St. Francis students build solar suitcase
Four students from St. Francis High School's Advanced Placement environmental science class recently built a solar suitcase emulating portable power kits used to enhance medical opportunities for people in developing countries.
The students - juniors Elizabeth Allgaier, Michael Dahle and Katie Kubik and senior Kelly Joniak - built the suitcase together with Mike Bollock, the father of two St. Francis students and the Solar Ambassador for the Illinois Solar Energy Association.
Solar suitcases are an outreach of We Care Solar, which was founded in 2008 to provide enhanced medical opportunities for midwives in Northern Nigeria. The charity has grown and has equipped 27 countries with approximately 1,300 solar suitcases.
According to the organization's website, wecaresolar.org, they "design portable, cost-effective Solar Suitcases that power critical lighting, mobile communications devices and medical devices in low resource areas without reliable electricity.
By equipping off-grid medical clinics with solar power for medical and surgical lighting, cellphones and essential medical devices, We Care Solar facilitates timely and appropriate emergency care, reducing maternal and infant morbidity and mortality, and improving the quality of care in Africa, Haiti and other regions."
Bullock, a member of the board of directors and leader for the Solar Ambassador committee, taught the St. Francis High School students about the importance of solar energy for our planet. He also provided a hands-on experience for the students to see how solar energy can make a difference in saving lives.
The solar suitcase they built will travel throughout the state as part of the ISEA's efforts to educate and advocate for solar energy in Illinois.