Paul and Sandi Bonderson

For his senior project, Paul R. Bonderson Jr. (EE '75) designed and built an electronic clipboard for collecting traffic information. The gadget led to his first job.

Stating that he wanted to foster similar "creative engineering experiences" for Cal Poly students, Paul Bonderson and his wife Sandra founded the Bonderson Projects Center with a gift of $8.2 million. The facility serves as home to the Project Based Learning Institute and provides specialized space for student and faculty projects.

"I want students today to have the opportunity to undertake truly cutting-edge projects, and especially multi-disciplinary projects because that's what industry needs today," says Mr. Bonderson.