LuTec: a multidisciplinary undergraduate research program for local development of new tools and strategies for education

Technical universities in developing countries can and should play an important role in meeting the needs of local communities by inventing solutions to pressing local challenges. We present a model for developing a multidisciplinary research program at our university that engages undergraduate students from design and engineering backgrounds in developing and testing prototype systems they design for addressing authentic local development challenges they themselves identify. In particular, we discuss our ongoing research efforts in the area informal science and technology education through two prototypes to help children learn about traffic safety and concepts related to time and space.