Van Barker is an intern for the STAR-TIDES (Sharing to Accelerate Research-Transformative Innovation for Development and Emergency Support) research project at the National Defense University. Van is sophomore at Georgetown University in the School of Foreign Service.
Vinay Gupta probably did not expect to serve as an inspiration for a DoD research project. As a programmer, master of Nepalese magic, editorial staff-member at the Rocky Mountain Institute and, most recently, the founder of the Hexayurt Project – where he promotes easy-to-assemble shelters for disaster-stricken communities – Vinay’s background doesn’t smack of a strong connection with the U.S. defense community. Regardless, in his work with Hexayurt, he has approached disaster-relief with a “6 Ways to Die” model, which argues that humanitarian aid is most effective when targeted at the 6 top causes of human death: extreme heat, cold, thirst, hunger, illness, and injury. Little did he anticipate that it would help inspire the STAR-TIDES project (Sharing to Accelerate Research, Transformative Innovation for Development and Emergency Support) at the National Defense University, and guide our efforts to assemble a searchable database of low-cost, sustainable technologies for a variety of missions.
Photo of hexayurt from TIDES' 2010 Technology Demo at Fort Lesley J. McNair (Photo by Lou Elin Dwyer)
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