UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Nittany AI Alliance is hosting a webinar to inspire new ideas and new competitors for the 2021 Nittany AI Challenge. The virtual event will feature mentors, sponsors and winning student teams from past challenges who will share tips on how to successfully navigate the competition and discuss ways artificial intelligence can be used to contribute to the greater good. The webinar, “You Can Do It: How to Compete in the Nittany AI Challenge,” will be held from 7-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2021.
The Nittany AI Challenge is a yearlong competition facilitated by the Nittany Alliance, a Penn State Outreach service. Students are welcome to form teams and compete for awards by developing and presenting AI-based solutions under one of the four AI for Good pillars: education, environment, health and humanitarianism. Idea submissions for 2021 are due Jan. 29.
“The Nittany AI Challenge is all about providing opportunities — opportunities to be inspired, to learn about AI, to advance career opportunities, and to combine the creativity of our Penn State community with the power of AI to impact the world in a meaningful way,” said Brad Zdenek, innovation strategist for the Nittany AI Alliance and program manager for the Nittany AI Challenge.
Winning teams in the 2020 Nittany AI Challenge — Nyansapo, OpenVessel, AI Guide and Cyclone — created a minimum viable product using AI for good and were selected by a panel of judges to share a pool of $25,000.
Ritik Parmar is a member of Nyansapo. The team developed an app to assist children in learning literacy skills. Parmar will be one of the presenters at the virtual event.
“The Nittany AI Challenge is an environment brimming with opportunity, where college students are able to enact changes, solve issues as they see fit, and use AI as a means to benefit the world,” Parmar said. “It has been a great privilege to participate in the challenge, observe other innovative creations, and make valuable memories and friends. The challenge has served as a birthplace for the Nyansapo team and we look forward to setting our sights on future ambitions.”
Sponsors for the 2021 Nittany AI Challenge include Microsoft, Google Cloud, IBM Watson and Amazon Web Services.
The “You Can Do It: How to Compete in the Nittany AI Challenge” webinar on Jan. 13 is free to attend; register here to receive the link to join the virtual event.