HFC pre-engineering team named 2025 Community College Innovation Challenge finalist

The American Association of Community Colleges, in partnership with the National Science Foundation, has named HFC as one of 12 finalists in the 2025 Community College Innovation Challenge.

The CCIC seeks to strengthen entrepreneurial thinking among community college students by challenging them to develop innovative solutions to real-world problems. It also enables students to discover and demonstrate their capacity to use STEM to make a difference in the world and to translate their learning into action.

Each CCIC team consists of 2-4 students and a faculty mentor who guides the team. This year’s HFC team comprises pre-engineering students Jazmin Vazquez, Zaid Pharoan, and Gregory Busuioc. Their mentor is HFC Pre-Engineering Program Director Dr. Hassan Mohseni Nameghi.

The concept: SunSync offers cost-effective solution to reducing energy costs

The HFC student project, which they designed and built, is called SunSync. As the world's energy crisis worsens with declining fossil fuel reserves, rising electricity costs, and slow progress on renewable energies, SunSync is a self-powered, indoor smart blind system that harvests solar energy, uses sensors, and applies machine learning to improve energy efficiency, comfort, and privacy. It offers a cost-effective solution to reduce energy costs and contribute to climate action with the potential to transform homes across America.

Curtains and blinds have long served as essential home fixtures for managing light, privacy, and indoor temperatures. Traditional options such as manual curtains and Venetian or roller blinds offer basic functionality but lack adaptability and efficiency. In recent years, motorized and smart blinds have emerged, integrating remote controls, mobile apps, and voice assistants to improve convenience. However, these solutions primarily focus on automation rather than energy generation, energy conservation, and sustainability. These technologies also consume electricity for operations, adding more burden to the power grid.

“Our idea is to improve on existing smart blinds by integrating solar energy generation and intelligent energy efficiency systems. We designed and built SunSync, which harvests energy from solar panels installed on the blinds and stores them in a battery, which will be used for lighting, charging small devices, and powering the smart system. SunSync uses a microcontroller to control the blinds. A temperature sensor functions similarly to a thermostat: When the room is cold, the sensor signals the motors to open the blinds and let in warm sunlight; when the room is warm, the blinds close to reduce heat. With a motion sensor, lighting comes up when the room is occupied,” explained Vazquez.

To provide privacy, SunSync uses a light sensor that detects the amount of light outside compared to inside. When the outside light is lower than inside, the blinds automatically close to maintain privacy. The system also includes a speaker for playing music and broadcasting an alarm, a microphone for voice control, and the SunSync app for easy control from your Smartphone. With machine learning, SunSync adapts to your habits and preferences over time, improving its efficiency.

“This provides convenience, comfort, and entertainment to the user,” said Pharoan. “The blinds also have an on-board screen to adjust settings directly. Safety is ensured, as SunSync blinds do not connect to the power grid and act as an independent unit.”

National and global benefits, including higher rate of return

SunSync can benefit consumers anywhere in the world. At the consumer level, SunSync provides a smart, cost-effective way to access electricity and lighting directly at the window. According to sustainable energy provider VTOMAN, lighting accounts for 10.3% of residential electricity use, and households typically spend up to 75% of their energy bills during peak hours. SunSync will reduce these expenses by collecting solar energy during the day and providing lighting and electricity at night. The cost of SunSync will be similar to standard motorized blinds, yet SunSync offers significantly greater features and benefits and will have a much higher rate of return.

At the national level, SunSync will improve grid stability and enhance energy security. By lowering peak-hour electricity demand and enabling local energy generation and storage, it will ease the strain on aging infrastructure. In the event of power outages, homes equipped with SunSync can still operate independently. If just 10% of U.S. homes used SunSync, the country could save billions of dollars in energy costs.

Globally, SunSync will support climate action by lowering carbon emissions. The World Nuclear Association reports that electricity generation accounts for over 40% of energy-related emissions. Unlike traditional renewables that often require large-scale infrastructure, SunSync will bring an innovative approach to cleaner energy at the individual level. It will enable households to reduce greenhouse gases, slow climate change, and, if used on a large scale, will help reduce the frequency of climate disasters.

“SunSync is a product we designed to reduce carbon emissions and rising electricity bills, while also contributing to a more sustainable and ecofriendly society. The purpose of our product is to be accessible while providing adequate tools for a smart and energy-efficient home,” said Vazquez. "Adding small changes to your home can support a big change in the world. With SunSync integrated into homes, we can help reduce carbon footprints, lower bills, and build a more sustainable future.”

Added Busuioc: “SunSync is real. We have built a working prototype and are ready to bring it to homes across America.”

HFC has been a CCIC finalist 7 times in the last 11 years

In the past 11 years, HFC has been among the top finalists in the CCIC seven times. HFC is also the only community college to have been among the top finalists in the CCIC seven times, including 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025, said Nameghi. HFC is also the only college in Michigan to participate in this year’s CCIC.

“Congratulations to the 2025 CCIC finalists,” said AACC President and CEO Dr. Walter G. Bumphus. “The finalist projects showcase the incredible talent and creativity of the nation’s community college students. I am proud to stand with our partners at the (NSF) to provide this forum to advance these student leaders as they become our future scientists, entrepreneurs, and engineers, addressing real-world issues and positively impacting our daily lives.”

In June, the finalists will attend an Innovation Boot Camp in Washington, D.C. and interact with entrepreneurs and experts in business planning, stakeholder engagement, strategic communication, and marketplace dynamics. The Boot Camp culminates in a Student Innovation Poster Session on Capitol Hill with STEM leaders and congressional stakeholders and a pitch presentation to determine the first, second, and third-place winning teams.

“Being a finalist in the CCIC for the seventh time reaffirms our commitment to success, our nurturing educational environment, and our outstanding engineering program,” said Nameghi. “I am proud of our dedicated team of students at HFC who work hard to make this achievement possible.”