UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Fifteen student teams using artificial intelligence (AI) to make the world a better place have been awarded a total of $4,500 in the Prototype Phase of the Nittany AI Challenge.
The Nittany AI Challenge is an annual Nittany AI Alliance competition that provides Penn State students the opportunity to use AI and machine learning to address pressing global issues in agriculture, education, the environment, health and humanitarianism, while gaining hands on experience and competing for a prize pool of $30,000.
Originally a Penn State Outreach initiative, the Nittany AI Alliance will be in its new home in the College of Information Sciences and Technology (IST) as the competition continues during the spring semester.
Along with the move, this year’s Nittany AI Challenge includes new partners and opportunities, such as:
- Advising at Penn State. This partnership will explore how AI can be used to improve Penn State operations and increase student success.
- Invent Penn State Entrepreneurship Prize. New partner Invent Penn State is providing up to $5,000 of prize money. The Invent Penn State Entrepreneurship Prize is designed to inspire and empower Nittany AI Challenge participants to turn their AI-driven solutions into socially impactful ventures.
- Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN) grant. Providing more than $20,000 in additional funds not included in the prize pool, PIT-UN enables top teams to continue to work on their projects throughout the summer.
Daren Coudriet, executive director of the Nittany AI Alliance, said additions will provide students with even more resources for success as they continue their work to make the world a better place.
“The Nittany AI Challenge empowers students to leverage cutting-edge AI technologies to address real-world challenges while gaining invaluable hands-on experience,” Coudriet said. “With the addition of new partners and resources this year, we’re equipping students with even greater tools to succeed — not just in the competition but also in their future careers and as agents of positive change in the world.”
As the competition continues, the top prototype teams will use the $300 in funding they received to continue their project by building a minimum viable product. The Nittany AI Challenge culminates in a pitch contest, where teams will present their MVPs and demonstrate their journey from ideation to a viable product.
This year, prototype winning teams are made up of students in the Eberly College of Science, the College of Education, the College of Engineering, the College of Health and Human Development, the College of IST and the College of the Liberal Arts and are from University Park campus, Penn State Behrend, Penn State Berks and Penn State World Campus.
Nittany AI Challenge Prototype Winners
- Advisor: A dual-purpose AI-powered tool for both students and advisers to empower students to achieve their full academic potential. Team members: Vishnu Vengugopal, Krishna Pagrut and Veer Shah
- B.E.A.N.: An AI-powered filtration system to remove microplastics, oil residues, toxic chemicals and heavy metals to protect water resources, protect wildlife and promote clean water. Team Members: Grace Yost, Christian Clarke, Xander Van Wyk, Brynna Bentz, Ugochukwu Ike-Egolum and Jacob Piehl
- ECGenius A.I.: A portable chip, machine learning model and mobile application to provide mobile phone notifications when abnormal heart activity is detected. Team members: Samanya Saran Seth, Rohiin Havre, Ragul V.N. and Ryan Nair
- EDUAI: A platform designed to optimize how students learn, connect and achieve their goals. Team members: Divyam Arora, Stephanie Tania Bowles, Rosemary Akamagwuna and Juliana Lenge
- HealthShelf.ai: A mobile application to facilitate healthy food choices for shoppers. Team members: Pranav Singhal, Yashaswini Bhat and Mahavishvajithraj Rajinikanth
- Insight: An AI-driven scheduling tool for health care providers that identifies and prioritizes complex cases. Team Members: Sri Gourav Aravind Turaga, Suraj Kumar, Priyanshu Dey and Shiv Tanikella
- LionWell: An AI-powered health platform designed specifically for Penn State students. Team members: Adheera Chilamkurthi and Janelly Rossi
- PooPal: An automated, privacy-focused solution for stool monitoring and analysis. Team members: Jared Daniel
- Prognosis: AI-powered approach to provide highly localized epidemic predictions. Team members: Suhani Nimje, Kanika Gupta, Aryan Mehta and Abhimanyu Sareen
- ResearchLink: An AI-powered approach to connect Penn State students and professors for mentorship opportunities. Team members: Daniel Liu and John Cho
- Shoply: Leverages AI to transform the online shopping experience to help users make better-informed decisions. Team members: Kartikey Pandey
- SIGNUM: A tool to enhance support for caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Team members: Gustavo Foz, Uttkarsh Agarwal, Younsoo Park and Ethan Elemento
- SlideSmart: A tool to enhance learning for students by supplementing course materials and providing a collaborative learning experience. Team members: Brayden Pettigrew, Will Wunsch and Jace Anderson
- TOBY: An application to address childhood literacy by providing an affordable, interactive reading companion for families. Team members: Suraj Kumar, Bianca Puglin and Brian Burns
- Tripure: A tool that utilizes AI to promote efficient and enjoyable travel. Team members: Yuan Chen and Peidong Liu