GoKawiilAbout 16 percent of the global population—more than 1 billion people—live with some form of disability, according to the World Health Organization. Many of the disabilities affect independence and mobility.
Three high school students working on inventions to help people with disabilities restore movement, translate thoughts, and navigate rough terrain had their work showcased at Regeneron’s International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), held in May in Phoenix. Their projects earned them this year’s IEEE Presidents’ Scholarship awards.
IEEE President Mary Ellen Randall presented the awards at a ceremony held during the fair. They also received an IEEE President’s coin, which students said was a highlight of their experience.
Hollie Tang won this year’s IEEE Presidents’ Scholarship of US $10,000 for her wheelchair navigation system. The award is payable over four years of undergraduate university study and includes a complimentary IEEE student membership.
Partap Sidhu, the second-place winner, received a $600 scholarship for his mind-controlled lower-limb exoskeleton. Third-place winner Calvin Shang Hung received a $400 scholarship for his rough-terrain robot. Sidhu and Hung also got complimentary IEEE student memberships.
Established by the IEEE Foundation and administered by IEEE Educational Activities, the Presidents’ Scholarship recognizes high school students who demonstrate an exceptional grasp of electrical engineering, computer science, or another IEEE field of interest.
Controlling movements with a tongue
Holly Tang won the 2026 IEEE Presidents’ Scholarship of US $10,000 for her Tonguage project, which is a noninvasive, computer-vision-based human-machine interface. Lynn Bowlby
Tang, a sophomore at Wilson High School in Hacienda Heights, Calif., secured the top prize for her Tonguage project: a noninvasive, computer-vision-based human-machine interface. Using tongue movements and a standard camera, the interface lets users control a computer and other digital tools as well as assistive technologies including wheelchairs. The tongue pad, one of the system’s core features, allows the user’s tongue to function as a directional cursor, while eye blinks serve as mouse clicks.
Tonguage translates the person’s tongue and eye motions into actionable commands in several ways, such as the tongue’s position inside the mouth and continuous movement patterns. The system’s multimodality combines input from the tongue with other facial cues.
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