Congratulations to Jagan Doodala, BA ’19, on winning the $7,500 Quinn Prize for Best International and Social Entrepreneurship Venture at the GW New Venture Competition. Doodala and his research partner Christian Trummer, a GW mechanical engineering student, created the WATTerWagon, which increases water carrying capacity and has the potential to eliminate strenuous labor in hauling water for hundreds of millions living in rural, water-scarce regions.
Doodala and Trummer created the WATTerWagon after examining the many hazards to women and children in rural Asia and Africa who have to trek miles just to find a clean water source. While there are already many NGOs which work to provide clean water to these areas, Doodala noticed a flaw in those aid efforts. Specifically, they do not account for gaps in transportation or carrying capacity.
Rather than turning a blind eye to this issue, the team worked tirelessly to formulate a sustainable and affordable solution: the WATTerWagon. Their invention uses assistive motors powered by a solar-powered charging battery system; therefore, allowing faster transportation of high quantities of water as well as decreasing the number of water-runs and time it takes to complete these water-runs. Inevitably, this will also help decrease the risks to women and children who are responsible for these trips.
Currently, Doodala is working closely with emergency department (ED) physicians at INOVA Alexandria Hospital in Northern Virginia to help research factors that go into frequent ED use. Through his time in the HSSJ program, Doodala has found that “my experiences have been pivotal in understanding how best to tie service into my academics, my extracurriculars, and most importantly, on how to lead an everyday life of service.” In the future, Doodala wishes to pass on his experiences and knowledge and will pursue graduate studies in health.