Cal Poly Pomona has been awarded a $26,000 Innovation Generation grant from the Motorola Foundation to help engineering students design low-cost, socially responsible projects.

“This is a very competitive grant and a first for Cal Poly Pomona,” says Professor Jawaharlal “Jawa” Mariappan, who drafted the proposal, which he titled “Engage, Innovate and Contribute.”

“Students will be involved in truly engaging projects,” Jawa says. “An example might be an assistive device for the physically or mentally challenged. Completed projects will be displayed and presented next year at the College of Engineering’s Showcase of Excellence.”

The grant will be used to build prototypes, enter competitions, create videos, travel to conferences and seminars, and visit partner sites to gather data.

Students who want to apply for funds should submit a brief proposal. Engineering students with ideas for collaborative projects with students from other colleges, particularly with business students, are encouraged to apply. For more information, contact Jawa at jmariappan@cpp.edu.

“My students have always been involved in a number of socially responsible projects, but many could not be completed because of a lack of funds,” Jawa says. “Our students will now not only be able to complete the projects but will be able to take them to national and international design competitions and festivals. This grant is a difference-maker.”

(Top photo: Tyson Lindsay sips a soda as partner Daniel Sandoval assists during a demonstration of a drinking assist machine designed in Professor Jawa’s ME 421 class on March 14, 2008. Above: Professor Jawa tests a light sensing machine.)