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Thursday, April 08, 2010

Women Innovator Emily Cummins

Innovator Dr A Jagadeesh sent me profile of award winning innovator Emily Cummins and her innovation- solar pwered fridge. The fridge is made using two cylinders, one inside the other. The inner cylinder is made of metal while the outer cylinder can be made from any solid material with holes drilled in the side, enabling communities to recycle and use local, sustainable resources. The space between the cylinders is packed with sand, wool or soil, and then water is added. As the sun warms the mixture the water evaporates cooling the inner cylinder. Fresh water is added to the mixture as needed. Read more from gizmag
As Dr Jagadeesh writes the technique is known and there have been several traditional and newer designs ( see Mitticcol above left) yet this innovation is remarkable for its elegance. I agree with him as I had seen several similar concepts in competitions like Techfest.
What was more interesting to me was her childhood experience. "When I was four, my Grandad gave me a hammer and began to teach me how to make toys from scraps of materials found in his garden shed. I loved the fact that we could make something out of seemingly random bits, and my interest in sustainable design was born".
How do we unleash creativity of our children?

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