UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Ten student teams have been selected to receive funding to develop a minimum viable product (MVP) in the 2022 Nittany AI Challenge. The teams are using artificial intelligence (AI) for good to solve real-world problems in the areas of health, environment, education and humanitarianism as part of the yearlong competition.

Each of the following teams will receive $1,500 along with support from the Nittany AI Alliance and strategic partners to build their MVP:

• AI Money Minder (AIMM): a Fintech platform that helps identify personalized early-warning signs in financial data from individuals with serious mental illness.
• Aquasafe: monitors water points for water quantity and quality, helping the people that rely on them to more reliably determine when safe water is available, and access aid if it is not.
• AudioHUD: providing a tool to enhance situational awareness for the hearing-impaired community.
• Career-Connect (C^2): a social network application focused on upskilling profiles and connecting people.
• Have AI Heart: application designed to assist in the prediction and prevention of heart disease.
• iLenz: designed to be an affordable AI-based tool that provides dilation-free home eye exams.
• LexNectare: a tool to guide attorneys, who are providing pro-bono service, through the legal elements of a claim.
• RetroFlux: an online note-sharing platform where students can edit notes in a real-time collaborative environment.
• SchizophrenAI: a tool promoting the awareness and accessibility of resources for mental health.
• WildAI: a device using AI and sound recognition to tackle the problem of deforestation and poaching.

The teams will move on to Phase Three of the 2022 Nittany AI Challenge and be required to present their MVP at the AI for Good Expo on Sept. 8, where they will compete for the final $25,000 prize pool.

Aquasafe, AudioHUD and iLenz were recognized at the President’s Reception at Penn State Startup Week on April 7. One of the students who attended the reception, Namratha Sri Mateti, is working on a master of science in data analytics at Penn State Great Valley and is team lead for iLenz.

“Being invited to the President's Reception feels special and motivating. Everyone in the team is pumped and excited for the MVP round,” Sri Mateti said. “The challenge has been great overall. There were days when we didn't know where we were headed but with a great team and our supportive mentor, Youakim Badr, associate professor of data analytics at Penn State Great Valley, our hard work paid off. It's been fun and exciting.”

For more about experiential opportunities and AI for good, visit the Nittany AI Alliance website or subscribe to the email list for updates.

Nittany AI Alliance is a service of Penn State Outreach.