Trinity University

Susie P. Gonzalez
susie.gonzalez@trinity.edu
210-999-8445
May 9, 2012

Engineering Science Students at Trinity University Adapt Equipment for Goodwill

Six sophomore design teams spend a year applying knowledge to help workers who need a boost

SAN ANTONIO - Some class projects are more than an academic assignment - they can change someone's life. That's what happened when three dozen sophomore engineering science students at Trinity University adapted designs for employees of Goodwill Industries of San Antonio.

After watching presentations of gadgets to help people with physical limitations, Goodwill representatives left Trinity's Center for the Sciences and Innovation with two of six prototypes, ready to put them into service immediately.

"These are great. They will be used today," said Tim Pullen, director of Work Services at Goodwill. The other equipment only needed minor design tweaks - in one case, a bolt had to be welded again by students at St. Philip's College - and then those items were headed for Goodwill workers in the field.

Trinity began collaborating with Goodwill five years ago when Jack Leifer, associate professor of engineering science, was looking for practical projects for students in his sophomore design course. Over the years, Trinity engineers have adapted numerous pieces of equipment used by Goodwill workers, with designs ranging from innovative ways to start lawn mowers to equipping tractors with lights to alert employees to contact supervisors.

Each year, students form teams and receive $250 to buy parts for their prototypes.

One of this year's projects called for the students to modify the light-alert system from a visual system to an auditory one. The team with this task converted a cell phone to a signal that would buzz into earphones worn by the worker and shut off the lawn equipment for added safety.

After demonstrating his team's design, sophomore Jeremy Erdman said, "When the headphones buzz, it sounds like 100 bees are in your head. There's no way to ignore that."

Another team modified a pole with a device to activate the trigger of an aerosol can using a remote switch, and yet another one developed a product called "Mr. Mister" to spray the driver of a golf cart with cool water.

One group's project cradled a string trimmer, or weed whacker, to help workers with back or shoulder injuries, and another team developed a headlamp that mounts to the brim of a hat and switches on and off automatically as the wearer enters a dark room or closet. This design eliminates the need for two employees working in tandem - one to work and a second to hold a flashlight. 

Leifer launched the projects last fall but was on academic leave in the spring, when he passed the baton to Peter Kelly-Zion, associate professor of engineering science, who helped the students finalize the designs.  

"The students love working with Goodwill because of the tremendous amount of satisfaction they feel from creating designs that help to remove barriers to employment for people with disabilities," Kelly-Zion said. "As a result, the students pour their hearts into their work. Dr. Leifer and I are very pleased about the amount of effort the students put into their work and the professional approach they take with Goodwill."