Life Sciences Commons^™

Biowall Development For The West Lafayette Public Library, Dhanurja De Silva, Yalin Lu, Siqi He, Ajay Dalal, Bill Hutzel

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

A group of multidisciplinary Purdue students are working together to design, assemble, and install a Biowall in the Children’s section of the West Lafayette Public Library. A Biowall is a plant-based filter that improves Indoor Environmental Quality by cleaning indoor air and adding a natural aesthetic to the building space. Purdue has been developing Biowall technology since 2012, and this project involves redesigning it to fit into the available space at the library. The new Biowall design incorporates a watering mechanism that allows for children to get actively involved in maintaining the Biowall and learning about sustainability. This project also …

Supporting The Protect Initiative, Josh Lefton, Jackson Murray, Ahmed Thabet, Sriram Baireddy, Prakash Shukla, Mridul Gupta, Reagan Becker, Julie Ertle, Tony Doan, Aerin Yang

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Recently, medication dosage errors have received more political and media attention. Dosage errors are the most common medical errors, affecting about 1.5 million people annually.

Furthermore, U.S. poison-control centers reported more than 200,000 cases per year of medication errors. These cases result in medical costs of around $3.5 billion, and children under 6 years old constitute approximately 30% of these cases.

The PROTECT Initiative (Preventing Overdoses and Treatment Errors in Children Taskforce) was launched in 2008 as a collaborative effort between public health agencies and patient advocates to minimize dosage errors.

In alignment with the PROTECT Initiative effort, this project …

Laini Fluellen Charities And Know Your Lemons: Squeezing Out Breast Cancer And Winning The Fight, Kayla Vasilko

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Each minute, a woman dies from breast cancer somewhere in the world. The first and most important tool a woman needs to have to win a fight against this disease is the education to identify breast cancer symptoms as early as possible. Laini Fluellen Charities, Inc. (LFC) is an organization dedicated to aiding women in the fight of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), a highly aggressive form of breast cancer that characteristically affects young women, has fewer treatment options, and results in lower survival rates overall. Laini Fluellen combats TNBC by representing those most disproportionally affected: young African American and Hispanic …

Creating Reel Designs: Reflecting On Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita In The Community, Iris Layadi

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Because of its extreme rarity, the genetic disease arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC) and the needs of individuals with the diagnosis are often overlooked. AMC refers to the development of nonprogressive contractures in disparate areas of the body and is characterized by decreased flexibility in joints, muscle atrophy, and developmental delays. Colton Darst, a seven-year-old boy from Indianapolis, Indiana, was born with the disorder, and since then, he has undergone numerous surgical interventions and continues to receive orthopedic therapy to reduce his physical limitations. His parents, Michael and Amber Darst, have hopes for him to regain his limbic motion and are …

Sharing The Gift Of Water: A Hoosier-Haitian Partnership, Lauren Ward

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Engagement Methods for International Food Security (YDAE 49100) provided an opportunity for enrolled students to travel abroad to Cap-Haitïen, Haiti. As both a course in agriculture and a service-learning study abroad, the overarching goal was to inspire, engage, and teach Purdue and Haitian students through service learning in agriculture. This was done by developing a project with teammates during the fall semester that was then presented to students in Haiti during the International Agri-Symposium at Université Antenor Firmin over winter break.

Profile Interview With Norman E. Fenn, Shannon L. Castek

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Shannon L. Castek is a fourth-generation Boilermaker and fourth-professional-year student in the Purdue University College of Pharmacy. Throughout her time in pharmacy school, Shannon has enjoyed supplementing her curricular work with service-learning activities, participating in health screenings and immunization events with the Purdue chapter of the American Pharmacists Association–Academy of Student Pharmacists. She plans to pursue a pharmacy residency following graduation to achieve her dream of becoming an ambulatory care pharmacist. In this article, Shannon highlights the service-learning endeavors of Dr. Norman Fenn in the College of Pharmacy.

Hands Of The Future, Inc.: Connecting Children To Nature, Rebecca Busse

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Rebecca Busse is the project coordinator for the Nature of Teaching Extension Program. This provides K–5 teachers with standards-based lesson plans related to wildlife, food waste, and health and wellness. She has been volunteering with Hands of the Future, Inc., for three years. In this article, she describes the organization and her experiences with it.

My Experience In Swaziland With Give Hope, Fight Poverty, Megan Kaser

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Megan Kaser, a recent 2017 alum in the College of Health and Human Sciences at Purdue University, describes her experience with Give Hope, Fight Poverty (GHFP)—a nonprofit organization in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in physician assistant studies. GHFP’s mission is “to foster philanthropy domestically by designing service-learning programs that engage U.S. college students with rural communities in Swaziland, Africa, and work together to educate, empower, and lift orphaned and vulnerable children—particularly those living in child-headed households— out of poverty” (Give Hope, Fight Poverty, n.d.). By incorporating college students in the implementation of GHFP orphan education …

The Pharmaceutical Industry: A Pharmacy Student's Guide, Christian Egly, Yaman Kaakeh

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Christian Egly is a fourth-year (P4) pharmacy student in the Purdue University College of Pharmacy. During his years at Purdue, he worked in labs performing bench research in clinical pharmacology and biochemistry. He plans to work in the pharmaceutical industry after graduation. During his fourth year, he completed rotations in business development at Kashiv Pharma, LLC, and was hired there for an internship in 2017. In the article, Christian describes his personal experiences at Kashiv Pharma, LLC, and how industry can positively affect patient communities.

Food Insecurity: Rudimentary Education For Local Youth (Firefly), Nam-Anh Nguyen, Quynh P. Nguyen, Jane E. Krause

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

As service-learning becomes recognized as a significant teaching-learning tool for college students, the authors of this article came together to apply for the Purdue University Service-Learning Sustainability Projects Grant. Upon receiving the grant, with the encouragement of Professor Jane Krause and Food Finders Food Bank, the student authors created a project focused on food insecurity education in West Lafayette, Indiana. The main objective was to develop and teach a series of lessons on food insecurity and sustainability to middle school students using interactive activities. A team of Purdue students from various backgrounds was recruited to assist in planning and to …

Water Supply In Developing Countries: Student Experiences In The Dominican Republic, Albert Alwang, Margaret Busse, Audrey Caprio, Marieke Fenton, Jason Hawes, Andrew Kanach, Autumn Mcelfresh-Sutton

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

In 2010, the United Nations established access to safe drinking water as a basic human right; however, many areas around the globe still lack access. The interdisciplinary service-learning course “Water Supply in Developing Countries” was established at Purdue in 2012 to address the complex issue of water insecurity around the world. Over the past five years, the course has produced teams involving students from nursing, engineering, agricultural economics, biology, and food science working together to develop sustainable, community-scale drinking water treatment systems. In partnership with Aqua Clara International, the student team in 2017 established a drinking water treatment system at …

Partners In Haiti, Maggie Del Ponte, Christa Cheatham, Montana Campbell, Rachel Stowers, Kelli Teskey

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

In this article, a group of Purdue Students describes their service-learning experience in Haiti. They highlight what they learned about Haitian culture, the country’s need for agricultural and economic sustainability, and how Purdue students contribute to meet these needs. Maggie Del Ponte is a senior in biological engineering, Rachel Stowers is a sophomore in agricultural economics, Montana Campbell and Kelli Teskey are seniors in animal sciences, and Christa Cheatham is a junior in animal sciences.

Experiencing The Culture Of Cap-Haïtien: A Trip To Haiti, Alacyn Cox, Kamille Brawner, Kylie Echard

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Alacyn Cox and Kamile Brawner, third-year students, and Kylie Echard, a second-year student, are in the College of Agriculture. In this article, they provide readers with a glimpse of their first impressions on the economy, traditions, and culture they experienced during a study abroad, service-learning experience in Haiti.

Implementation Of Universal Hplc Analysis For Counterfeit Medication: A Partnership Of Purdue University And The Kilimanjaro School Of Pharmacy, Jordyn Mccord, Michael Mavity, David Wintczak

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Jordyn McCord and Michael Mavity are 2016 graduates of both biological engineering and pharmaceutical sciences. David Wintczak is a third-year pharmacy doctoral candidate. Here, in their second article published in PJSL, they describe a weeklong study abroad course at the Kilimanjaro School of Pharmacy in Tanzania, designed to engage students in the implementation of methods for detecting counterfeit medications.