Four El Segundo High School students took home first place in the 2024 Cal Poly Engineering Design Challenge.
The team—made up of seniors Harper Dame, Sally Gonzalez, Bianca Hammer, and Tyler Kaizen—won the competition with their invention, Ceiling Sun. Designed to help hospitalized patients, Ceiling Sun is a domed ceiling light with an integrated software that replicates the natural progression of daylight. Different types of light shine into the patient’s room depending on the time of day, simulating natural light inside their hospital rooms.
Natural lighting in hospital rooms can help alleviate stress and anxiety for patients. Ceiling Sun was designed with patients in mind, especially those with no windows or natural light in their rooms.
“We are incredibly proud of these four students for their recent first place win in the Engineering Design Challenge,” said Dr. Melissa Moore, Superintendent of the El Segundo Unified School District. “This invention not only showcases students’ technical and engineering skills, but also demonstrates their compassion and empathy for those in need. We are extremely impressed with their abilities and with their invention’s potential to positively impact lives.”
The team initially created Ceiling Sun as its capstone project for the school’s Engineering Design and Development (EDD) course, the culmination of a four-year engineering pathway. During their senior year, engineering students dedicate themselves to completing a capstone project that involves identifying an issue and then researching, designing and testing a solution, ultimately presenting their solution to a panel of engineers.
To learn more about the ESHS engineering pathway, please visit www.elsegundohigh.org/o/eshs/page/engineering-pathway.