Summer 2012 - Ghana
iSTEP is a rigorous, competitive and rewarding internship program, which requires the involvement of students with high levels of dedication, team work, cross-cultural adaptability, initiative and academic achievement. Students who have participated in iSTEP have exhibited tremendous personal and professional growth as a result of their real-world experiences conducting research in developing community settings.
The iSTEP 2012 partner is Ashesi University College in Berekuso in the Eastern Region of Ghana (about 1 hour north of Accra). The majority of the iSTEP team will be based in Ghana with some team members working from the Carnegie Mellon Pittsburgh campus.
Technology field work in developing communities can be challenging and also rewarding. TechBridgeWorld provides guidance and advice to the iSTEP 2012 interns throughout the experience. To succeed in this internship program, we recommend that interns do their own research and conduct as much preparatory work as possible while on campus in order to get a head start on project work in the summer.
Interested students: Please note that we have already selected the team for the iSTEP 2012 summer internship program. The deadline to apply was November 6, 2011. We will highlight opportunities for iSTEP 2013 in Fall 2012.
Location
Formerly known as the Gold Coast, Ghana was the first Sub-Saharan African country to gain independence from colonial powers in 1957. In 2000, the peaceful transition of government to an opposition party through free, democratic elections underscored Ghana's symbolic stature as a pioneering African nation. Due to its growing economic and stable political climate, Ghana continues to be described as one of the most promising countries in Africa.
The Ghanaian economy is dominated by agriculture, mining, and forestry, which account for roughly half of its GDP. Ghana's population of approximately 22 million consists of over 50 different ethnic groups speaking various languages and dialects. Despite its great cultural diversity, Ghana has avoided any major ethnic conflicts throughout its history as an independent nation. While English is the official language, the major dialects of Twi, Ga, Fanti, Ewe, and Hausa are prevalent. The country's rich cultural heritage continues to thrive today in communities of traditional and modern dancers, musicians, and artisans, as well as the daily lives of Ghanaian villagers and urbanites alike. Ghanaians are generally characterized as a friendly, fun-loving and hospitable people.
According to 2000 estimates from the Ghana Statistical Service, about 56% of the population of Ghana lives in rural communities, and the remaining in urban areas. The capital city, Accra, is on the Atlantic Coast, and is the political and economic center of Ghana. It is a busy, bustling city of contrasts, with 19th century colonial buildings and modern high-rises; with shanty-towns and leafy suburbia; traditional highlife music and modern hiplife music; busy traditional markets and modern businesses; dusty roads with potholes and modern highways; traditional “chop bars” and gourmet restaurants.
Ashesi University recently moved out of its temporary location in the capital city of Accra, to its permanent campus in the in the peaceful hills of Berekuso, a rural community about one hour north of Accra. The new campus puts the Ashesi vision of transforming Africa into physical form, and it provides an inspiring setting for students, faculty and administrators to share ideas and learn. It also brings about a new and promising relationship between the university and the local community of Berekuso, a partnership described by the chief of the community as “one that will go down in the archives of history.”
Links
- Ashesi University College Website
- BBC News Country Profile – Ghana
- Wikipedia – Ghana
- Wikipedia – Accra
- Wikipedia - Ashesi University
- Lonely Planet – Ghana
- Ghana Statistical Service
Partner
Ashesi University College is a coeducational institution whose mission is to educate African leaders of exceptional integrity and professional ability. By raising the bar for higher education in Ghana, the university aims to make a significant contribution towards a renaissance in Africa.
The university, which began instruction in March 2002 with a pioneer class of 30 students, has quickly gained a reputation for innovation and quality education in Ghana. Ashesi currently has a population of about 500 students, about 10 percent of whom come from outside of Ghana.
Ashesi is the first university in Ghana to adopt and blend the Liberal Arts method of education with majors in Computer Science, Management Information Systems and Business Administration. The university is an independent, private, not-for-profit institution.
Projects
Through our discussions with Ashesi, we have jointly identified two projects for the Summer 2012 program. Each of these research projects is multi-faceted and will involve the collaboration of all team members to be successful:
- Water Monitoring and Management
- Waste Monitoring
Given its mission and new campus location, Ashesi emphasizes resource management and environmental sustainability. Therefore, Ashesi has set up a system to collect and purify its own water so that the campus has a self-sufficient supply. Furthermore, given the challenges of waste management in Ghana, Ashesi also plans to monitor and manage the waste produced by the campus. By collecting data on water consumption and waste production at the new campus, Ashesi can gain insights into managing resources and sustainable practices, and use these insights to motivate better water usage and waste management among the campus community.
Team Roles
Given the specific needs of the iSTEP 2012 projects, we anticipate that the iSTEP 2012 team members will need the following skill sets: project management, software development, needs assessment, monitoring and evaluation, media relations coordination, written and oral communication in English, field research, and social media content development.
While no candidate is expected to have strong skills in all of these areas, ideal candidates will specialize in one or more of these areas and have some cross-cutting skill sets.
As in a "start-up" setting, all members of the team, regardless of their specific role, will need to participate in a variety of tasks to ensure the overall success of the team. While the specific roles will be determined after the iSTEP 2012 team is selected, the following example is a potential team setting:
- 2 project managers (1 per project)
- 2 software developers (1 per project)
- 1 assessment coordinator
- 1 dissemination coordinator
The work location for each team member will also be decided after the iSTEP 2012 team is selected. However, Ghana is the preferred location for the project managers and the assessment coordinator. An iSTEP 2012 team leader will be selected during the Spring 2012 semester with input from the entire iSTEP team. The team leader will need to be located in Ghana.
Key criteria for success in all roles include:
- Willingness to work hard in a team setting with minimal supervision, and be totally dedicated to the success of the team
- Ability to adapt to unforeseen and challenging situation, and to persevere towards team success despite these challenges
Logistics
Spring Preparation Sessions
Confirmed iSTEP 2012 interns must enroll in a mandatory mini course (6 units) in the Spring 2012 1st mini. The course is entitled “iSTEP Technology Field Research in Developing Communities” (15-302 A3 in Pittsburgh and 15-302 W3 in Doha). The mini course runs from January to March on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:00 - 9:20 a.m. Pittsburgh time (4:00 - 5:20 p.m. Doha time). Click here to see the current mini course website.
iSTEP 2012 interns must also enroll in a mandatory mini course (6 units) in the Spring 2012 2nd mini (15-302 A4 in Pittsburgh and 15-302 W4 in Doha) to continue their preparatory work related to their projects and their individual roles in the internship team. The mini course runs from March to April and meets on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8:00 - 9:20 a.m. Pittsburgh time (3:00 - 4:20 p.m. Doha time). This mini course includes preparation sessions that discuss travel, health, safety, legal and financial topics.
iSTEP 2012 interns will be asked to complete a variety of paperwork in order to facilitate logistics associated with their participation in the program. During the spring semester we will require students to complete forms related to payroll and applicable taxes, travel booking, emergency contact information, health insurance, intellectual property ownership, research compliance, etc. Please feel free to contact us if you would like to know more specifics about these required forms before applying to the program.
Internship Salary
Each of the interns selected for the team will be paid a salary of USD $3,000 (subject to any applicable taxes) for their participation with the program. This will be paid biweekly or monthly over the course of the summer through university payroll.
Overseas Travel Logistics
Air travel to and from Ghana will be arranged and sponsored by Carnegie Mellon University. TechBridgeWorld will also process and pay for any required visas. The value of these travel costs provided to CMU students may be subject to applicable taxes.
Interns who travel to Ghana must have a valid passport (we cannot pay for interns’ passport processing). Interns must pay for any required immunizations, vaccinations, and medications prior to their travel. Interns must also ensure they have health insurance to cover them overseas for the duration of the summer internship.
Accommodations and Local Transportation
For interns traveling to Ghana, the Ashesi has agreed to arrange and pay for local accommodations and local transportation for work purposes. For interns working at the Carnegie Mellon Pittsburgh campus, they must make their own housing and transportation arrangements and are eligible for an additional USD $1,000 (subject to any applicable taxes) paid with their internship salary to help them cover living expenses, if needed. We must have proof of local housing arrangements, such as a letter from university housing or a signed contract with a landlord, by May 1, 2012 in order to provide this additional funding.
Meals and Personal Expenses
Interns are expected to pay for their own meals and personal expenses. We suggest interns research in advance what they can expect in terms of local cost of living where they will be located for the summer so that they can budget accordingly (for example average cost for meals, personal expenses, entertainment, etc.).
If you have any questions on any of these details please feel free to contact us.