Helping the Community through Polished Glass

The Helping the Community Through Polished Glass PonyUp campaign has closed, but you can still make a gift!

Just visit https://give.boisestate.edu/ and use NR004 in the Fund ID space.

Ten Boise State University seniors from the College of Engineering are working on a capstone project to benefit a local non-profit company, Ūsful Glassworks. Since its inception six years ago, the company has steadily grown. They transform used glass bottles of various shapes, sizes and colors into new usable glass products such as cups, carafes, wind chimes and art. Ūsful Glassworks employs and trains those in the community with employment boundaries (such as at-risk youth, veterans, homeless and those with disabilities) to produce these re-purposed products. The employees go through a special program that helps prepare them for future jobs, as well as provides them with letters of recommendation.

As the non-profit has grown, so has the demand for their products. Recently, they built a glass fire-polishing machine to increase the production of their most popular products to keep up with demand. Unfortunately, the machine currently operates with poor yield making it very inefficient and wasteful. This is where we come in. Using the knowledge and skills of the largest interdisciplinary engineering team ever assembled at Boise State, we will create a prototype to help Ūsful Glassworks increase their production. Our team of seniors from Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering and Electrical Engineering are spending our final semester at Boise State building and testing this prototype on campus, allowing for the optimization of Ūsful Glassworks’ flame-polisher.

As a non-profit, Ūsful Glassworks does not have the necessary funds to support this project alone. This is where you come in. By contributing towards this cause you are enhancing the lives of people in the community and the education of Boise State engineering students. Your contributions will fulfill a social, environmentally friendly, and economic need in our community. Ūsful Glassworks recycles old glass for further use, making a positive environmental impact, while helping out individuals within our local community—giving them jobs that they desperately need. As the engineering students working on the project, we grow by gaining valuable experience in our field and working on a real world problem within the community. This is a unique opportunity that allows for Boise State engineers to support a local cause while showcasing our education and participating in a professional environment. But to do this we need you and your support! Every gift has a significant impact and along the way, please share with your friends and family to help us reach our goal!

Thank you!

The College of Engineering Seniors