Equipped with bright orange vests, litter pickers and a positive attitude, a group of Florida Polytechnic University students aims to give back to the community by keeping a two-mile stretch of highway near campus free from trash.
The portion of State Road 33 near Interstate-4 is maintained by the Mu Omega chapter of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Eta Kappa Nu (IEEE-HKN) academic honor society through the state’s Adopt-A-Highway program. The road is one of the main driving routes to the University.
Twice per semester, the students gather to clean up trash from the sides of the road, which is traveled by about 13,400 motorists daily, according to the Florida Department of Transportation. During its October cleanup, the group collected about 135 pounds of trash.
“There was a shocking amount of plastic and all sorts of cans, but one of the biggest things was an Ikea cupboard that looked like it had fallen out of the back of a truck and was just demolished and sitting on the side of the road,” said senior electrical engineering major Jacob Brescia, president of the Mu Omega chapter.
The road’s location near busy I-4 and large distribution centers brought additional surprises, some of which could pose a hazard to drivers.
“There was just so much industrial trash, like aluminum trim panels and scrap,” said senior Andrew Blackwelder, the Mu Omega chapter’s vice president.
The IEEE-HKN student organization recognizes top-performing students noted for their scholarship, leadership and service. Students majoring in electrical, computer and cybersecurity engineering are eligible for membership.
“One of the biggest parts of HKN as a whole is community service,” said Brescia, from Kissimmee, Florida. “Membership in our club is by invitation only, and we focus on selecting people who are not only strong academically but have very good character and moral standing.”
Brescia said he hopes more Florida Poly students will join in the organization’s Adopt-A-Highway and other events as it grows.
“The more volunteers that we can bring out, the more trash we can clean up to make the roads even safer and cleaner for the community as a whole,” he said.
While the road cleanup is the group’s most visible volunteer effort, it does not stand alone.
“I love that we give back to the IEEE student branch and share professional and leadership activities such as resume and career workshops,” said Blackwelder, an electrical engineering major pursuing the University’s 4+1 master’s degree program in electrical engineering.
Among Blackwelder’s efforts was coordinating a November event with his internship supervisor at TEAMWORKnet, an engineering services firm. The supervisor visited campus to speak about day-to-day electrical engineering work, what it’s like to be a professional engineer in Florida, and the importance of taking the Fundamentals of Engineering exam and becoming licensed in the field.
“I feel like one of the lesser-known parts of HKN is that we have all these opportunities,” Brescia said, highlighting the leadership workshops available to members. “HKN is an amazing opportunity to gain key skills.”
Those interested in learning more about IEEE-HKN Mu Omega can visit the Florida Poly IEEE Phoenix Link webpage.
Contact:
Lydia Guzmán
Director of Communications
863-874-8557
