Social Innovation Challenge Past Winners

Fall 2023 Challenge:  Accessibility

Students were tasked to propose an innovative solution around accessiblity.

Poorvi Datta won first place in this challenge for their innovative approach around accessibility. They will be graduating in May 2024 with a Master's degree in Biology. Poorvi's research and focus are on how to realistically get STEM classrooms to universally provide (edited) captioned recorded lectures. Read more on Poorvi's research here!

Erin Hila and Liam Martinez Torres made up the 2nd place team.  Erin is on track to graduate in May 2025 with a degree in Criminology and Justice studies.  She is a passionate activist for, and member of, the disabled community.  Erin strives to better educate others on matters of equality and improve the lives of those affected by disabilities when she can.  Her partner on this project, Liam, will graduate in May 2025 with a degree in Electrical Engineering.  He enjoys applying his technical skills to real-world issues and using technology to empower and make a lasting, meaningful impact on the lives of others.

 

Spring 2023 Challenge:  Mental Wellness

Students were tasked to propose an innovative solution for recognizing mental wellness. Mental wellness is a deeply rooted and under resourced social problem. The Innovation Hub is proud to announce the visionary concepts proposed by students.

First place winners, Briana Thallmayer, David Boudreaux, and Kelton Argraves, are creating an artificial reality experience that pushes the boundaries of what mental wellness could be presented as.  Students create a visual representation of where you want to be at and where you're at mentally. 

Second place winner, Jorge Miranda, proposed an application that empowers users to navigate the complex digital landscape with confidence and clarity. "Reality Check" swiftly detects fraudulent information, misleading content, and digital alterations.