Contact: Amy Hewes
805-756-6402
ahewes@calpoly.edu
Partnership with the Red Cross Offers Unique Project Opportunities
for Cal Poly Students
SAN LUIS OBISPO – Cal Poly electronic engineering alum Jim Medeiros has identified a unique opportunity for College of Engineering students to partner with the American Red Cross.
The project aims to improve mobile disaster communications and electrical systems for a Red Cross remote communications center, which belongs to the Carmel Red Cross Chapter and is available to San Luis Obispo County if needed.
“This will be a great opportunity for students to do creative thinking,” said Medeiros. “We want the systems on this communication center to be state of the art, ergonomic and user-friendly, making it readily usable for non-technical volunteers in a time of emergency.” He believes the project will require the expertise and unique perspectives of Cal Poly students from various backgrounds, including mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, electrical engineering, and computer engineering.
The remote communications center is a mobile mini-headquarters designed for use during an emergency, such as the recent Paso Robles earthquake. It is currently equipped with radio communications systems and can generate its own power supply via solar or wind power.
The project will utilize the open space and modern equipment provided by the Bonderson Projects Center on the Cal Poly campus, where the trailer is currently parked. “It will encourage students to apply their skills in a different way, to help their community,” said Medeiros, who is a member of Cal Poly’s Computer Engineering Industrial Advisory Board and a long-time Red Cross volunteer. In addition, the Cal Poly IEEE club and Amateur Radio Club will be assisting in some of the retrofitting of the communication center.
Students interested in pursuing this project as part of a capstone design course or senior project should contact Lynne Slivovsky at 805-756-5383 or lslivovs@calpoly.edu.
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