Our Bureau
Philadelphia, PA
University of Pennsylvania Interim President J Larry Jameson announced on April 18 the recipients of the 2024 President’s Engagement and Innovation Prizes. Simran Rajpal and Gauthami Moorkanat for Educate to Empower and Yash Dhir and Rahul Nambiar have received the President’s Innovation Prize for their project, Jochi.
Awarded annually, the prizes empower Penn undergraduate students to design and undertake post-graduation projects that make a positive, lasting difference in the world. Each prize-winning project will receive $100,000, as well as a $50,000 living stipend per team member. The prizes are the largest of their kind in higher education. All prize recipients collaborate with a Penn faculty mentor.
The 2024 recipients of the President’s Engagement and Innovation Prize all combine the highest levels of academic excellence with strong service-minded missions,” said President Jameson. “Educate to Empower, Presby Addiction Care Program, and Jochi exemplify Penn’s founding ethos: to pursue knowledge for knowledge’s sake and to use it to do good in the world. I congratulate each of our prize winners and look forward to seeing their ventures thrive.”
Ms. Rajpal, a biology and health and societies double major in the College of Arts & Sciences from Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, and Ms. Moorkanat, a biochemistry major in the College from Stirling, New Jersey, will work to identify and dismantle barriers to breast cancer screenings in marginalized communities through education and resources at community centers in Philadelphia. They are mentored by Leisha Elmore, an assistant professor of surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine and chief of breast surgery at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.
Mr. Dhir, a systems science and engineering major in the School of Engineering and Applied Science from London, and Mr. Nambiar, an applied science in computer science major in Penn Engineering from Dubai, will grow an online ed-tech management platform that improves the educational experience of students with learning differences, such as ADHD, dyslexia, and executive functioning deficits, which will help foster greater efficiency and engagement by teachers and administrators in supporting these students. They are mentored by Amanda Antico, capstone director of the education entrepreneurship program in the Graduate School of Education.
“These prize-winning projects exemplify the enterprising spirit of our Penn students,” said Provost John L. Jackson, Jr. “They are all addressing critical challenges in inventive new ways, from ensuring equity and access in healthcare to improving treatments for substance use disorders to expanding educational resources for those with learning differences. We are indebted to their outstanding faculty advisors and to the staff of the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, who worked closely with them to develop their ideas into these inspiring initiatives.”
