MCSI SUPPORTS STUDENT CREATIVITY

MCSI & Pitt Green Fund sponsored Pitt Electric Propulsion Team

Pittsburgh Electric Propulsion (PEP) provides a unique hands-on engineering and design experience that helps student members be among their field's most qualified and competitive students Mentored by Dr. Bob Kerestes (ECE), PEP strives to provide a unique skill set to prepare members for careers in sustainable energy fields and the electric vehicle field. Their work to advance sustainable technology in an industry currently behind in carbon neutral solutions is important – and their membership growth to 50 members this year reflects that urgency PEP is working on 2 projects: 1 hydroplane and 1 Zodiac emergency rescue boat. The hydroplane will be high power application with an attempt to set the world record for fastest C-Stock Electric Hydroplane. The Zodiac will attempt to develop applications tied directly to industry The PEP team partnered with professional hydroplane racing team, Schlarb Racing, who placed third at nationals last year.

Student Prototyping Grant

Chris Kefalos & Luke Charlesworth, Computer Science

A year’s worth of planning and development culminated in creating a solar-powered remote technology system that enhanced educational outcomes for students in Sierra Leone.

With support from MCSI’s Student Prototyping Fund, the student team traveled to Sierra Leone and installed solar panels on the school's roof Chris and Luke also worked with teachers and students on how to utilize the system, first conducting teacher trainings and live classroom sessions for teachers to practice using the resources. They also provided students with virtual lessons and quizzes and even worked individually with students who were struggling to improve their STEM skills and technical efficacy. Learn more.

Graduate Student Rahaf Hasan Attended Future Leaders Climate Summit

In March 2023, Graduate Civil & Environmental Engineering student Rahaf Hasan (advised by Dr. Melissa Bilec) attended both the Future Leaders Climate Summit and Aspen Ideas: Climate conferences in Miami Beach, Florida on a full scholarship. Over several days, Rahaf had the opportunity to engage with and learn from various workshops, roundtables, and speakers, including Vice President Kamala Harris.

Undergraduate Summer Researcher Livia Daggett Attends Human Rights Cities Leadership Summit Atlanta, Georgia

In May 2023, MCSI provided a Conference Participation Grant to summer undergraduate researcher Livia Daggett that enabled her to travel with her research advisor Dr. Jackie Smith and a Pittsburgh delegation to the Human Rights Cities Leadership Summit in Atlanta. The project aims to advance and deepen prior coalition-building work that brings together Pittsburgh activists working on various human rights-related concerns to explore how we can strengthen local efforts to improve conditions in our city, especially for the most vulnerable groups. The HRCA and its partners have been connecting Pittsburgh with global agendas related to human rights and the UN Sustainable Development Goals and focused on prioritizing efforts to address the city’s extreme racial disparities and improving respect for housing as a human right.