|
|
|
During her keynote address at the 2026 ITEEA Annual Conference, Stephanie Rowley, Dean of the University of Virginia's School of Education and Human Development, announced the launch of the Sangala Initiative, a collaborative effort between ITEEA, the University of Virginia, and REACH for Uganda. Sangala — meaning "joy" in the Lugisu dialect — reflects our goal of helping engineering students find joy in learning through innovations that strengthen their communities. The initiative will build on a 2022-2025 project, outlined in this article, to equip East African schools with microscopes, build engineering capacity through CAD and digital fabrication, support community health by monitoring water quality, and improve agricultural outcomes through pathogen identification. Further, using NetScope, an internet-connected, open-source, 3D printed microscope developed by ITEEA and UVA's Make to Learn Laboratory, the project will establish an East Africa Microscopy Network in Uganda's Mt. Elgon region, the Sangala MicroNet, to enable data sharing between schools and allow for remote technical support. Following successful implementation, the initiative is expected to expand to address additional educational and technical challenges across the Global South.
|
