WPI’s global MS in science and technology for innovation focuses on global technology and development and combines technological and scientific innovation with cross-cultural design thinking to address pressing challenges. Below are current theses submitted to the faculty of Worcester Polytechnic Institute in fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Master of Science in Science and Technology for Innovation in Global Development.
Theses
Engaging Immigrant and Refugee Children in STEM During Out-of-School-Time Using a Multiple Research Approach
Kennedy M. Damoah
Abstract
Over the past decades, federal and local governments have embraced out-of-school-time as essential for a complete educational experience for school children, especially children who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds. These programs serve as supplemental academic and socioemotional resources for the students. In some cases, skills learned in these programs translate into students’ academic progress. Using a multi-tiered approach, this project examined effective ways to engage immigrant and refugee children in learning during out-of-school-time. The research question and objectives were developed using a participant observation method over an 8-month period. Interventions were then tested using project-based learning, coupled with culturally relevant content. The results showed that culturally relevant content improves students’ engagement in math learning. Well-structured out-of-school-time for immigrants and refugee children can help them acquire the needed skills to succeed in school.
Keywords/phrases: culturally relevant content, engagement, immigrants, refugees, out-of-school-time
Haunting Prospects in Morocco: The Ghosts of Imider’s Long Fight for Water Rights
Rachel Anne Santarsiero
Abstract
In what was dubbed “The Movement on the Road ‘96” (MOR96), residents in the southeastern Moroccan commune of Imider—a collection of seven villages—protested the intensifying depletion of groundwater and soil contamination by a nearby silver mine. From 2011 to 2019, the movement gained international news and media coverage and came to symbolize decades of environmental and indigenous Amazigh rights struggles. Since the movement’s official end in 2019, coverage of Imider has been limited. In this thesis, I attempt to fill this gap in coverage by investigating how Imider continues to struggle with the effects of silver mining in the aftermath of the MOR96. I argue that Imider’s rural women continue to uniquely embody the MOR96’s ideologies of environmental and indigenous rights through their relationship with the land, water, and the Tamazight language. Women exemplified this in their narratives, daily responsibilities, artistic expression, and ritualistic practices, and I demonstrate how this embodiment translates into an oblique resistance form more intimate than the movement’s normative resistance form. Through the theoretical lens of Avery Gordon’s haunting and Sara Ahmed’s use of affect theory, I show how Imider’s rural women are uniquely haunted by the MOR96 in ways that are distinct from Imider’s men and youth. I read their haunting experience as a continuation of oblique resistance which disrupts dominant narratives around the valorization of Amazigh identity, and, on a deeper level, the Kingdom of Morocco’s hegemonic narratives of its commitment to indigenous rights, gender parity, and environmentalism. Ultimately, the legacies of the MOR96 lives on within the lives of Imider’s rural women.
Sustainable Materials for Roofing Applications: Mechanical Properties of Recycled PET and Coir Composite
Enis Agyeman Boateng
Abstract
One of the most effective ways to manage post-consumer PET waste is through recycling, significantly reducing its environmental impact. By repurposing recycled PET as an alternative material in construction, we not only address environmental pollution but also contribute to producing cost-effective construction materials. This dual benefit underscores the importance of our research in the context of sustainable materials and construction technologies.
Composite materials have long been effective substitutes for conventional materials in various applications. Fiber-reinforced polymer composites stand out for their high strength-to-weight ratio and modulus. This study further explores the potential of coir, a natural fiber, as a recycled PET matrix reinforcement. Such a composite could pave the way for more sustainable and cost-effective construction materials.
The objective is to study the mechanical properties of the coir-reinforced recycled PET composite. The coir fibers were treated with distilled hot water before being incorporated into the recycled PET matrix. The composite was fabricated using compression molding with varying fiber-to-matrix ratios of randomly oriented fiber at 90-10 weight %, 80-20 weight %, and 70-30 weight %, respectively.
The study employs analysis using SEM imaging, Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and tensile testing to understand the composite’s physical structure, chemical composition, and mechanical behavior. Morphological examinations reveal the interaction between coconut fiber and PET, shedding light on their compatibility and potential for reinforcement.
Adding fiber improved mechanical properties like tensile strength and elongation at break. The amount of fiber in the composite’s total weight exhibited different mechanical properties. FTIR analysis elucidates the composite’s chemical composition, highlighting the influence of coconut fiber, rPET, and processing conditions.