EPICS (Engineering Projects for Public Works) at IEEE 2025 was a record year for the initiative: it funded 48 projects involving nearly 1,000 students from 17 countries. IEEE Educational Activities the program has approved the most projects this year, distributing $290,000 in funding and attract more students than ever before in innovative, practical engineering systems.
The program offers students the opportunity to participate in service learning and collaborate with engineers and community organizations to develop solutions that address local community problems. Projects implemented IEEE groups cover student chapters, sections, society chapters and interest groups, including Women in Engineering And Young specialists.
EPIC at IEEE provides funding up to $10,000, as well as resources and mentoring for projects focused on four key areas for community improvement: Education and Outreach, Environment, Access and Opportunity, and Social Services.
This year, EPIC collaborates with four IEEE societies and IEEE Standards Association for 23 out of 48 approved projects. Antenna and Propagation Society supported three, Industry Applications Society (IAS) nine funded Instrumentation and Measurement Society (IMS) sponsored five Society for Robotics and Automation supported two, Solid State Circuits Society (SSCS) provided funding for three, and IEEE Standards Association sponsored.
Stories of partner-funded projects demonstrate the impact and impact the projects have on students and their communities.
Agroecological garden Matoruko
Student branch of IAS at Pontifical Bolivarian University in Colombia worked on a project in which they participated water storage, automatic irrigation and waste disposal. The goal was to transform the Matoruco agroecological garden at Institución Educativa Los Garzones into a more vibrant, sustainable and accessible space.
These EPIC at IEEE Team members from the Pontifical Bolivarian University in Colombia are setting up a radio network that will send data to an online dashboard showing solar energy use, condition of pumps and soil moisture in the Matoruco agroecological garden at the Los Garzones Education Institute. EPIC at IEEE
Using irrigation automation systems, electric pump control and soil moisture monitoring, the team aimed to show how engineering concepts combine academic knowledge and practical application. The initiative uses monocrystalline solar panels for power, and programmable logic a controller to automatically control pumps and valves, soil moisture sensors to provide real-time data, and a LoRa One network (a proprietary radio communication system based on spread spectrum modulation) to send data to an online dashboard showing solar energy usage, pump status and soil moisture.
Garsones pre-university Students were taught about the irrigation system through hands-on projects, received training on organic waste management from university students, and participated in installation work. The university team also organizes garden clean-up events to encourage younger students to work in the community garden.
“We strive to create a true sense of belonging by offering students and faculty a gathering place for hands-on learning and shared responsibility,” says Rafael Gustavo Ramos Noriega, group leader and fourth-year electronics engineering student. “By combining technical knowledge with fun activities and training, we empower the community to keep the garden alive and continue to improve it.
“This project has been an unparalleled platform to prepare me for my professional career,” he added. “Having managed everything from budget planning to final installation, I have experienced first-hand all phases of a real engineering project: scoping, resource management, team coordination, troubleshooting and delivering tangible results. All of this reinforces my goal to dedicate myself to research and development in the field of automation and automation. embedded systems and contributing to innovation in the agricultural and environmental sectors to help more communities and make our mark.”
The project received $7,950 from IAS.
Students are introduced to the systems they have installed in the Matoruko agroecological garden.
Smart braille system
More than 1.5 million people in Pakistan blind, including thousands of children who face barriers to accessing basic learning resources, according to International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. To meet the need for accessible learning tools, a student group from Mehran University of Engineering and Technology (MUET) And IEEE Karachi Section created BrailleGenAI: Empowering Braille Learning with Edge AI and Voice Interaction.
An interactive system for blind children combines the advantages artificial intelligence, generative AIand embedded systems, says Kainat Fizza Muhammadproject manager and electrical engineering MUET student. The system uses a camera to recognize tactile braille blocks and provides real-time audio feedback using text-to-speech technology. It includes gamified modules designed to support literacy, numeracy, reasoning and voice recognition.
The team collaborated with Hand Welfare Fundnon-profit organization in Pakistan dedicated to inclusive education, disability empowerment and community development. The team collaborated with Ida Rieux SchoolPart Ida Rieux Welfare Associationwhich serves people with visual and hearing impairments.
“These partnerships have been instrumental in planning outreach, gathering information from experts and caregivers, and preparing for ease of use testing in different environments,” says Attiya Bakai, professor at the Department of Electronic Engineering at MUET. The support of the Hands Foundation ensured that the solution was tailored to real needs visually impaired community.
SSCS provided funding of $9,155.
The student team demonstrates how the intelligent Braille system they developed works.
Macedonia's capital Skopje is among the most polluted cities in Europe, especially in winter, due to thick smog caused by temperature changes, according to World Health Organization. The WHO says the city's air contains particles that can cause health problems without any early warning signs, known as silent killers.
Team in St. Cyril and Methodius University created a system to measure and promote local air pollution levels through its What we breathe project. The project aims to raise awareness and improve health outcomes, especially among urban children.
“Our goal is to provide people with information about current pollution levels so they can make informed decisions about exposure and take protective action,” says Andrey IlievskyIEEE Fellow in Computer Hardware and Electronics Engineering. “We decided to focus on schools first because children lungs and their immune systems are still developing, making them one of the most vulnerable populations.”
The project involved 10 university students who worked with high schools, teachers and the Society of Environmental Engineers of Macedonia to design and build a measurement and display tool that interacts through Internet.
“Having managed everything from budget planning to final installation, I have personally experienced all phases of a real engineering project: defining the scope, managing resources, coordinating a team, troubleshooting and delivering tangible results.” —Rafael Gustavo Ramos Noriega
“Our sensor unit detects particulate matter, temperature and humidity,” says the project manager. Joseph Kosevprofessor of electronics at the university. “It then transmits this data via WiFi connecting to a public server every 5 minutes while our display receives data from the server.”
“Since implementing the system,” says Ilievski, “everyone on the team has been delighted with how well the project connects with the classroom.”
The team says it hopes the students will continue to work on new versions of the devices and provide them to other interested schools in the area.
“For most of my life, my academic success was on paper,” Ilievsky says. “But thanks to our EPICS project at IEEE, I finally have a real physical object that I helped create.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to bring this project to life and be part of something bigger.”
The project received $8,645 from IMS.
Community Partnerships Matter
Through partnerships with societies, IEEE EPICS can provide more opportunities to students around the world. The program also includes mentors from societies and travel grants to attend conferences, enhancing student opportunities.
Collaboration motivates students to apply technology in areas of interest to IEEE societies to solve real-world problems, helping them improve their communities and promoting ongoing engagement with the society and IEEE.
You can find out how to get involved with EPICS by visiting its website.
Articles from your site
Related articles on the Internet
