{"id":56739,"date":"2026-06-12T14:34:11","date_gmt":"2026-06-12T18:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine\/?p=56739"},"modified":"2026-06-12T14:34:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-12T18:34:12","slug":"rewarding-student-initiative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/magazine\/changemakers\/rewarding-student-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"Rewarding Student Initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Johns Hopkins engineering students eager to pursue independent projects often need seed funding to get their ideas off the ground.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thanks to the generosity of WSE\u2019s community, these students can apply to the Student Initiatives Fund<\/a> for support to turn ideas into reality. Launched in 2006 and funded and overseen by a committee of engineering alumni and friends, the SIF provides grants to engineering student-led teams through a competitive application process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Photo<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only projects unrelated to coursework are eligible, and team projects are prioritized over individual ones. \u201cThis is all very intentional,\u201d says Dean Ed Schlesinger<\/a>. \u201cWe want to reward ingenuity and independence and encourage collaboration and community building.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schlesinger adds that the fund can also bridge earliest-stage ideas and the start of the commercialization process. \u201cIf we can enable a student to build a prototype and define their goals, we\u2019re providing a launch pad for projects that could receive additional support and resources, including mentorship and grants through the Pava Marie LaPere Center for Entrepreneurship<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cWe want to reward ingenuity and independence and encourage collaboration and community building.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014 Ed Schlesinger<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Recent fund-supported projects include Agara Bio, a team that is developing a biodegradable and sustainable colorimetric wound dressing, and Oralis, a needle-free mucosal vaccination platform designed for use in low-resource settings. The fund has also helped student teams compete nationally and internationally in rocketry, steel bridge building, and wind turbine design and construction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To make a gift or learn more about the Student Initiatives Fund, contact the Whiting School\u2019s Office of Development and Alumni Relations at (410) 516-8723 or engineering@jhu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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