Community Projects
Strengthening ACE Outreach and Communication with African Families
At WPI, we have what we call the Interactive Qualifying Project (IQP), which gives students the “experience of working in interdisciplinary teams to solve a problem or need that lies at the intersection of science and society.” For my project, I worked in a team of 4 to help a local organization in Worceter, African Community Education (ACE), with improving the way they communicate with African refugee families in the area.
At the conclusion of our project, we proposed that ACE should social circles with representatives in each group that could serve as translators to help efficiently spread information. We also suggested that ACE begin a library of online materials (translated videos and recordings) to help support the assimilation into the United States. To help move both of these initiatives forward, we provided a guidebook with step-by-step guides on topics such as script writing, video editing, and translation workflows.
For more information, you can view the final report here!
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WPI COVID-19 Innovation Challenge
The WPI COVID-19 Innovation Challenge was a 4-day long competition “to build innovative solutions that address the most pressing COVID-19 issues related to WPI's return to campus.” I worked on a team of 4 to brainstorm, model, and create a pitch video for a solution for keeping communal campus spaces clean.
At the end of our project, we proposed a semi-autonomous table cleaning mechanism for lab/work spaces. This system starts with a student scanning their ID, which starts the cleaning process. Two spray bottles, connected with a microfiber cloth covered bar, move up and down the length of the table on rails to disinfect the table surface between uses. With this project, my team and I were awarded second place in the competition.
Check out our pitch video here!
WPI Student Experience Innovation Challenge
The WPI Student Experience Innovation Challenge was a 4-day long competition to come up with solutions that improve upon the educational experience of students. I worked on a team of 4 to brainstorm, model, and create a pitch video for a solution to improve study spaces on campus.
At the end of our project, we proposed an app that provides students with real-time data on study space availability. The app uses WiFi access points to locate devices, forming a digital heatmap of all connected devices. Using this data, students can view which rooms on campus are occupied, allowing them to find study spaces faster. With this project, my team and I were awarded first place in the competition.
Check out our pitch video here!