by Aaron Garland
Josh Holmes finds comfort in “thinking with my hands” — a process he describes as using his hands to solve problems.
During a two-week trip to Ghana last winter, the Rochester Institute of Technology imaging and photographic technology student deployed those “hand-thinking” abilities to bring improvements to Donkorkrom Presbyterian Hospital.
Using technical knowledge developed in RIT classrooms, the Buffalo, N.Y., native nursed a neglected microscope back to functional use, fixed an ultrasound machine and repaired a constantly overheating incubator to provide a more controlled, potentially life-saving environment for a premature baby. Hospital staff, Holmes said, previously had to warm the infant with skin-to-skin contact.