There is so much to say about our incredible trip to Honduras. I know we all have a lot to reflect on, but today I just wanted to focus on some of the teamwork aspects of our project.

First, I wanted to share a story that we all joke about from time to time; it was our first example “group dynamics”: The first time we went to Vegas Electric (our second day in Honduras), we had some down time and the boys started debating about how the position and type of PV system affect the efficiency. The girls, on the other hand, wandered around and took pictures of flowers and of the scenery. We only find this funny because Lauren pointed it out right then, how the girls and boys like doing different things in their free time.

So we may not all have had the same level of interest in the technical side of solar energy, but perhaps diverse thinking and interests leads to more creative ideas and solutions. I think the best part about our group was that we were all different and had strengths in different areas. It’s up to us the group members to recognize our teammate’s strengths and let them lead when the time is right. Just think about all the tasks we had to accomplish! Design the racking, install the system, entertain the kids, paint the outside walkway, make the banner, create the Island Friends presentation, organize the zipline trip, ect. But looking back on it, I can think of a different person that took charge of each task, and I am so grateful that our team functioned so well together.

In the future, I think I will be more receptive to noticing other people’s strengths, and letting them take the lead. So often I feel that I have to do everything when I am the designated leader, but I realize that it’s okay to delegate tasks to teammates when they have strengths in areas that I do not.

I also learned from this experience that you don’t have to be exactly alike to become friends. In my classes I am always friends with other ChemEs, so we all have similar interests. But becoming a close-knit team with all these people from different ages and major on the trip was so easy; almost too easy!  I think that’s because we all had a common goal and an open mind, and we all really wanted to try our hardest to make our trip successful. It is nice to think that in my future endeavors, just being dedicated and passionate about the same task might be enough to bring us together.

I am so glad that I had this experience, and looking back, I won’t change a thing about my team. We worked great together, and I will always cherish my memories from Honduras.

~Kristen 🙂

Yes, we are home safe and sound. This was such an amazing experience. It taught us to think about ourselves and our work with a more global perspective. I was so happy to have had the opportunity to experiences the challenges and triumphs of global engineering. Great job, team!

~Kristen 🙂

Today was the commissioning day for the system. In order to raise community awareness, our team made this banner (seen below) to hang in front of the daycare. We had all of the children add their hand prints to the banner before we hung it up. Many of the tourists and community members that were walking by stopped to ask us about our project, and we were happy to fill them in! In the background of this picture, you can see the completed system mounted on the roof. All in all, it was a very successful day!

~Kristen 🙂

I never could have dreamed how beautiful this place is! There are jungles all around us, and the water is so calm and clear (most of the time). This morning at breakfast we saw a pair of birds (that I got a picture of!). And everybody here is so nice too! The kids at the daycare are sooo sweet, and the staff are so accommodating.

Today was a long day, but we mostly finished the system! Yay! I can’t wait to finish it up tomorrow! 🙂

~Kristen

Hey everybody!

It’s been a great day here in Roatan. We got to visit the daycare and Vegas Electric to plan out what we’ll be doing for the rest of the week. One of the most interesting things we talked about was the pros and cons of cutting down the tree by the daycare. This tree shades the solar PV system for a large part of the day, and cutting it down would increase energy production, but it would also be a very expensive venture and may not be good for the community. So we learned that it is always important to consider the impact on the community before starting large projects! The decision on the tree is left in the hands of daycare center.

That’s all for now!

~Kristen 🙂