In an effort to promote and enhance creative activity on the University of Florida Campus, the UF Creative Campus Committee has granted Dr. Stephen Arce, lecturer & ABET coordinator at the J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biological Engineering, a catalyst fund for his proposal titled, Mage Hands.

Arce is the PI and team leader for Mage Hands, which is a community-based interdisciplinary project that will promote the creative professional development of University of Florida students and provide a customized prosthetic to support children with upper limb differences and their families. This project extends the collaboration between UF student organization Generational Relief in Prosthetics (GRiP), and community organization Hands to Love.

The aims of this project are to foster multidisciplinary collaboration across UF, provide a transformative academic experience, examine students’ perceptions about community engagement and promote campus-community connections.

Through monthly workshops, 30 undergraduate students will work with three families during the 2017-18 academic year. The students will work with recipients to develop prototypes and explain the fabrication and maintenance process of their donated devices to promote sustainability. Partnerships between UF, participating families and Hands to Love will strengthen community engagement and demonstrate how Gators can make a meaningful impact by working together across college lines.