Operation Surf founder Van Curaza had requested students help design such a prosthetic at the beginning of the fall quarter, saying existing ones were too rigid for surfing. His challenge was issued to the Quality of Life Plus (QL+) program, founded by Cal Poly alumnus Jon Monett.
The QL+ program pairs interdisciplinary student projects with the needs of wounded vets. At the beginning of the school year, students are matched with challenges, which they work on the entire school year. The team taking on Curaza’s challenge includes biomedical engineering majors Oyundari Altansukh and Samantha Campbell and mechanical engineering students Kurtis Barth and Caroline Swanson.
In the first installment of “Up to the Challenge,” Curaza and veteran Kyle Kelly discussed the need for a surfing prosthetic. In chapter two here, we follow the team of students as they meet Curaza and begin the design process.
