Fifteen students from the University of Rwanda have on 29-30 August 2024, participated in a two-day discussion focusing on the various challenges the UR campus faces concerning the Green Campus initiative.
Facilitated by students from Chalmers University of Technology, these discussions took place at the University Innovation Pod (UNIPOD), where participants’ ideas could potentially be developed into prototypes.
Evin Guler, one of the facilitators, explained that one of the main objectives was to empower student-led initiatives, allowing students time to propose and implement their own projects or contribute to existing ones aimed at achieving a Green Campus.
“During this event, students tackled challenges close to their hearts, investigated the needs of affected stakeholders, and defined problems specific to their users. They also ideated potential solutions and created prototypes at the UNIPOD,” Evin said.
“The two-day event is just the beginning of their journey, and we expect them to continue working on problem framing and testing even after the event.”, she added.
Hubert Munguakonkwa Taka, one of the participating students, shared that through these discussions, he identified a solution for managing waste collection more effectively. He proposed a smart dustbin with separate compartments for different types of waste. “Waste is not just a problem but an opportunity to create other products through recycling and reuse,” he noted.
The students came from various UR campuses and were selected from a pool of 150 applicants who expressed interest in an open call.
