Morena Andres is a former Public Invention volunteer who worked on the beginning stages of two key projects: the EcoPot and the Moonrat. As a recent chemical engineering graduate at the time of her application, Andres was interested in putting her new skills to the test in the world of open-source engineering. During her time with Public Invention, she would support water safety as well as cooking options for rural and impoverished communities.
“My interests are mainly sustainability and healthcare, and I’ve always had an interest in philanthropy,” Andres said of her motivation to join the team. “When I finished my Bachelor’s and was looking for job opportunities, I came across Public Invention.”
Moonrat Portable Incubator
Andres contacted Public Invention Founder Robert L. Read, who quickly introduced her to the portable incubator project known as the Moonrat. This project’s goal was to detect bacterial contamination in drinking water through heating it in an isolated container and then testing for any unwanted growths. Overall, the Moonrat was a great fit for Andres’ skillset while also offering her opportunities to grow.
“I got to know the team and understand how we were going to approach this project,” Andres said. “I was very new to coding and software, so Dr. Read was super kind and gave me an Arduino kit, which was really helpful to just learn [from] and test out.”
Andres continued working on the Moonrat until she began a full-time position elsewhere. However, she kept in contact with Public Invention and eventually rejoined as an Inventor on a new project which utilized and strengthened her newfound skills.
The EcoPot
“I contacted Dr. Read again and let him know what I was hoping to work on. And I actually worked on a lot of chemical plant designs in my job. So, he had a project [for me]: working on the EcoPot.”
“This was a problem that I wasn’t even really aware of: how people cook on open fires, and how it affects their life and their opportunities.” – Morena Andres
The EcoPot, like the Moonrat, was also aimed at supporting rural, low income communities. However, rather than focusing on clean water, the EcoPot aimed to provide a cooking pot designed specifically for use over wood fires or similar, non-electric heating.
Its development has included multiple stages of testing over various types of heat, which includes modeling different designs and their reactions to such tests. Andres was a part of this modeling process, which utilized Ubuntu for the coding process and OpenFoam for the modeling. This new role pushed Andres to learn the additional software while also leaning into her engineering design background.
“[I was] designing the reactor and doing some modeling around that,” Andres stated. “There was a huge learning curve for me still. [OpenFoam] was a new software that I had never used before.”
Ultimately, Andres had a unique experience with Public Invention as an inventor who worked on multiple projects. She stated that her experience with each team was different, which reflected their differences in size.
“The Moonrat had quite a big team…I remember there being [quite] a few people on the team, but again, that was the beginning of the project,” Andres said. “But then with the EcoPot, it was a very small team. It started with just myself and Robert, and then Cledden [Kwanin] joined us. He was super helpful.”
Open-Source Engineering
Of her time at Public Invention, Andres stated that she was grateful for the opportunity to learn new skills, work with Inventors from across the world, and learn about problems that many communities face.
“I don’t think we take advantage of [open-source] enough…There’s so many safety incidents that could be avoided.” – Morena Andres
“Public Invention tries to target different problems in different areas of the world,” Andres said. “This was a problem that I wasn’t even really aware of: how people cook on open fires, and how it affects their life and their opportunities. And [Public Invention asks] what’s the solution that we can bring that would make it more efficient and give them more time?”
Andres also appraised open source for its opportunities for developing one’s skills and the free sharing of knowledge. However, while she appreciated the world of tech’s utilization of open-source technology, she wished that engineering used it more often as well.
“I don’t think we take advantage of [open source] enough,” Andres said, “as opposed to the tech field, which very much takes advantage of [open source], much more than we do in engineering. There’s so many safety incidents that could be avoided, and there’s so many engineering designs that we could take, but I don’t think it’s used often enough.”
Although Andres has moved on from Public Invention, she continues to support its mission by being a voice for open-source engineering. She demonstrates how taking a chance and working on projects that require additional skills can help one develop professionally, and the impact open-source projects can have on low-income communities. Her work on the beginning stages of the Moonrat and EcoPot have supported the current forms of both projects, and we wish her the best on her engineering journey.
If you are interested in joining our mission or a project like the Moonrat or EcoPot, feel free to reach out to Founder and Head Coach Robert Read or Volunteer Coordinator Miriam Castillo. Additionally, consider submitting a donation, or just spread the word about the mission of open-source engineering.
