From Dormant to Mars-Ready: How a Student Sustainability Grant Revived Harvard’s Robotics Club

When the Harvard Undergraduate Robotics Club (HURC) applied for a student sustainability grant from the Harvard Office for Sustainability (OFS) in the fall of 2024, they were starting from scratch with a couple of dreams—to revive the club and to compete in the University Rover Challenge.

At that time, the club was essentially dormant: no active members, no ongoing projects, and no momentum. With funding from the OFS student grant program, in just one semester the students built a working Mars rover equipped with a driving system and an articulating arm.

The students on this project not only developed team-building and technical skills, but also successfully put sustainability into practice by minimizing material waste through digital modeling, conserving energy in machining, and optimizing power allocation in the rover’s electronics.

Equally exciting has been the explosion in HURC membership, which has grown from zero members last fall to more than 50 actively engaged students who are passionate about robotics and eager to help improve the current rover and plan future designs.

The energized team now has two ambitious goals: completing their rover fabrication and earning the opportunity to travel to the Utah desert to compete in the University Rover Challenge, the world’s premier robotics competition for college students. Held annually in southern Utah, URC challenges student teams to design the next generation of Mars rovers that could one day assist astronauts exploring the Red Planet.

The student grant provided by OFS not only reignited the club but also sparked a vibrant community of problem solvers driven by curiosity, collaboration, and sustainability innovation. The club hopes to continue growing and warmly invites the Harvard community to visit and see the rover in action—a tangible symbol of what’s possible when opportunity meets passion.

“On a personal note, I cannot thank you enough for making my dreams come true,” said club lead and grant awardee Jannah El-Rayess. “I came to Harvard loving robotics, but with no real opportunity to pursue it because the club was inactive. Your generosity revived this dream and made it possible for me and so many others to come together, build, and watch our rover drive around—surrounded by a team ready to support our mission. I truly cannot express my gratitude enough.”

This story is a powerful example of how OFS student sustainability grants enable hands-on learning, foster innovation, and build thriving communities around STEM and sustainability at Harvard.