Campus News
CITRIS Tech for Social Good project showcase: virtual event highlights five student teams’ work
CITRIS is hosting the 2024-25 Tech for Social Good Project Showcase, a virtual events that highlights student-led technology development projects focused on promoting social good.
The Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) at UC Santa Cruz is hosting the 2024-25 Tech for Social Good Project Showcase, a virtual event that highlights student-led technology development projects focused on promoting social good. The event will be held on Monday, May 19th, from 1:00 to 2:00 PM on Zoom. A link will be provided upon registration.
This year’s showcase features five interdisciplinary student teams who received funding to develop technology-based solutions with meaningful community impact. The projects include:
- AI-Supported Virtual Reality Tools to Support Grief Counseling Through Gamified Therapy: This project uses virtual reality and generative AI to create an immersive, gamified therapy experience that supports individuals coping with grief through personalized, interactive storytelling. The team integrates spatial audio, human-AI collaboration, and emotional engagement to guide users through a compassionate healing journey.
- Environmental NeTwork Sensors (ENTS): Low-Cost Scalable Hardware for Studying Agricultural Field Sensors: The ENTS project develops a low-power, customizable platform that empowers farmers and researchers with a user-friendly solution for large-scale environmental monitoring. The ENTS hardware is designed to capture a variety of sensor signals, creating an affordable, energy-efficient alternative to proprietary technologies.
- Gateways Digital Literacy Jail Classes: This project provides digital literacy skills to incarcerated individuals, enhancing their opportunities for successful reintegration into society and aiming to reduce recidivism. The project also increases community engagement among those currently incarcerated.
- Project Blueprint: The project addresses a critical gap in career exploration for K-12 students in Santa Cruz County through their partnership with Your Future is Our Business (YFIOB). Despite many career opportunities in the region, students, especially from underserved communities, often lack access to career guidance and industry connections. The UCSC Blueprint team has developed an assessment platform with YFIOB that shows promise but needs further enhancement.
- Wildfire Management with UAV Systems: This project aims to revolutionize wildfire detection through the use of multi-UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) systems. The team plans to equip UAVs with advanced sensors capable of capturing critical environmental data, including temperature, humidity, wind speed, atmospheric pressure, and particulate levels.
Join us to learn about the teams’ achievements and to provide valuable feedback. To register for the event, please provide your email address using this form.
For students in search of funding opportunities for their research projects, the application for the 2025-26 Tech for Social Good program will open in mid-November 2025. To learn more about the program, please visit the program website.
The Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS) and the Banatao Institute creates information technology solutions for society’s most pressing challenges. Established in 2001, the center leverages the interdisciplinary research strengths of multiple Campuses – Berkeley, Davis, Merced, and Santa Cruz – along with public and private partners to advance the University of California’s mission and the innovative spirit of California. The institute was created to shorten the pipeline between world-class laboratory research and the development of cutting-edge applications, platforms, companies, and even new industries. Find out more at CITRIS.sites.UCSC.edu and CITRIS-UC.org.