Projects Hatchery Connects Student Ideas to Real-World Needs
From developing innovative engineering projects to earning recognition at major competitions, Cal Poly Pomona students are taking ideas beyond the classroom through the Projects Hatchery.
Since 2023, the program has served approximately 730 students across five colleges, providing them with the mentorship, resources, and structure to transform ideas into fully realized projects while helping them develop skills in preparation for future academic and professional opportunities.
“The Projects Hatchery gives Cal Poly Pomona students the opportunity to transform ideas into meaningful research, creative projects, and solutions to real-world challenges,” said Ever Barraza, the Office of Undergraduate Research director.
“Through hands-on development, faculty mentorship, collaboration, and monthly public presentations, students build the confidence and skills they need to succeed in industry, pursue graduate study, and approach their careers with an entrepreneurial mindset. They learn to see themselves as capable innovators, researchers and problem-solvers.”
The Projects Hatchery grew out of Cal Poly Pomona’s 2018 Learn Through Discovery initiative and the work of a faculty and staff task force that developed the Signature Polytechnic Experience, or PolyX, framework. Led by the Office of Undergraduate Research, the program is open to students from all majors and provides ongoing staff support, faculty advising and opportunities for teams to present their progress during monthly meetings.
Through the experience, students strengthen professional skills and develop NACE career-readiness competencies by collaborating with peers, communicating ideas, solving problems, and managing projects over time.
The College of Engineering has had the largest participation, with approximately 440 students served since 2023, followed by the College of Science with 145 students. Don B. Huntley College of Agriculture has had 60 students participate, the College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences has had 50, and the College of Business Administration has had 35.
The program is designed not only to help students complete a project, but also to develop one. Students are encouraged to refine their ideas, respond to feedback, navigate setbacks, and communicate the value of their work to different audiences.
One example of that impact is Team Aldhani from the College of Engineering. The team’s Hatchery project earned first prize at a CSU-wide competition, and the student behind the project later received admission to a Ph.D. program.
The achievement demonstrates how an undergraduate project can become a foundation for future academic and professional opportunities.
Faculty mentorship is a central part of that process. Rather than working through project challenges alone, students have access to faculty mentors who can help them refine their ideas, ask deeper questions and develop greater confidence as researchers and problem solvers.
Physics and Astronomy Professor Nina Abramzon, a Projects Hatchery faculty mentor, has worked with students as they move from early concepts to more developed projects and milestones.
"As a Projects Hatchery mentor, I enjoy watching students develop an idea, overcome challenges in the lab, and become more confident researchers,” Abramzon said. “It is especially rewarding to see them present their work, become peer mentors for other students, and carry the skills they gain into their future careers after graduation.”
The mentorship model also gives students an opportunity to build relationships with faculty outside of a traditional classroom environment. As teams progress, students take greater ownership of their work while learning how to make decisions, adjust their approach and communicate their progress.
Those experiences can be carried out beyond the Hatchery. For some students, a project may lead to competition recognition, continued research or graduate education. For others, it may become an opportunity to demonstrate technical, collaborative, and professional skills to future employers.
By bringing together undergraduate research, faculty mentorship and project-based learning, the Projects Hatchery gives students a place to explore ideas while building the skills to carry those ideas forward.
With hundreds of students participating since 2023, the program continues to provide a pathway for Cal Poly Pomona students to move from curiosity to creation and from an initial idea to meaningful achievement.
For more information on Projects Hatchery, visit the Office of Undergraduate Research website or contact our@cpp.edu.