by Kaila Helm, Biological Basis of Behavior ’20; and Hope McMahon, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering ’18
David Issadore, a faculty member in the Department of Bioengineering at the University of Pennsylvania teaches an engineering course ENGR566 – Appropriate Point of Care Diagnostics. As part of this course, he and Miriam Wattenberger from CBE, have taken nine Penn students, most of them majoring in Bioengineering, to Kumasi, Ghana, to study the diagnosis of pediatric tuberculosis. While in Ghana, these students are blogging daily on their experiences.
Today we took a trip up north to Mole National Park. It was a little over a seven-hour drive from KCCR in Kumasi, but it went quickly as we drove past many communities. We were able to pick up food from vendors carrying it along the road. We picked up some of our favorites, like plantain chips, bananas, and groundnuts, and we even tried some new foods, like fried cheese.
Once we arrived in Mole, we were greeted by baboons, which like to stay around the motel. We had to be careful with any food that we brought because they could chase us for it. After a brief dip in the pool, we enjoyed a nice dinner overlooking the terrain below us.
We ended the night with another round of speed friending. By now, we had gotten to know each other to the point that leading questions weren’t necessary to carry conversations. After a few hours, we decided to retire for the night. When it became dark, we were amazed at how dark the sky was and how visible the stars were. We all went to bed, excited about the opportunity to go on a safari adventure tomorrow.