Portland State student solving real world problems
Peter Kahn, a Reed College graduate and current Portland State student, spent summer 2010 working in the village of Bole Bobula in the Addis Ababa region of Ethiopia. He contributed to the design of a suspended pedestrian footbridge located on the Akaki river.
Kahn worked as an engineering intern for Bridges to Prosperity, a nonprofit organization funded by contributions from donors and corporate sponsors. Bridges to Prosperity’s mission is to “provide isolated communities with access to essential healthcare, education and economic opportunities by building footbridges over impassable rivers.”
According to Bridges to Prosperity, the Bole Bubula bridge spans 263 feet and serves a population of 25,000. The bridge connects the isolated village of Glan-Gurra to the village of Bole Bobula, eliminating river crossing time and hazard.
This means that villagers can gain access to clinics, markets and schools without having to wade through the raging rapids of the Akaki river.
Kahn emphasized the multidisciplinary approach of the project and the importance of the application of acquired skills beyond the “silo” of academia.
Currently, Kahn is a postbaccalaureate student at PSU in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering with an emphasis on structural engineering. He is simultaneously working on his Master’s degree.
Kahn decided to return to school after first graduating from Reed with a degree in history and then working for a time in contracting and computers.
“I wanted to get involved doing things outside the country,” Kahn said.
So Kahn connected with Evan Thomas, an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering and the director of the Sustainable Water Energy and Environmental Technologies Laboratory at PSU.
The SWEETLab develops and implements technologies for the support of life in remote environments. It has partners in academics, non-profits and industry throughout the world, but is housed within the Portland State Institute for Sustainable Solutions.
Kahn recalled knocking on Thomas’s door, despite being unsure of where it would lead, as the beginning point of his involvement with the SWEETLab and subsequently with its partner, Bridges to Prosperity.
“Peter’s work with the PSU SWEETLab and Bridges to Prosperity is an example of the way that PSU students can link coursework and research with international development challenges,” Thomas said. “Peter has been able to contribute meaningfully to Bridges to Prosperity’s programs in Guatemala and Ethiopia while also enhancing PSU’s research activities and bringing that experience back to the classroom.”
For the future, Kahn wants to continue to build bridges and “to make an impact on the world beyond himself.”
“I want to use skills from PSU to change the world for the better,” Kahn said.
