Beyond Traditional Borders sends more Rice U. undergrads...( HOUSTON -- June 9 2008 -- Rice Unive...),Health

HOUSTON -- June 9, 2008 -- Rice University's global health initiative Beyond Traditional Borders (BTB) is sending 17 students to Africa, the Caribbean and Central America this summer to combat health problems like HIV/AIDS.

The BTB international summer internship program, which sent seven undergraduate interns to southern Africa in its inaugural year in 2007, is working with more local organizations this year and expanding its reach into Latin America. This year's interns will work in schools, health clinics, hospitals and town councils to try to solve health problems using both education and technology.

"We have expanded the number of countries and continents that Rice students are reaching, and we're growing the number of partner organizations we're working with as well," said BTB Director Yvette Mirabal. "The goal is to grow the opportunities we offer students to develop into leaders advancing world health."

This effort fits in with Rice University's goal of providing a holistic undergraduate experience that equips students to make a distinctive impact on the world.

As in 2007, the bulk of BTB's 2008 interns will visit schools and clinics in southern Africa. Thirteen of the interns will work in Lesotho, two will travel to Botswana and two will split time between Haiti and Guatemala. All the interns will chronicle their experiences in a blog at www.owlsbeyondborders.rice.edu/.

All of the interns completed global-health courses at Rice, and many took engineering design courses, working in teams to develop medical prototypes that they'll test this summer. These include a Lab-in-a-Backpack, a portable medical diagnostic kit containing both basic supplies and a battery-powered microscope and solar-powered battery charger; a lightweight, portable system that measures AIDS drugs and helps doctors make sure patients stick to strict drug regimens; a battery-powered monit
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