Students often dream that all their hard-won college knowledge will help them make a positive impact in the world after graduation.
Thanks to the generous spirit of a donor and her family, some MSU engineering students are getting that chance even before they toss their caps.
The Peter and Daniel Renzulli Spartan Engineering Endowment Fund honors a father and son who were known for meaningful accomplishments. The fund supports charitable institutions that may not have the budgets to sponsor capstone project teams, connecting them with the talent and expertise of MSU engineering students eager to make a difference.
Capstone projects are the headliners at the College of Engineering’s Design Day, a premier event held at the end of every semester where hundreds of students showcase their engineering prowess. Their projects represent months of working in teams to find solutions to engineering challenges brought to them by the college’s corporate and nonprofit partners.
That is a particularly fitting tribute for the Renzulli fund. Daniel and Daniel’s father, Peter, lost their lives in a small plane crash in 2018. Both men were consummate connectors, as Lori Renzulli, Daniel’s mom and Peter’s wife, puts it.
Daniel was a freshman in mechanical engineering who always had a calculator, or five, in his backpack. While earning a spot on the Dean’s List, he also left an indelible mark on countless Spartans.
Read the entire story written by Lois Furry at Make A Difference.
MSU College of Engineering Media and Public Relations page