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12 April 2009
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| CATCHUP |
| Keywords:
engineers
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pictures
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bangladesh
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Sometimes is sorta sucks to be the engineer. I spent some time in March out in the field... first talking to farmers doing my own research, and then with a group of four Stanford grad students who were interviewing farmers for class project (they were in Ethiopia for their spring break). On both occasions, farmers and other people we talked to made suggestions for what they would like us to design and build. Unfortunately, they were almost all beyond the realm of physical possibility. Of course I would love to design a manual-powered pump that will draw water up from your 20m deep well and allow you to irrigate your entire 3 hectares (7 acres) of rain-fed land using your family's injera-powered energy. But there's a simple (to me, anyway) law about the amount of energy you can produce, and how much water that energy will lift from that depth. That, coupled with what agronomists tell me (and you) about how much water plants in your part of Ethiopia need to grow, pretty much means you're requesting the impossible. But I won't tell you that. I'll just smile and nod and redouble my efforts to get you something better than what you already have.
On to the photos.
One of the challenges of hosting a blog from Ethiopia is uploading photos. In a fit of productivity, I actually loaded a bunch of photos onto the server sometime in early/mid-March. It might even have been a week or so after my early-March blog post. Well, best laid plans... I never managed to write the blog entry to go with the photos. Oops. So here they are... hopefully still interesting. :-)
Oh yeah... a quick update. I have finally officially made a decision regarding grad school: I deferred my admission to MIT's Masters in Mechanical Engineering program for one year. The work that I'm doing here is valuable and interesting, and I really want to see it through for another year. So, the books and problem sets will have to wait, but I'm sure they can handle it. :-)
Parting shot...
For more updates go here.
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12 April 2009
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Your bike's here! I mean, there! But you're not there. You're here. No, you're not. Bangladesh, India, Nepal, India? That's here, there & everywhere! :-o
About not going back to grad school yet for those reasons. Once again, you surprise & amaze. Nothing, but the best of wishes in your continued endeavour in Ethiopia. The rest of the world patiently awaits.
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| - Kate |
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14 April 2009
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Yeah, that's got to be tough. Tough to know what to do or know how to respond to a request for the impossible.
Enjoy the additional year in Ethiopia. That'll give me enough time (hopefully) for me to come visit. Yeay!! And anyway . . . grad school will always be there. Waiting. Lurking, even.
Looking forward to June! |
| - Adele |
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19 April 2009
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EHOP! That's brilliant! |
| - Mark Zeh |
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| Other Entries: |
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My name is Mark. I was born near Chicago, have lived in the US, Germany and Nepal, and am starting a new job and a new adventure in Ethiopia. This site is a way for me to keep friends and family updated on my progress, share some pictures, and perhaps offer a bit of reflection along the way. Please look around, and enjoy the ride!
Herumwandernder Cavetroll... heisse Mark. Ich habe in den USA, Deutschland und Nepal gewohnt, und jetzt geht es weiter nach Äthiopien. Mit diesem Website halte ich meine Familien- und Freundeskreise informiert über wie es mir in meinen Abenteuern geht. Schau mal 'rum, und viel Spass dabei!
-Mark, September 2008
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