The research partnership and collaboration between the TUM SEED Center and its partner universities continue to evolve as many TUM members make their first field research trips to our living labs, around the Global South. This past month, Pablo Sarmiento, SEED doctoral researcher at the TUM’s School of Engineering and Design, and his supervisor prof. Markus Disse visited our Living Lab, in rural Olderkesi, Narok-Kenya.
The Living Lab already has solar panels installed and running, giving the community access to energy and to entrepreneurial opportunities that come with it. But beyond energy supply, Pablo shared with members of the community some knowledge gathered through his research, via two hands-on pieces of training: The first concerned with techniques for a more efficient soil and water management for agriculture production and soil conservation, and the second with the effective treatment and storage of water to avoid water-borne diseases.
In addition to the direct benefits for the communities, the Living Labs constitute an instrumental research ground for scientists and experts, and a real-life setting for knowledge dissemination and valorization.