Turn Ideas into Impact: Join the Build with AI Hackathon
We’re excited to announce our upcoming AI Hackathon—a fast‑paced, virtual event designed to help participants explore how artificial intelligence can be applied to real‑world challenges across any discipline. Join us on Friday, April 17 from 12 to 2:30 PM.
Hosted in collaboration with OpenAI, this hackathon brings industry insight and practical perspective into how AI is being used in today’s academic setting and workforce. Whether you’re brand new to AI or already experimenting with it, technical or non‑technical, this event is designed to give you hands‑on experience building meaningful, real‑world solutions.
Theme: AI for Every Discipline
At the heart of this hackathon is a simple but powerful idea: AI can enhance any field.
Participants will identify a problem within their academic or professional environment and use AI tools to prototype a solution.
No matter your major, role, or experience level, you’ll collaborate, build, and explore how AI can support your goals.
What to Expect
Participants will use the university-provided ChatGPT Edu environment, including access to advanced features and reasoning models, to support their work during the hackathon.
If you have not already activated your account, we strongly encourage you to do so in advance of the event to ensure a smooth experience.
Click to get started with ChatGPT Edu.
This is a virtual experience, hosted on Zoom, designed to balance structure with creativity:
- A kickoff session with AI tips and best practices
- Dedicated time to build and experiment
- Ongoing support and guidance throughout a 2.5 hour build session
Following the hackathon, selected teams will be invited to present their work in a short finalist showcase.
Challenge Tracks
To help guide project ideas, participants can choose from several challenge tracks:
-
AI for Productivity & Workflow
Improve efficiency, automate tasks, or enhance decision‑making -
AI for Social Impact
Address challenges in healthcare, education, accessibility, the environment, or local communities -
AI for Business & Innovation
Explore new products, services, or operational improvements -
AI for Creativity & Communication
Use AI for storytelling, design, content creation, or human‑AI collaboration -
Open Track (Wildcard)
Pursue any idea that demonstrates a meaningful application of AI
Team Format
Participants are encouraged to work in teams of 3–5, fostering collaboration across diverse skill sets and perspectives.
Prefer to work solo? That’s welcome too.
Project Submission
Teams will submit a brief project summary along with any supporting materials.
Teams will highlight:
- The problem they identified
- Their AI‑powered solution
- Target audience
- Impact / value
- What was learned
Teams will have additional time after the event to finalize and submit their projects, with a submission deadline later that evening. Final submission details and timing will be shared with participants during the event.
Selected teams will advance to a final presentation round.
Prizes & Recognition
Winning teams will receive event swag. We are currently exploring opportunities to offer AI development credits and will share updates as they are confirmed.
Important Considerations
- Participants should use only public data in their projects.
- Teams may have the opportunity to share their work publicly, and standout projects may be highlighted beyond the event.
Why Participate?
This hackathon is an opportunity to:
- Gain hands‑on experience experience with AI tools
- Build a real project in a short timeframe
- Collaborate across disciplines
- Showcase your ideas
Get Involved
This page will continue to be updated as more information becomes available—stay tuned!