Ruth Mendum | Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education
I am a rural sociologist and gender specialist working in refugee settlements and camps in Uganda, Kenya, and Ethiopia. My pecific research focuses on biomass energy use by households for home cooking and sometimes heating. Frequently I am asked by scientists and engineers here in the US how cutting edge research can be brought to communities in remote locations like the ones in which I work. Today I will share a snapshot of the research I do, outline some critical insights about how to work across cultural and technological divides, and demonstrate the arenas in which Penn State faculty can learn from communities that enjoy fewer material resources.