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Environmental Sustainability and Immigration Kevin Santamaria Faculty Advisor: Gary Grey Department of Political Science and International Relations
Working at the Trans-border Institute (TBI) has given me phenomenal exposure to what it is like to work in a successful non-profit and creditable institution. I have been working under the environmental sustainability division and immigration division. Projects I have been a part of are ensuring the proper collaboration between TBI, a municipality agency of Tijuana, and 4 walls international to ensure we implement a survey evaluation to the local community in Tijuana we are trying to provide affordable housing for. I have also been involved with data gathering of drug violence related deaths and working to establish a bi-national photography contest that corresponds to TBI’s theme of trans-border communication. I often blog on the Trans-border blog as well to promote a balanced view of Mexico, that is often misconstrued as ominously dangerous by the media and the state department.
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Daffy Desks (A Better Student Desk) Josh Schroeder, Kyle Young, Cameron Clark Faculty Advisor: Leonard Perry Department of Engineering
Thousands of students utilize desks on USD’s campus every day in the classrooms. The limited desktop space makes it uncomfortable and inconvenient to work effectively. Because of the limited space, students are hesitant to get out any supplies needed for the lecture. Furthermore, the plastic seats are uncomfortable and make distracting noises whenever students shift their weight. With these factors in mind, we can enhance the product design by implementing design for Six Sigma techniques. Some of the techniques we will use will be collecting the voice of the customer by conducting focus groups and distributing surveys, creating physical and functional specifications, and observing competitors to further our knowledge on existing products. The final product will include a desktop surface area that is significantly larger, offers more comfort, and has an extended product life cycle.
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E-Z Up Vertical Storage Colleen Sevier, Elissa Magracia, Carlos Barboza Faculty Advisor: Ming Huang Department of Engineering
Students at the University of San Diego utilize the “E-Z Up” tents for a variety of activities. There is very little storage underneath these tents other than the ground, and this project will address this need. There is clutter on the ground, items are being damaged and tripped over by users as a result of having no place to store them. Through “Voice of the Customer” research and innovative project design, the project team will create a product following the Six-Sigma methodology. The team will reduce the quantity of items currently being stored on the ground and increase usable space under the “E-Z Up” tent. The team will be applying tools and methods learned within the Product Design course.
un i v ers i t y o f san d i egO
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