Campora engineers build a solar-powered water purifier for rural clinics

A team of seniors turned a capstone project into a device now running in three clinics in Guatemala. The story started, like many at Campora, in a classroom on a Tuesday afternoon, with a question nobody in the room could answer yet.

Over the next two semesters the group met with faculty mentors, partner organizations and dozens of students from across the university. What began as a class assignment became something much bigger.

How it came together

Faculty in three schools co-taught the course, and students were graded on what they delivered for a real client rather than on a final exam. Every week ended with a short demo for the whole class.

We did not want a project that lived on a hard drive. We wanted something people would actually use. — Dr. Elena Ramirez, Professor of Computer Science

What comes next

• A second cohort starts in January
• Applications are open to every major
• Funding comes from the Campora Innovation Fund

Students interested in joining can attend an information session in Founders Hall on the first Thursday of every month, or write to the program office at any time.