UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A panel of industry experts and Penn State faculty selected five student teams as winners of the 2026 Nittany AI Challenge. The teams will use their prize money to continue developing projects that use artificial intelligence (AI) for the good of society.
The selection of winners, held April 16 at Robb Hall in the Hintz Family Alumni Center, was the culmination of an annual competition that gives students the opportunity to develop AI and machine learning solutions to a wide range of problems. Through the challenge, students build skills, combine interdisciplinary strengths, expand networks and win prizes.
The challenge kicked off with the “Preparation and Customer Discovery Phase” in September 2025. In January, 40 student teams competed in the “Prototype Phase” of the competition, and 15 teams each received $300 and advanced to the “Minimum Viable Product (MVP) Phase.” The MVP Phase concluded earlier this month — with each team submitting the minimum viable product they developed based on their original proposed solution — and 10 teams were invited to compete in the final round of the competition, the “Pitch Phase.”
“Reaching the final stage of the Nittany AI Challenge shows how far these teams have come, from early ideas to real, working solutions,” said Patti Doroschenko, education program coordinator for the Nittany AI Alliance. “Through experiential learning, students get hands-on experience using AI to tackle real-world problems, working across disciplines and adjusting as their projects grow. This celebration event highlights not just the final projects, but the learning and growth that help students move their ideas forward beyond the challenge.”
The teams pitched their AI solutions to a panel of 28 judges. The top five teams received cash prizes to support continued development of their innovations.
Winners of the 2026 Nittany AI Challenge
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First place $5,500: CrashAI, which addresses the difficulty of manually analyzing large volumes of complex car crash data collected by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation; team members included Rohiin Havre, Ameya Panchal and Andy Tang.
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Second place $3,500: SignLink, which addresses the lack of a major platform that offers automatic sign language translation for video conferencing; team member Katerina Dimitrova.
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Third place $2,500: MatchMyLab, which addresses the recurring and costly challenges involved with teaching assistant scheduling in higher education settings; team members included Gustavo Rodrigues Foz, Troy Matthew LaPolice and Julien Victor Mutton.
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Fourth place $2,000: Surge, which addresses difficulties with discovering, curating and updating events for community event calendars that inform residents and visitors; team members included Ishaan Narang and Lance Streuber.
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Fifth place $2,000: ClaimShield, which addresses errors in the nation’s health care billing system that leave patients vulnerable to overpayment; team members included Kapil Ravi Rathod, Aneesh Shamraj and Kushal Joseph Vallamkatt.
The event also featured additional monetary awards.
Jonathan Dambrot, CEO at Cranium AI, presented the Jonathan and Alana Dambrot AI Excellence Awards. Five students each received $1,000 for achievements in and contributions to the Nittany AI Alliance:
- Saatvik Pradhan
- Anthony Shpilsky
- Ishita Sinha
- Sri Grourav Aravind Turaga
- Raul van Hoorde
The Cocoziello Institute of Real Estate Innovation Award was designed to challenge students to develop AI-driven solutions that address the most pressing issues in real estate and the built environment.
- $3,500: CrashAI
The Penn State Office of Physical Plant Award recognized teams that developed MVPs addressing campus facility improvements, sustainability initiatives and innovative solutions for maintaining and enhancing physical spaces.
- First place $3,500: CrashAI
- Second place $1,500: MatchMyLab
David Stevens, founder and managing partner at Radians per Second Squared – Venture Creation Studio, was the keynote speaker at the celebration.
Teams participating in the final phase of the competition included undergraduate and graduate students from the Eberly College of Science, the College of Engineering, the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, the College of IST, the College of the Liberal Arts, Schreyer Honors College and the Smeal College of Business, representing Penn State University Park and Penn State Great Valley. Throughout all phases of the 2026 Nittany AI Challenge, 117 students from 12 colleges and 31 majors participated.
Housed in the College of IST, the Nittany AI Alliance creates programs that bring together students, faculty, staff and industry leaders to address real-world problems through experiential learning projects using artificial intelligence-based solutions. The alliance is committed to providing students with unique out-of-classroom learning opportunities, improving the student experience at Penn State, and facilitating innovative collaboration between businesses and top talent at the University and across the commonwealth.
Penn State is shaping the future of higher education in the age of artificial intelligence. Our focus is on human-centered, ethical AI innovation that delivers meaningful impacts for Penn State and the broader community. Through visionary planning, strategic partnerships, targeted hiring and strategic investments, we will equip every Penn State student, staff and faculty member with the AI-related knowledge, experience and confidence they need to succeed in the AI-powered future. Learn more at psu.edu/ai.