Senior Engineering Designs to be Unveiled May 12
Dozens of projects include an intelligent water filtration system that will be flown to lower-income elementary schools in Latin America to teach key STEM concepts.
SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 9, 2022 – On May 12, Santa Clara University engineering students and professors will unveil a portable, intelligent water filtration system prototype designed not just to purify water, but also to help hundreds of students in underserved Latin American schools learn key STEM concepts.
The system will be delivered as part of a creative program called PASSAGE, which uses light aircraft to deliver school supplies, books, and lab equipment to dozens of underserved schools in Latin America and the Caribbean. The project aims to empower school children to think of themselves as problem solvers in their communities, using STEM as a force for social change.
The pilot of the “Spirit of Science” aircraft, Lee Giat, will attend the Senior Design Conference on May 12. Giat can discuss how projects like those created by SCU students can help school children in Latin America and the Caribbean obtain vital STEM education despite their remote location and other academic challenges.
Giat is creating a documentary on PASSAGE’s efforts and can share visuals with interested media.
Senior Design Conference
The water purification project is one of 70 that will be unveiled Thursday as part of Santa Clara University School of Engineering’s annual Senior Design Conference.
“Senior Design is always a highlight of the academic year," said Elaine Scott, dean of the School of Engineering. "It's when our students share projects that showcase not just the engineering concepts they have mastered at Santa Clara, but also the commitment to our vision to build a more just, humane, and sustainable world."
Other design projects that will be unveiled that day include:
- An emergency relief structure for natural disaster evacuees and homeless people.
- An application that will investigate the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques in music therapy.
- An EEG (electroencephalogram) and near-infrared light stimulation helmet that studies the effects of infrared light therapy in those with neurodegenerative diseases.
About Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private Jesuit, Catholic University in the epicenter of Silicon Valley, infusing ethics and social consciousness into a rigorous cross-disciplinary education for its nearly 9,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
Media Contact
Deborah Lohse | SCU Media Communications| dlohse@scu.edu | 408-554-5121