Development of a Global Design Education Experience in Bioengineering Through International Partnerships.

The field of engineering is increasingly appreciating the value of diversity for innovative design solutions. Successful engineering depends on our ability to explore constrained parameter spaces for finding the best solutions, and more diverse minds and experiences enable us to explore the entire potential solution space more thoroughly, more quickly, and more creatively. With a goal to expand the diversity of experiences and mindsets in our undergraduate bioengineering curricula, Arusha Technical College (ATC) in Arusha, Tanzania and Clemson University (CU) in Clemson, South Carolina, U.S., have partnered together over the past 5 years to provide intercontinental educational opportunities for undergraduate students, graduate assistants, and faculty. In 2018, CU and ATC collaborated on an international design course targeting undergraduate students in biomedical engineering focused on global health solutions for resource poor communities. Undergraduate students from ATC and CU collaborated on design projects through formal videoconferenced group meetings, e-mail, and various social media platforms. The year ended with a joint design symposium in Arusha where the students presented on their work in a public poster forum. This successful ATC-CU Global Health Design Collaboration pilot year provides a solid model upon which to build. Students reported overall positive experiences and plans to continue in their curriculum to graduation, as well as some ATC and CU students changing their career direction to include global health initiatives.

Knowledge and Practices on Periodontal Health among Adults, Misungwi, Tanzania.

The level of knowledge and practices on periodontal health of 388 adults in Misungwi District, Tanzania, was assessed. Analysis included frequency distributions and the chi-square test at a p value of 0.05. Many more participants were males (n=197; 50.8%) and of younger age group (n=215; 55.4%) and having seven years of education (n=257; 66.2%). Higher number of participants reported owning a mobile phone (n=289; 74.5%) and a radio (n=298; 76.8%), while few (n=45; 11.6%) had their houses connected to electricity. Study participants who were males (n=101; 51.3%), had more than seven years of schooling (n=67; 72.3%), who owned a mobile phone (n=143; 49%), owned a radio (n=144; 48.3%), and resided in houses having electricity (n=37; 82.2%) were statistically significantly more knowledgeable on periodontal health when compared to their counterparts. A statistical significant difference was seen in oral health practices conducive to periodontal health among those who were males (n=133; 67.0%), having more than seven years of education (n=78; 83.0%), owning a mobile phone (n=189; 65.4%), owning a radio (n=195; 65.4%), and residing in house having electricity (n=35; 77.8%). This study observed that participants who were males, owned a mobile phone, owned a radio, resided in houses having electricity, and having more than seven years of education were more knowledgeable and had more conducive oral health practices on periodontal health.