SungSim Park ’95, MEng ’00, and Matthew Moskewicz

“Disability can happen to anyone—and is bound to happen to many of us as we age,” says SungSim Park, who developed a rare case of polio after receiving the oral poliovirus vaccine as a baby, resulting in diminished muscle function in one leg. That experience, as well as her time studying electrical engineering with the “talented, devoted, and passionate people” at MIT and her work as a software engineer, has guided her family’s philanthropy.

Accessibility for all. Park, who uses an orthotic device, and her spouse, Matthew Moskewicz, support the work of MIT Media Lab professor Hugh Herr SM ’93, co-director of the MIT K. Lisa Yang Center for Bionics and associate investigator at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research. Herr is renowned for his work developing bionic limbs and neuroprosthetics designed to enhance human capabilities and restore mobility. “Professor Herr’s mission to overcome disability with technology will someday help all people gain accessibility to the activities that give them joy,” she says.

Fundamental research. Throughout his career as an electrical engineer and entrepreneur, Moskewicz has seen how academic research supported by philanthropy complements startups’ fast-paced commercialization of their technological breakthroughs. “Our long-term goal with our giving is to approach problems from different angles,” he says. “Funding for researchers gives them the time and resources to make fundamental progress across scientific fields.” Park agrees: “I love that term, ‘fundamental progress,’” she says. “I am impressed with MIT’s mission to solve problems not just for today, but looking a hundred years into the future.”

This story was written by Joelle Carson and originally appeared in the January/February 2025 issue of MIT Technology Review.