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Ethnomathematics in Akyem Dwenase Primary Schools
No full textIn Ghana, performance on the Basic Education Certification Exam (BECE) is low across subjects and varies by region, with urban setting students outperforming those in rural s. Low performance in mathematics, in particular, is generally attributed to problems such as language barriers due to English instruction and lack of resources. Our project uses local culture as a resource to explain and enforce mathematical concepts taught in the Basic Four curriculum in the small town of Akyem Dwenase, Ghana. Our lessons were well received by both 4th graders and their teachers. By deeply immersing ourselves into the culture of Akyem Dwenase and identifying embedded practical mathematical concepts, our lesson plans highlight both local culture and knowledge while being globally transferable
Setting the Foundation for a Self-Sufficient Technical High School
No full textAccording to Alexander Attah-Asante, the rural town of Akyem Dwenase, Ghana currently offers public education through junior high school, following an intensive and rigid curriculum set by the government (personal communication, January 29, 2025). This curriculum, however, does not provide rural students with all the requisite agricultural and entrepreneurial skills to engage in arduous activities in their communities (R. Afriyie, personal communication, January 17, 2025). To counteract this difficulty, the town’s chief, Osabarima Owusu Baafi Aboagye III, tasked our team with applying the Self-Sustaining School Model to a prospective senior high school. This school will be established in Akyem Dwenase in the next five years (O. Baafi Aboagye III, personal communication, February 13, 2025). The Self-Sustaining School Model utilizes student-run enterprises to fund school costs while producing job-ready students through skill-based training. We conducted an economic assessment of both the town and the greater Ghanaian Eastern region to identify key market opportunities that can be exploited by the student-led businesses. We then developed a rollout plan, outlining our recommended enterprises and implementation stages for the school, all tailored to the community of Akyem Dwenase
Raising Blue, Going Green: Developing FUNDECOR’s Advising Approaches for Bandera Azul Certification
No full textCosta Rica, renowned for its environmental leadership, faced COVID-19-related setbacks, leaving many initiatives incomplete. FUNDECOR, an ecological consultancy group, is fighting to reinvigorate environmental efforts focusing on the environmental certification “Programa Bandera Azul Ecologica.” This project supported these efforts in two ways. Firstly, addressing instrumentation gaps by creating two carbon footprint calculators. Second, the team created three presentations, following FUNDECOR’s primary fields of focus, to inform, guide, and encourage certification. FUNDECOR has already begun implementing our tools with clients
Monteverde Institute: Growing a Farm to Table Lunch Program
No full textThe Monteverde Institute (MVI) in Costa Rica seeks to expand its farm-to-table lunch program to promote sustainability, support local farmers, and educate visitors on responsible food consumption. However, challenges such as inconsistent ingredient sourcing, seasonality, and logistical barriers hinder program growth. This project aimed to develop a strategic plan to improve MVI’s farm-to-table initiative by identifying best practices, assessing supply chain constraints, and gathering stakeholder input through interviews and surveys. Key findings emphasize the need for flexible meal planning, farmer collaboration, and increased consumer education. Deliverables include a template database of local farms, a transition plan for program expansion, and an educational slideshow for visitors
Characterizing the Health of the Kaiwharawhara Catchment
No full textThe Kaiwharawhara Stream in Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand faces ongoing pollution and neglect. Restoring the area’s health requires an increase in public and government knowledge and support. We partnered with Kia Mouriora te Kaiwharawhara and Zealandia Te Māra a Tāne to develop a framework to collate, interrogate, monitor, and report data relating to the stream. To achieve this goal, our team used site assessments, archival research, and interviews to develop an interactive dashboard to tell the story of the catchment through historical photographs, records of species relocations, and relevant events. User testing results helped us provide our partners with recommendations to continue dashboard development and implement additional water quality monitoring within the stream
Akyem Dwenase Public Square Design and Construction
No full textAkyem Dwenase, located in the Eastern Region of Ghana, values cultural traditions and social involvement. The town has "funeral grounds"—a" public space for significant events, such as celebrations of rites and community meetings—but lacks permanent seating necessary for daily use. Behind the grounds, an unused area was transformed into a public square to solve this issue and add a multifunctional aspect to the existing grounds. Partnering with local leaders, carpenters, and masons, the square was designed and constructed to combine the functionality of seating, market stalls, and a shade structure with symbolic features like cocoa trees and a mural. This process fostered community ownership while demonstrating the social dynamics and construction practices of the Akyem Dwenase
CS MQP: Studying Privacy Protection Landscape for Web and Mobile Platforms
No full textThis project, guided by Professor Craig Wills, aims to examine how an online user’s characteristics may influence the ads they receive while browsing the Internet and impact on the overall protection of their personal information. Over the course of five weeks, the team conducts a structured experiment to gain deeper insight into the relationship between user traits, targeted advertising, and data privacy. The research reveals that despite the online activities of users being consistent with one another, the way online profiles are constructed and the features associated with online profiles have a major impact on the data that is linked to online users
Testing Optical Sensors for Dissolved Organic Matter Monitoring
No full textThe objective of this project was to see if a created optical sensor could correctly identify fluorescence and absorbance of varying compositions of common dissolved organic matter components. Once this was established to be effective, river water and soil water samples from various seasons were analyzed using the optical sensor to examine differences between raw and filtered samples as well as any other notable differences. The timeline of the experiment was from January to March of 2025
IgniteCV: Streamlining Combustion and Atomization Analysis with Computer Vision
No full textThe Combustion Engineering Laboratory at Shibaura Institute of Technology (SIT) conducts research on flame propagation and liquid atomization for applications in wildfire prevention and spacecraft thruster optimization. However, manual data analysis methods have posed challenges in efficiency and accuracy. To address this, the Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) team developed IgniteCV, a computer vision based software that automates the analysis of high speed experimental videos. Using advanced image processing techniques such as background subtraction, edge detection, and HSV filtering, IgniteCV extracts key metrics like flame speed, angle, burned area, spray width, and oscillation frequency
Digital Marketing Strategy for Venue Hire at Freud Museum London (FML)
No full textMuseums in the venue hire industry give clients a unique place to hold events while earning supplemental revenue. The goal of this project was to develop a digital marketing strategy for Freud Museum London’s (FML) venue hire opportunities. To achieve this, we conducted client interviews and sent out a survey via email to members, patrons, and visitors. We also held interviews with employees at FML and conducted desktop research. We identified four key strengths for FML, defined client and event segments, and examined the digital marketing practices of comparable venues in England. Drawing on these insights, we recommended channels that FML can use to advertise its strengths, messaging strategies to attract clientele, and additional promotional strategies