Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Cool Person: William Kamkwamba

Here is an excerpt of William's bio from Wikipedia (you can judge your own level of Wikipedia-trust)
William Kamkwamba (born August 5, 1987) is a Malawian secondary school student and inventor. He gained fame in his country when, in 2002, he built a windmill, to power a few electrical appliances in his family's house in Masitala, using blue gum trees, bicycle parts, and materials collected in a local scrapyard. Since then, he has built a solar-powered water pump that supplies the first drinking water in his village, and two other windmills (the tallest standing at 39 feet) and is planning two more, including one in Lilongwe.
Check out William's blog here. (Thanks, Gloria)

Why Women Aren’t C.E.O.s, According to Women Who Almost Were

"It’s not a pipeline problem. It’s about loneliness, competition and deeply rooted barriers." Read more in the NYT .