Students gear up for visit to island

Otago Polytechnic  civil engineering senior lecturer Michael Mullens (left) and polytechnic civil...
Otago Polytechnic civil engineering senior lecturer Michael Mullens (left) and polytechnic civil engineering students Dawie Sutton, Sinan Tutgun, Bradford Standring and Linda Street. PHOTO: LINDA ROBERTSON
It may not be MacGyver in action, but there will be plenty of smart improvisation when Otago Polytechnic students fly to a remote island in Vanuatu next month.

Like the American television hero, who was never daunted by obstacles and limited resources, the polytechnic civil engineering students will make the most of available materials at Paama, one of Vanuatu's 83 islands.

The 16-strong contingent will spend 10 days working on several water, sanitation and health projects.

About 70% of the materials they will use are already on the island.

About half of the required materials have long been there, including sand, rock and metal for use in concrete foundations, and other items like existing roofing materials, to be adapted for new purposes.

Other materials, including some pipes, have been recently shipped in from the nation's capital, Port Vila.

The students will bring some tools and the rest of the required materials when they arrive, on the September 7-20 trip.

Specifically aimed at students who have completed civil engineering programmes in water and waste systems, the projects include water disinfection, desalination, sanitation, and solar pumps.

Polytechnic College of Engineering, Construction and Living Sciences head Richard Nyhof said these projects reflected the polytechnic's focus on hands-on learning.

Civil engineering senior lecturer Michael Mullens said the projects included a great deal of improvisation, in a place still recovering from damage from Cyclone Pam in March 2015.

"Using the materials that are already there is very important."

The whole visit required the ability to adapt quickly.

"The weather can change, the materials may not arrive, people can get sick - you don't know what's going to happen."

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