University of Pennsylvania Indian American Student Aris Saxena Among Innovation Prize Recipients

Aris Saxena (left) and Yiwen Li were honored by the University of Pennsylvania as part of the Class of 2021 President’s Engagement and Innovation Prize awards. (upenn.edu photo)

India-West Staff Reporter

The University of Pennsylvania April 19 announced that several students have been awarded with the 2021 President’s Engagement Prize and President’s Innovation Prize, with Indian American Aris Saxena among the recipients.

Awarded annually, the prizes empower Penn students to design and undertake post-graduation projects that make a positive, lasting difference in the world. Each prize-winning project will receive $100,000, as well as a $50,000 living stipend per team member.

The prizes are the largest of their kind in higher education, the university said in a news release.

There were seven total winners of the 2021 President’s Engagement Prize, with three students – including Saxena – honored with the 2021 President’s Innovation Prize.

Saxena and Yiwen Li were awarded for ‘Mobility’. Mobility aims to provide patients across the globe access to healthcare right in their home.

The company has created a software solution for health clinics in Africa to seamlessly coordinate at-home primary health deliveries. The software is designed specifically for under-resourced areas with little technological access, requiring minimal WiFi, data usage, and user response.

Saxena and Li are mentored by Tyler Wry, associate professor of management in Penn’s Wharton School.

“This year’s prize-winning projects are inspiring and are important examples of putting a Penn education to work to meet urgent and important human needs in local, national, and global communities: from addressing eating disorder risk among our city’s youth, to improving the experiences of patients and frontline health care workers, to aiding in the global refugee crisis through clean water and agricultural training,” university president Amy Gutmann said in a statement.

“The recipients embody Penn’s core commitment to leadership through service, a most vital and urgent calling during these challenging times,” the university president added.

The prizes are supported by Emerita Trustee Judith Bollinger and William G. Bollinger, in honor of Ed Resovsky; Trustee Lee Spelman Doty and George E. Doty, Jr.; Emeritus Trustee James S. Riepe and Gail Petty Riepe; Trustee David Ertel and Beth Seidenberg Ertel; Wallis Annenberg and the Annenberg Foundation; and an anonymous donor.

Student recipients will spend the next year implementing their projects.