Origin x NUImpact: Diluting Dorian with Hurricane Hacks

“More than two weeks after Hurricane Dorian wiped out entire neighborhoods, East Grand Bahama still looks like a war zone.” — CNN

Category 5 Hurricane Dorian currently stands as the most destructive natural disaster in the Bahamas. Residents of the Bahamas, Puerto Rico and the East Coast of the United States still continue to grapple with the crippling aftermath; UN and CNN estimate that up to 70,000 people have been displaced.

Northeastern’s MOSAIC network siblings NUImpact and Origin fused minds Wednesday evening (09/18) to virtually rebuild the affected communities. Dividing the consequences of post Dorian into engineering, architecture, food, healthcare and energy, teams were assembled and assigned the task of solving a specific issue within their respective category.

For example, the architecture team needed to solve the task of detecting and removing mold in the surviving infrastructure. The process included coming up with the design, feasibility, cost structure and overall business model.

Throughout the brainstorming session, Origin members read out select facts and statistics, visually transporting the room to the destroyed affected areas and gently reminding attendees the purpose of gathering that evening — to connect with those affected by Dorian on an institutional level.

Each group was given the opportunity to pitch their ideas to the rest of the audience. Executive Director of Origin, Navin Mani (’20) was “enthralled by every pitch, ranging from a first responder application to a citywide clean energy system. I could tell everyone involved had a certain conviction that was driving them.”

Navin was grateful that students of different majors and years could “walk away with a stimulated mind and some inspiration as to how they could make a difference in the world.”

Find out how you can help victims of Hurricane Dorian here.