From biogas to vaccines, U of T students collaborate across time zones through ‘Global Classrooms’ initiative

Under the supervision of Ariel Chan and Graeme Norval, U of T Engineering students have been collaborating virtually with students at Nigeria’s Covenant University to share updates on their joint mission: building a low-cost biogas generator for remote communities in Africa’s most populous country.

This project immerses the students in a real-world engineering challenge within a Global Classrooms setting, where cross-cultural collaboration and international learning are front and centre.

“The Global Classroom enables our students to be placed in a learning environment that’s not limited to U of T – it’s in the world,” says Chan. “It helps them understand a real-life problem in a different part of the world and explore how they can use their engineering concepts to tackle it.”

The international student team are using cassava peels and other agricultural waste to produce gas for cooking and heating – a more environmentally friendly and less toxic alternative to the burning of wood for fuel.

Read the full U of T news story.