Director, Penn State Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship program (HESE)

John Gershenson, PhD, HESE Director – Dr. Gershenson is the director of the Penn State Humanitarian Engineering and Social Entrepreneurship program (HESE). He has a background as a mechanical engineer and academic in product development. John has launched now two ventures in East Africa, both as collaborations with students. Before coming to Penn State two years ago, John was a professor at Michigan Tech and did R&D for the bicycle industry. As director of the HESE program, he leads about 100 students in coursework, research, and entrepreneurial pursuits that solve hairy humanitarian problems.

Lucy Spicher, Junior, Mechanical Engineering / Biomedical Engineering – Dual major, a leader in the largest engineering organization on campus, lived and worked in Kenya, and head of product development at a startup … all before she started her junior year in college. Ms. Spicher is what some would call precocious, but what others would call a rising rock star. Lucy has worked with others to launch Kijenzi out of the HESE program, a company that 3D prints medical devices for rural hospitals that lack access to the global supply chain. She is the first person to design and sell a 3D printed product for patients in Africa.

Walter Watts, Grad Student, Smeal MBA – Mr. Watts has had a fantastic series of experiences, all focused on changing the world around him. From Peace Corps volunteer, to managing irrigation supply chains in Burkina Faso, African water quality analyst, to poultry farm processing specialist, Walter has done a lot. He is now building is international development and international supply chain management tool box before setting off on the next world-changing endeavor. Part of this learning experience included two years in the HESE program understanding economic flows in local agricultural markets in Kenya and launch a market place to expand opportunities for small scale farmers.