Maha Kamran ’25, a first-generation bioengineering student, has won third place for her automated farming proposal at the Mathematics, Engineering and Science Achievement Idea Accelerator, a month-long business pitch competition in San Francisco. 

“MESA provides the space for students who are underserved and underrepresented, that have never thought of engineering before, to learn what it means to be an engineer,” said MESA Support Specialist Larly Lee. “It was well-deserved for Maha to not only get third place, but to even partake in the idea accelerator program.”

Only about 30 MESA students were invited to pitch their ideas in the competition. Students competed from 14 schools, including San Diego State University, San Francisco State University and San Jose State University.

Kamran worked in a group with two students from different schools to pitch their concept for an automated drone outfitted with an analysis system that connects to receivers in the soil to alert farmers to temperature and moisture changes in the crop field. The technology would give farmers improved real-time information on areas that may need attention. The team won $1,000 to continue the project.

Kamran said all three group members had a connection to farming and the unmet needs farmers face. Although they had that in common, they each came to the project with a unique perspective and had to navigate working together to make a prototype.

“To achieve something like this, you must be open-minded, especially working with other engineers. They were electrical engineers and medical engineers and I'm bioengineering, which are totally different things, but we're all engineers at the end,” Kamran said. “Everyone has great ideas, so being open-minded to how you can come together for a common goal was very important.”

The School of Engineering and Computer Science curriculum at University of the Pacific prepares students to have an open mindset and instills the confidence needed to participate in events like the idea accelerator, says Shelly Gulati, professor of bioengineering.

“There’s a theme of experiential learning. Students are exposed to interdisciplinary experiences and successfully communicate with other team members that have different expertise,” she said. “Something we're emphasizing in our curriculum is interdisciplinarity. Because our classes are hands-on, students are open to interdisciplinarity and can work well with team members from other areas.”

Uber and PG&E hosted the event, which touted a panel of judges with representatives from BART, PG&E, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, Sandia National Laboratories, Yahoo and ACCO Engineered Systems and Uber.

Kamran said the idea of presenting in front of 14 expert judges was nerve-wracking, but she did not let the pressure get to her.

“When I was presenting, I just forgot about everyone,” Kamran said. “I was not thinking about winning or losing because everyone is here to learn.”

That positivity is something Lee says is typical of Kamran.

“Maha exemplifies confidence and resilience. She is a student that goes above and beyond, whether it's to better herself or to make a difference in the field that she's in.”

Kamran says the future of the automated farming drone is yet to be decided. The prize money from the idea accelerator gives the group the opportunity to apply for a patent, or to pitch it in other competitions and pursue deploying a working model in farms.