In partnership with the UC Santa Cruz Institute for Social Transportation, CITRIS at UC Santa Cruz has announced the recipients of its 2024 Tech for Social Good funding round. Focused on exploring technology-based solutions to major societal challenges, student teams can receive up to $5,000 for research projects and up to $1,000 for events.
This year’s recipients in the technology development track are:
- Mobile App for Interaction With an Electric Tractor, a mobile application control system to improve the safety and efficiency of Amiga, an electric tractor used at the UC Santa Cruz CASFS farms to ease the strains of traditional farming methods. Team members: Oliver Fuchs, undergraduate in robotics engineering; Sam Leveau, undergraduate in robotics engineering, Katherine Rogacheva, undergraduate in robotics engineering; Milos Suvakovic, undergraduate in computer science.
- Gateways Digital Literacy Classes, a series of digital design classes and personal development support for incarcerated individuals to provide them with skills for employment upon being reintegrated into society. Team members: Katerina Bajaj, Everett Program Executive Fellow in sociology with a minor in global information and social enterprise studies (GISES); Mariana Marino, undergraduate in sociology with GISES minor; Ivanna Mendez, undergraduate in legal studies; Mia Perez, undergraduate in sociology with a concentration in GISES; Derrick Valencia-Murillo, undergraduate in sociology with GISES minor; Katheline Vanegas, undergraduate in sociology with GISES.
- Greener Greenhouses, an ultra-low-power open-source sensor intended to reduce the financial barrier of smart farming methods by improving the automation and affordability of monitoring systems for greenhouses. Team members: Yawen Guo, graduate student in electrical and computer engineering; Matt Kaltman, undergraduate in electrical and computer engineering; Jack Lin, graduate student in electrical and computer engineering; Firouz Vadafari, graduate student in computer science and engineering.
The three teams will present their progress at an open showcase event at the end of the spring semester.