Cal Poly alumnus recognized for creation of engineering lab

Cal Poly alumnus Jon Monett recently received national recognition for creating and funding Cal Poly’s prosthetics lab.
Last March, Monett donated $500,000 to the engineering department after learning of the department’s desire to increase the number of multidisciplinary projects available to engineering students while he was serving on the dean’s advisory board. The funding founded the Quality of Life+ (QL+) laboratory, the first of the QL+ organization Monett founded with the proceeds from the sale of his old company, Telemus Solutions.
The lab allows Cal Poly engineering students to research and develop prosthetics and other assistive devices for amputees injured while serving in the U.S. military, U.S. intelligence and law enforcement services.
Monett, a resident of McLean, Va., graduated Cal Poly in 1964 with a degree in industrial engineering.
“I remain extremely proud of receiving my industrial engineering degree from Cal Poly, consistently one of the top engineering schools in the U.S., if not the world,” Monett said. “Also, Cal Poly’s College of Engineering requires a senior project as a requirement — not every university’s engineering program requires a practical application. Lastly, Cal Poly has afforded me the path to a successful career and a rewarding life. I have reached the point in my life where I want to give back — especially to those Americans who are serving our country.”
The QL+ lab offers Cal Poly students life lessons that can’t be found in a textbook, such as understanding how innovation can help a group of individuals, he added.
Monett, along with Cal Poly engineering students, appeared in a video called “Improving Lives” that was sent to members of the United States Automobile Association (USAA). QL+ was one of two nonprofit organizations featured in the video portion of the USAA Annual Report for “doing the right thing.”
“Doing the right thing is not that easy to explain. I did not really think about creating an organization focused on ‘doing the right thing,’ rather I wanted to set an example,” Monett said. “I wanted to show my appreciation for the men and women who, in the course of serving their country, have been wounded and/or disabled. But I also wanted to create a unique practical environment for Cal Poly engineering students.”
Biomedical engineering graduate student Nickolas Butler works in the on-campus lab.
“Our sponsor, Jon Monett, opened the doors to go in any direction with our projects,” Butler said. “Sometimes the need is for a specific person; sometimes it’s for many people. Our team is doing a prosthetic hand; another group is doing a (wheelchair that goes off-road). We think we can design our hand for under $5,000.”
Electrical engineering senior Sean Tolibas said the grants that allow the lab to run are important to Cal Poly engineers.
“Our labs are very expensive,” Tolibas said. “In general, engineers use our private grant money really well. Because of the nature of our labs we can’t function off of state money alone so we have to utilize opportunities like these.”
Butler said he enjoys working on this project, and while there currently isn’t much work being done in the field of prosthetics, he wishes to continue the work he began at Cal Poly.
“The most rewarding part for us is that our projects immediately improve the lives of the people that our projects go to. We really do improve the quality of life for these people,” Butler said.