Fanuel Muindi interviews MIT undergraduate Lyne-Nicole Odhiambo, who participated in the 2024 virtual summer internship program in the Civic Science Media Lab affiliated with Northeastern University. At a local cafe in Cambridge, Massachusetts, next to MIT’s campus, Odhiambo shares the inspiration behind the summer project of mapping climate-focused sustainability initiatives in Kenya and reflects on the broader questions that have continued to guide their work. “I wanted to focus on not only seeing victims of climate catastrophe as victims, but also as holders of knowledge in ways to mitigate and respond to these catastrophes.”
Odhiambo expands by saying “It’s crucial to understand that communities on the front lines of climate change have their own solutions—solutions that come from their lived experiences.”
Odhiambo discusses the challenges encountered, including language barriers and political unrest: “I expected to just go in, find people, and have it be fine, but quickly realized that my shaky Swahili and the political climate made building rapport much more difficult.” Despite these hurdles, Odhiambo found another angle by shifting the project focus to mapping local initiatives: “Instead of trying to interview people directly, I decided to map the landscape of sustainability and climate adaptive technologies in Kenya from afar, using what I could gather from existing resources and supplementing that with quotes from those (leaders) I could reach.”
Odhiambo's work culminates in an upcoming piece that not only discusses the importance of local knowledge but also points out the need for more mapping work around collaborations between grassroots organizations. “There’s so much more that can be done if these organizations could synergize their efforts rather than working in isolation,” Odhiambo remarks.
The interview also touches on the lab’s broader mission to inspire the next generation of civic science scholars and practitioners through hands-on internships like the one Odhiambo participated in. Looking ahead into the future, Odhiambo shares, “I see myself acting as a bridge between the technical side of science and the community-oriented side, making knowledge more accessible to everyone.”
Odhiambo's upcoming piece will be published on the lab terminal.
https://civicsciencemedia.org
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