“Engineering for a Cause” – A REAL WORLD experience!
VME partners with a variety of universities, community colleges, and high schools to enhance the learning experience of future engineers. Students team up in small groups to design and manufacture “real world” custom devices that change the lives of individuals with disabilities. VME volunteers mentor the process.
Through this one- or two- semester experience, students strengthen their critical thinking, improve technical skills, build a strong team environment and (we trust) deepen their appreciation for using their skills for the greater good now and throughout their careers. Students can include this experience on their resumes, too. Upon completion of the project, students serve as “Alumni/Ambassadors” and are invited to help volunteer with VME beyond graduation.
courtesy of Will Kirk – JHU
Opportunities for Student Engineers
- Senior Engineering Capstone Projects (one year or one semester) – mechanical, bio-med, electrical and interdisciplinary
- Community College – Intro to Engineering Design Projects (one semester)
- High School Accelerator Programs – Intro to CAD / Engineering Design (typically one year)
The process
Teams navigate through all the steps of an engineering process with the support of their professors/instructors and our volunteers. VME assigns a volunteer engineer who offers consultation and resources. Throughout this process, students are required to give regular presentations to a panel of engineers, thus sharpening their presentation skills and receiving valuable professional feedback.VME volunteers match projects with schools based on the project requirements, client location, and skill level of students. The project is incorporated into the curriculum for benchmarks and grading.
Watch/listen to the inspirational journeys of 3 VME mechanical engineering students during their last (capstone) semester (3-episode docuseries):
STEM Goals
- Delivering solutions that will change the lives of our clients and bring independence
- Inspiring engineering students through real-world experiences by working hand-in-hand with professional engineering mentors and medical professionals
- Developing teamwork, importance of safety and quality control as well as boosting presentation skills.
- Encouraging students to give back to support VME as well as emerging engineering students.
Recent Awards for Excellence in Design and Social Impact
University of Maryland (Neilom Foundation) – Dec 2024 – Matthew’s Motorized Hand Cycle Team – a custom design for a bike enthusiast who has muscle weakness
George Washington University – May 2024 – Custom Hospital Bed Controller Team – a design for patients with quadriplegia
Opportunities for Student Occupational Therapists
VME partners with Towson University’s OT Graduate Program to offer “real world” experiences with engineers while serving the disability community. OT students are tasked with a variety of projects during their one-semester internship: for example, teaming up with engineering students to provide medical consultations on capstone projects, consulting VME clients, partnering with VME OTs on site visit assignments, and spearheading our Adaptive Uniform Project (in collaboration with Stevenson University’s Fashion Design Department) to assist elementary/middle school children with custom school uniforms. OTs as well as PTs play a key role in the VME process. We are honored to work alongside Towson’s OT Department.
Join the action!
Professors/Educators…If you would like your students to gain a “real world” experience that works in tandem with your course curriculum, contact us…we would be pleased to work with you. (Note: most new partnerships begin in the Fall).
Contact: vmeprojects@imagemd.org or 443.355.4212.
Donate!
School team projects are funded through private donations and corporate grants. Some alums choose to donate through their company’s matching gift program – For matching gift programs (501c3), VME is listed under The IMAGE Center (Independent Marylanders Achieving Growth and Empowerment). Feel free to designate a school that you would like to sponsor for the next semester.