Presentations de las Filtro de Agua a UTEC

Hola amigos,

The past few weeks in Peru's largest city have been an incredible experience, but it is time to move on.  I moved out of my apartment and spent two days in a local hostel (the one I first stayed at).  To my surprise Katia, the girl that works the desk, remembered me and was impressed by how much Spanish I have picked up.  That was really gratifying, to know that even though I feel like I have hit a plateau, other people are noticing that I am improving.  That is a good thing because I had a visit with UTEC to sit in on student's design presentations for household water filtration systems....en espanol!

Before I made my way to UTEC, I had made multiple attempts to visit UNI, a major university in Peru that focuses in the sciences, but was unable to make significant contacts.  Below are some pictures of the campus I took while walking around and talking to students of the architecture program.

When I arrived to UTEC I was greeted by Emir Vela, a professor of engineering, and the head of the department, Hernan Montes.  Dr. Montes is an interesting man, earning his doctorate in Columbia, taught by Tolstoy, and sharing some stories about his travels.  The faculty was very welcoming, gave me a tour of their temporary campus (while they await construction of the new building down the street from my old apartment), and took me to lunch.  They all had a very optimistic plan for the future of this new university, and are working hard to make contacts and collaborations with universities around the world.  

The students came into the jury room in groups of 5, and I was unexpectedly introduced to the students as a professor from the states (I think they just said that to make me seem more important to the students).  Each group had the same project requirements, to create a functional water filter that is cheap to produce, will last a long time, and capable of filtering water for an entire household.  They were allowed to use any of the materials and systems they were taught over the semester, creating variations between each project.  Considering these systems are intended for the poorer areas of Lima and Peru, budget was a main concern, and costs were as stressed as the materials used in the production of the filters.  Most filter designs were composed of varying combinations of carbon, ceramic, plastic, gravel, silica, and PVC.  Below are some pictures of the students displaying their designs.

Following the presentations the faculty invited me to the architect's unveiling of the plans for the new building.  This was unexpected, and I am just lucky that both presentations happened to be on the same day and did not conflict with each other.  The new builiding will be LEED certified, built to withstand earthquakes, composed of a series of in and outdoor rooms that are intertwined, and made to resemble the nearby cliffs.  

I am happy with the amount of connections I made, information I have learned, and tourist destinations I have seen over the past few weeks.  It's time for what I really came to Peru for, the countryside!

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