious … once people know their status, if they are infectious, they tend to be more careful with safe sex.” Bowdler said that HIV testing is offered all year long, and is generally covered by insurance. However, free testing at Health Service only occurs once a year, she said. “It’s a way to raise awareness,” Bowdler explained. According to Bowdler and Higham, there is a slight increase in HIV testing when free testing is offered, but Health Service sees many students who receive sexually transmitted infections (STI) tests every day. “We offer this information all year long because it’s a public health issue,” Bowdler said. The free testing, which is supported by Tufts Health Advocates ( THA), will be occurring along with a panel on pre-exposure and postexposure prophylaxis — drugs that can be taken to reduce HIV risk both before and after infection — led by Higham. The panel will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14 in the Sophia Gordon Multipurpose Room. The event is co-sponsored by the Tufts University LGBT Center and Public Health at Tufts (PHAT ). “We’re really proud of this effort. Pre-exposure and postexposure prophylaxis is such an important public health initiative, and Dr. Higham

and other people here have really taken a lead in terms of … trying to get this information out at the university level because of the difference it can make in peoples’ lives for decades,” Bowdler said. “We’re hoping that other colleges take the initiative to do this work as well, because it is so important.” Bowdler also praised the work that THA has done to promote these health initiatives. “On this issue, [ THA] has been really proactive,” Bowdler said. “They’ve really been great partners with us on this.” Emma Brenner-Bryant, a junior who serves as co-leader of THA, explained that THA works to represent the needs of students in terms of health policy and to relay information about resources at Tufts and Health Service to students. “Last year, we decided to do a lot of publicity [for free HIV testing] … because a lot of students had been asking about testing and were confused about how much they would have to pay,” she said. Brenner-Bryant also said that this has been the first year that Health Service has offered pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis. Furthermore, the resources offered at Tufts are more convenient for students than using off-campus resources, she said, noting that THA hopes to raise awareness for students through its efforts and the upcoming panel. “The hope is to give people information and answer students’ questions,” BrennerBryant said. “As students, we only have so much information, and so we want to make the gap smaller between the administration and the students.” Bre n n e r- Br y a n t a d d e d that if students have concerns, questions or comments for Health Service staff and administration, they can reach out to THA through their email address and have their voices heard. According to Bowdler, HIV treatments and testing have evolved significantly over the years. “I’ve been working on HIV issues for 25 years,” Bowdler said. “When I worked at a treatment center for injection drug users … we were just beginning to talk about HIV infection and really seeing the impact, and the difference now in terms of the available [treatments] and the need for testing, because of the difference it can make in people’s lives … can’t be overstated.”

Today’s sections

After a year of campaigning and student support, admissions will accept undocumented students with DACA status.

The men’s crew team rowed well against conference rivals over the weekend.

see FEATURES, page 3

see SPORTS, back

News 1 Features 3 Arts & Living 5 Editorial | Op-Ed 8

Op-Ed 9 Comics 10 Sports Back


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