Seven graduating seniors and one December 2022 graduate were awarded the 2023 President’s Engagement and Innovation Prizes, which provide $100,000 in funding for projects designed to make a positive, lasting difference in the world. Each team member also receives a $50,000 living stipend and mentorship from a Penn faculty member. The prizes are the largest of their kind in higher education. Here are this year’s winning projects:
PRESIDENT’S ENGAGEMENT PRIZES
Communities for Childbirth | Seungwon “Lucy” Lee C’23 is creating a community-based referral system that helps women get efficient transportation to health facilities and improve maternal and child health outcomes during obstetric emergencies in Uganda. Mentor: Lisa D. Levine, the Michael T. Mennuti, M.D., Associate Professor in Reproductive Health in the Perelman School of Medicine.
Act First | Kenneth Pham C’23 and Catherine Chang C’22, both of whom have worked with Penn’s Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT), will provide critical first-aid training to high school students in Philadelphia, including opioid reversal, CPR, and bleeding prevention. Mentor: Joshua Glick, assistant professor of emergency medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine.
PRESIDENT’S INNOVATION PRIZE
Sonura | Gabriella Daltoso EAS’23, Sophie Ishiwari EAS’23, Gabriela Cano EAS’23, Caroline Amanda Magro EAS’23, and Tifara Eliana Boyce EAS’23 are developing a beanie (composed of a frequency-dependent filter and a mobile application) that promotes the cognitive and socioemotional development of newborns in the NICU by protecting them from the auditory hazards of their environments while fostering parental connection. Mentor: Brian Halak, a lecturer in the Engineering Entrepreneurship program.
