EMPOWERING
FUTURE
INNOVATORS

SABRINA ZHANG ’23 has made impressive strides since graduating from Poly. Her journey, propelled by a passion for sustainable technology and innovation, recently culminated in the establishment of the Prize for Entrepreneurship for Poly Upper School students.

 

The genesis of this initiative stems from Sabrina’s own entrepreneurial pursuits. As we celebrated in last year’s Report of Giving, Sabrina’s research—initially supported through the George Olah Fellowship for Creativity in Science and Engineering—focused on leveraging hyperspectral imaging to combat crop diseases and mitigate food waste. Her startup, AgriVision, emerged from this project as a pioneering platform to revolutionize agriculture by detecting diseases in crops more effectively than traditional methods.

 

For her groundbreaking work, Sabrina was awarded $25,000 from the Earth Prize, a global competition recognizing environmental sustainability efforts among young students. This accolade not only underscored her dedication to addressing critical issues but also provided the initial impetus for her subsequent endeavors.

 

In the summer following her graduation, Sabrina used part of her Earth Prize award to establish the Prize for Entrepreneurship at Poly. This year, the prize has been awarded for the first time to student Cavon H. ’27, recognizing his work on a small, low-cost radar system designed to enhance urban walkability by alerting pedestrians and cyclists to approaching objects.

 

“Cavon has already produced a working prototype and this award will support his continuing efforts to provide a viable and affordable technology solution to support walkability in urban areas,” said Chair of the Mathematics Department Jack Prater. The Prize for Entrepreneurship embodies Sabrina’s vision to foster inventiveness within Poly’s student body and generate technological solutions to global challenges.