Almost two years after the 7-magnitude earthquake that shattered the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, graduate student Shivesh Ganotra was not sure what to expect as he prepared for his trip to Haiti this summer. With fear of an unstable government, violence and destitution, Ganotra’s arrival to the Caribbean nation revealed a more uplifting scene.

‘The people we interacted with, their enthusiasm, made up for the destruction,’ said Ganotra, a graduate telecommunications and network management major. ‘Even after the recent earthquake and all the disasters that Haiti has seen, people are still ready and willing to go out and study and work.’

Since the earthquake in 2010, students, faculty and staff across Syracuse University have worked together to create the SU Haiti Outreach Project. As a part of this extensive initiative, a trip was organized from July 30 to Aug. 6 to set up sustainable Wi-Fi networks at the Université d’Etat d’Haiti.

Seven students of varied academic background were selected through an application and selection process. Along with four SU staff members, the group worked for one week to set up wireless, high-speed Internet access for three of the eleven UEH campuses — a small but significant step toward providing the people of Haiti with a solid foundation to rebuild the country.

Throughout the weeklong trip, many students and faculty members at UEH took an immediate interest in the group’s project, eagerly asking when the project would be completed.

‘When we told them that it would take us only four to five days, they were very excited,’ Mahant said. ‘Everyone there wanted to help us. Students, professors, they did whatever they could to help.’

Even before the earthquake, the quality of Internet access on campus was inadequate for the students, faculty and staff of UEH. Combined with the epicenter of the earthquake hitting the town of Léogâne, approximately 16 miles west of Port-au-Prince where UEH is located, the damage of the disaster is still evident in the university’s infrastructure.

‘The infrastructure was kind of broken and it was not connected the way it is connected in Syracuse University, where you can go anywhere and log in,’ Ganotra said. ‘Some students brought routers from their homes and set up to share with their friends. It was really unorganized.’

The team brought materials and equipment from SU’s past network that had been recently replaced so that everything was still new and of high quality. The Wi-Fi networks set up on the three campuses are based on several different access points. These points create an entirely connected campus that enables users to access the Internet from any point on campus. Students using the newly established Wi-Fi system now have access to Internet nearly three times the speed of what they were using before.

‘When they tried opening the Web pages, they could open them in six seconds instead of 25 seconds and just the happy faces that we saw gave us motivation that we were doing something really good,’ Ganotra said.

Throughout the week, the team struggled with several obstacles: delays in getting its equipment and material through Haitian customs and losing an entire day of work due to dangerous weather conditions caused by Hurricane Emily.

Once the team finally began its long workdays in the sweltering heat, there was much to be done. Though the Wi-Fi network is wireless, the initial setup involves thorough cabling and systematic trench digging to run the wires, requiring in-depth mapping and planning, according to Kshitij Mahant, a graduate telecommunications and network management major.

The group also faced a problem with the campus’ layout. The university is made of 11 independent campuses with no centralized information or power, said Lee Badman, an adjunct instructor of networking at the School of Information Studies and the Campus Wireless technical lead for Information Technology and Services.

Originally, the team hoped to set up networks at two of the 11 campuses, all of which are separated by two to three miles. Though the team exceeded its goal by connecting three campuses, its work only stimulated a stronger desire to do more.

‘There’s a long-term plan, but they need some immediate results, and on this trip, we did some hands-on work that will help combine resources and modernize their system,’ said Badman.

With the accomplishment of connecting three campuses in one week, the group is eager to return to Haiti and continue the work that has been started. Though future trips are dependent on acquiring proper funding, the SU Haiti Outreach Project continues the initiative’s focus on setting a foundation for Haiti to build off of by extending scholastic resources to the Haitian people.

This includes providing seven students from Haiti with scholarships that enable them to pursue master’s degrees in various fields of study at SU. Through this exchange of knowledge, these students will have the resources to return to Haiti and move the country forward. 

Stephann Dubois, a sophomore engineering and computer science major, said he believes that his undergraduate experience as a computer science major will ultimately help in the restructuring of Haiti, where he was born and raised. After the fatal earthquake interrupted Dubois during his freshman year of college at Saint-Louis de Gonzague in Haiti, he came to SU in hopes that his education could be used to further help Haiti.

‘Coming back to Syracuse, I keep thinking of what more can I do,’ Dubois said. ‘Part of the reason I’m here is to take what I have learned, my skills, and go back to Haiti to help my country.’

Though providing Haiti with money and immediate necessities is important, the Haiti Outreach Trip has created a sustainable resource that will help Haiti grow and move away from its devastated past.

‘In today’s world, information is power, and if they have access to information it can eventually help them financially, economically and connect them to other nations to access more resources they need,’ Mahant said. ‘The Internet is the medium through which they can connect to the rest of the world, and we put down the stepping stone to get them connected.’

dmodiama@syr.edu

Published on August 28, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Danielle: dmodiama@syr.edu | @daniemarieodie