Five teams who competed in the 2022 Hesburgh Libraries Hackathon at the University of Notre Dame were awarded honors in front of their peers on Sunday, March 27.

Thirteen teams of undergraduate students competed in the event which took place from March 25 to 27. In keeping with this year’s theme, Sustainable Futures, teams were charged with developing projects that leverage technology to discover, visualize, or create sustainable solutions to everyday problems. The competition, final presentations, and award ceremony were held in the Hesburgh Library Carey Auditorium, with teams working in the Hesburgh Library throughout the weekend-long event.

During the competition, Hackathon coaches were available via Zoom to support the teams if they had questions about strategy, coding, methodology, usability, design, and presentation preparation.

On March 27, the final day of the event, students presented their projects to a panel of judges and their peers. The Hackathon judges evaluated final project submissions on five key areas: innovation, impact, usability, technical merit, and presentation. Prizes were awarded to teams who excelled in the criteria on the judging rubric.

Congratulations to the 2022 Hesburgh Libraries Hackathon winners.

1st Place - $3,000 Award

Eagle Eyes

Joshua Cepeda
College of Engineering, Computer Engineering

Erin Markel
College of Science, Physics

Tanner Waltz
College of Engineering, Computer Science

Spencer Wells
College of Engineering, Computer Science

Eagle Eyes is a mobile app that provides users with a fun and approachable daily birdwatching challenge. Users are given a bird per day to identify and learn about new and different bird species. The goal of the app is to promote ecological education and engagement with nature.

2nd Place - $2,000 Award

Water Wars

DJ Adams
College of Engineering, Computer Science

Luke Braby
College of Engineering, Computer Science

Jonathan Lamptey
College of Engineering, Computer Engineering

Jeremy Stevens
College of Engineering, Computer Science

Through dorm competition, Water Wars aims to reduce water consumption and raise awareness of water misuse amongst college students by making water consumption data available for every residence hall on campus. By displaying statistics for dorms and their individual sections, Water Wars fosters not only healthy competition but also educates young adults on the impact small changes can make when the entire community is committed.

3rd Place - $1,000 Award

EcoMenu

Chris Fakhimi
College of Engineering, Computer Science

Evan Hall
College of Engineering, Computer Science

Derek Pepple
College of Engineering, Computer Science

Hana St. Clair
College of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering

EcoMenu aims to improve the carbon footprint of dining by analyzing where our food comes from and how it is produced. EcoMenu uses the dining hall menu and works with the University to source and identify the environmental impact of different menu items. Users receive recommendations on sustainable options available in the dining hall and can use this data to identify foods that are more sustainable for each meal and make informed choices about their eating habits. Users can also enter what they eat to track the sustainability of their choices and compare it to other users to understand the relative impact of those choices.

Honorable Mention - $500 Award

Solar Saviors

Evan Bursch
College of Science, Physics and Philosophy

Anousha Greiveldinger
College of Science, Physics

Solar Saviors aims to increase consumer knowledge of solar panel benefits in their geographic area through machine learning modeling. Solar Saviors presents users with county-specific information about the estimated number of solar panels that would be needed to power their homes. This data is presented in map view so that different areas can be compared. The program also expands beyond simple extrapolation of past weather data by using machine learning algorithms to predict future solar levels more accurately.

Honorable Mention - $500 Award

Greener ND

Anar Bayanzul
College of Engineering, Computer Science

Chad Brown
College of Engineering, Computer Science

Blake (John) Caven
College of Engineering, Computer Science

Jack Rowe
College of Engineering

Greener ND is a video game with a humorous and engaging 8-bit aesthetic that puts users in the position of leading Notre Dame. It aims to model the impact of various policy proposals by simulating the financial and social repercussions of each decision, highlighting the difficulties and trade-offs of sustainability efforts. By leveraging game mechanics and local humor, it presents a learning opportunity that could be more effective than simple narrative description alone.

2022 Hackathon Judges

A special thank you to our judges.

Greg Koehler, Program Manager for Sustainable Operations, Office of Sustainability

Joanna Cecilia Da Silva Santos, Assistant Professor, Computer Science and Engineering

Dan Johnson, English, Digital Humanities, and Film, Television & Theatre Librarian, Hesburgh Libraries

Ben Tovar, Lead Research Software Engineer, Computer Science and Engineering