In January, USAID’s Building University-Industry Learning and Development through Innovation and Technology (BUILD-IT) Alliance and the Dow Chemical Company, an American chemical and plastics manufacturer, launched the Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) program in Vietnam. EPICS is a social entrepreneurship program, founded at Purdue University in 1995 and now operating in 15 U.S. universities, that helps students address real-world engineering problems while they are still in school.

On June 19, over 100 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) students from BUILD-IT’s partner universities in Vietnam showcased their innovative projects in Ho Chi Minh City. Twenty-one student teams prototyped solutions in areas of healthcare, environment, agriculture, food safety, and support for persons with disabilities. The top three prototypes include a smart mattress that assists senior citizens to get into and out of the bed; a smart garden using the Internet Of Things (IoT) technology (a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or people) to water itself; and a food safety device that helps protect food from harmful pollutants.

So What: The EPICS program provides students the opportunity to gain experience through project-based learning and collaboration with U.S. counterparts, helping produce graduates who can lead inclusive, technology-based growth in Vietnam, a core BUILD-IT goal.