March 25, 2009

Contact: Amy Hewes
College of Engineering
805-756-6402
ahewes@calpoly.edu

ME Student Service Learning Project Earns Award for Cal Poly

Nonprofit VTC Enterprises in Santa Maria recently named Cal Poly Business/Industry of the Year as a result of a service learning project undertaken by mechanical engineering students Paula Gijon and Chittayong (Jao) Surakitbanharn.

ME Student Service Learning Project Earns Award for Cal Poly

VTC Enterprises provides vocational, employment, rehabilitation, social and advocacy services for both youth and adults with disabilities. The agency has partnered with Cal Poly Engineering as a service learning "client," providing real world project opportunities for students.

Under the direction of faculty advisor Dr. Jim Widmann, Gijon and Surkitbanharn designed and built a device to help persons roll silverware into napkins for restaurants. Their work also earned a NISH National Scholar Award, which recognizes the design of devices to improve access to the workplace for persons with disabilities.

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Photo caption: Faculty advisor Dr. Jim Widmann (left), Jao Suakitbanharn and Paula Gijon watch a VTC client use their napkin roll device.

Picture of Andrea Lam
Andrea
Lam
Industrial Engineering
2007
“Cal Poly has changed me and made me a better person.”

For my senior project I was the project manager for an RFID system. It was a little overwhelming, but I got a lot out of it. Plus, I have a wonderful department. My favorite part of IME is the people.