Humanitarian Technology Summer Internship
The Humanitarian Technology Summer Internship (HTSI) brings together young innovators to develop technology and services to solve neglected problems affecting communities at the Base of the Pyramid (BoP). Students will work on authentic problems identified by Lingnan's field partners in developing countries as well as social workers in cities serving the underprivileged.
What is Humanitarian Technology?
Humanitarian Technology (HT) can be broadly defined as products and solutions that are environmentally sustainable, economically viable, and culturally appropriate, utilising mature technologies that are easily accessible to the public to ensure the final solution is affordable, scalable and serviceable in remote areas. HT is not limited to high or low tech solutions, as machine learning algorithms, low-orbit satellites, and IoT devices are also HT if they meet the aforementioned criteria.
Our team at Lingnan University has developed award-winning innovations that exemplifies HT: https://www.ln.edu.hk/lei/humanitarian-technology
What will interns do?
Interns from different universities and disciplines around the world will work with engineers, designers, and other professionals for 6 weeks on one or more of their chosen projects. HTSI is structured similarly to capstone projects (or final-year project), with interns working in teams under the guidance of their project supervisors. Interns will receive technical support but should expect minimal daily supervision. All interns and teams will report their progress in weekly meetings.
As part of the programme, interns may choose to participate in field exploration trips during the 6-week programme. These trips typically last between 1 to 2 weeks and are co-organised by university partners in the hosting country (e.g. Philippines, India, Indonesia, Thailand, etc.) During these trips, interns will have the opportunity to meet with field project partners and target users, gaining a deeper understanding of the problems they are working to solve and the communities they are serving.
Some of the past and current projects include:
- Trisikad (tricycle) for flood fond Philippines
- Portable water testing module for rural emergencies
- Climate adaptive baby incubator
- Transparent filtration masks for lip-reading population
- Carer-driven electric wheelchairs
More info on the exploration trips can be found here: https://www.ln.edu.hk/lei/participatory-programmes/JHTIEA
Who should join the programme?
Students (undergraduate and postgraduate) with genuine interest in the wellbeing of the Base of Pyramid, eager to develop practical solutions, or wishing to pursue a career in the humanitarian or global development sector are welcomed.
HTSI is a highly interdisciplinary programme - students from engineering, public health, computer science and design may find it easier to apply their skills to the projects quickly. However, students from social work and other non-STEM disciplines had also made significant contributions.
Logistics
| Location | The internship will be based at Lingnan University's main campus in Hong Kong. |
| Fees | No programme fee - the programme is fully funded by Lingnan University. |
| Accommodation | Interns will receive free accommodation on campus covering the entire period of their internship. |
| Flight | Interns are responsible for their own flights to Hong Kong and project sites (where applicable). |
| Visa | All applicants are required to obtain a student visa. Interns will be allowed to enrol into one of the courses at Lingnan University to obtain a student ID. |
| Internship period | The internship will run between 29 May and 31 July 2024. Interns may choose to work any six weeks (or longer) between this period. |
| Application deadline | Deadline for application is 17 March 2024. |
To apply, please submit the completed application form (link here) to Ms Sagino Lee at [email protected]