Hudson County Community College STEM Team One of 12 to Advance to Community College Innovation Finals
May 14, 2024
HCCC’s Project: “S.E.E.” features a remote assistive technology device that guides the visually impaired to key areas of their homes.
May 14, 2024, Jersey City, NJ – The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) in partnership with the
National Science Foundation (NSF) chose Hudson County Community College students Camila
Pazmino Izquierdo and Dillon Singh, and their faculty mentor Dr. Clive Li, as finalists
in the Community College Innovation Challenge (CCIC). The HCCC team will present their
project named “S.E.E. (Sound Enabled Emplacement)” at the Innovation Challenge Boot
Camp June 10 -13, 2024 in Washington, D.C. They are one of 12 finalist teams selected
from across the United States.
The CCIC competition aims to strengthen entrepreneurial thinking among community college students by challenging them to solve real-world problems with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)-based solutions. The Innovation Challenge Boot Camp provides a hands-on learning opportunity for the finalists to further develop their ideas by collaborating with entrepreneurs and business planning experts to learn about strategic communication and marketplace dynamics. The Boot Camp culminates in a Student Innovation Poster Session on Capitol Hill with STEM leaders and congressional stakeholders, and a pitch presentation that will determine first, second, and third place awards.
From left: Dr. Clive Li is pictured here with Dillon Singh and Camila Pazmino Izquierdo setting up equipment in a Hudson County Community College STEM lab.
“A lot of accessibility technology is very costly or just plain hard to use. ‘S.E.E.’ will help hearing, sight-impaired people everywhere navigate new spaces in a cost-effective and simple way,” Camila stated in the team’s presentation video.
Dillon explained that “S.E.E.” is an auditory device that utilizes a receiver, speakers, buzzer and a remote. By pointing the remote around a space, the sight-impaired person activates speakers that emit sounds and leads the person to where they want to go, thereby allowing safe, confident, and independent movement in key areas of one’s home.
The HCCC students’ “S.E.E.” device was tested by a hearing blind person who said: “This has been working like a charm. Thank you, thank you very much!”
“We are extremely proud of Camila, Dillon, and Dr. Li for realizing the need and conceptualizing and developing this groundbreaking and life-changing assistive device,” said HCCC President Dr. Christopher Reber. “Camila and Dillon are among the College’s finest examples of how students thinking outside of the box and utilizing STEM can and will improve life for everyone. Our thoughts and best wishes go with them to the Innovation Challenge Boot Camp.”
"Once again, I am inspired by the incredible level of talent and creativity our community college students showcase through the CCIC. Along with our partners at the National Science Foundation, we know this program is a foundation for future scientists, entrepreneurs, and engineers and are very proud to shine the spotlight on these talented future leaders,” said Walter G. Bumphus, President and CEO of AACC.