On April 8, the final presentations were held for the Information Technology (IT) Quackathon. The challenge? Form teams of two to five and use AI to tackle a Stevens-centric problem. It gave students the opportunity to learn new skills, test their abilities, and build long-lasting connections.
Michael Parente, Interim Vice President for Information Technology and CIO, explained that the Quackathon was hosted to highlight the benefits of using AI to solve Stevens-centric challenges and day-to-day problems faced by students. It granted students a platform to express their ideas and created a collaborative environment to learn about AI advancements within Stevens.
The event was planned by a team of IT staff led by Sana Michael, Maryam Mirza, Hammad Ali, Morgan Kellogg Cua, and other supporting members from the Division of Information Technology. Sebastian Sztolberg, who leads the CIO Student Advisory Committee, was a partner for the student side from the beginning steps.
After the Quackathon’s announcement, submissions opened for individual proposals, and nearly 70 entries were received from student teams. The proposals were reviewed by the CIO Student Advisory Committee and IT leadership members who led the Quackathon. Both teams evaluated and selected the final 10 teams for the Quackathon.
The timeline was:
February 16: Hackathon Proposal
February 27: Team Selection
March 10: Technical Meeting
March 24: Kick-Off Meeting
March 24 to April 7: Create & Build Solutions
April 8: Quackathon Presentations
Stevens faculty, staff, and students were invited to watch the final presentations and to network with other community members. There, teams presented their projects to a panel of judges. The first-place winner was The Debugging Ducks, whose project was an AI-powered assistant that simplified navigating student applications, assisted with course-related questions, and provided email reminders. It can also authenticate into students’ accounts and use data from Canvas, Workday, and the Stevens.edu website to answer questions and automate tasks. The IT team plans to follow up with Debugging Ducks and explore a real-world implementation.
The second-place winner was DuckOps, whose project DuckBot is a conversational AI designed to help both international and domestic students navigate campus life more easily. It provides support for resumes, research, and general campus queries.
The third-place winner was Error 200: All’s Well, whose project CampusCalm is an AI assistant built to support students experiencing depression and anxiety. It allows individuals to screen their mental health, receive personal guidance, and connect with personal resources.
Parente said that it was an excellent opportunity for students to interact with their peers, develop initiatives, and pitch solutions to faculty, staff, and alumni
colleagues with industry knowledge. Students were able to showcase their creativity, compete for prizes and recognition, and engage with the Stevens community, especially the Division of Information Technology team.
While initially planned to be hosted every other year, the IT team is considering hosting the IT Quackathon annually in light of the event’s high engagement. It’s also considering improvements like more effective communication, and additional feedback from this year’s Quackathon will be used to address challenges and to improve future events.
“The Quackathon was a wonderful event that really supported our goal of increasing student interaction and collaboration,” Parente states. “We thank everyone who contributed to making the Quackathon a success including the IT staff members, CIO Student Advisory group members, our panel of judges, and of course all our students that participated. To our students, your hard work and dedication are greatly appreciated, and we look forward to seeing even more amazing projects in the future.”
