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A breath of fresh air AI hackathon, June 4-5, powered by AWS

A Breath of Fresh Air: AI Hackathon

This hackathon invites participants to create AI-powered solutions for air quality across the Wasatch Front addressing pressing challenges in predicting poor air quality either due to wildfire smoke or inversions, elucidating contributing factors, such as the Great Salt Lake, geography, weather, and human factors, and mitigating effects of poor quality. With a focus on leveraging data science,  machine learning,  and AI, participants will create tools and models to tackle real-world issues around air quality and help communities and policymakers make informed decisions to improve air quality and public health.

Event Structure

  • Duration: 48-hour hackathon
  • Location: This is a hybrid event. Join us online or at the Warnock Engineering Building.
  • Team Size: 3-5 members per team, including at least 2 students
  • Dates: June 4–5, 2025. Awards announced June 6, 2025.
  • Registration Closes: April 15, 2025
  • Kickoff (hybrid): Early May
  • Amazon Web Services (AWS) Enablement and Team Pre-Planning Sessions: To be organized and held in May

Eligibility & Support

Entrepreneurs, faculty, staff, and students from across Utah are eligible to participate in the hackathon. No coding experience needed!

We will hold teaming sessions to help match participants with other likeminded participants and projects. Prior to the event, in June, AWS will host Enablement Sessions to ensure participants are prepared to participate fully in the hackathon.

Each team will be supported by subject matter experts (SMEs) to support projects both in terms of domain expertise and technical expertise. AWS Solution Architects will be available for consult throughout the event. Teams will meet with their domain SME prior to the hackathon to help scope out the project. SMEs will also be available during the event to support emerging questions. Interested SMEs should complete the registration form.

Challenge Tracks

We have identified four challenge tracks that have potential for innovative data-driven solutions. Teams can define projects in one of these tracks or at the intersection of multiple tracks.
Track 1:
Prediction Models
Develop AI models to predict air quality levels based on historical data, weather patterns, and other relevant factors. Create real-time forecasting tools to alert communities in advance of upcoming poor air quality days.
Track 2:
Mitigation Strategies
Design AI-driven solutions to reduce emissions from key sources such as transportation, industry, and residential heating. Develop applications that suggest personal actions to reduce individual carbon footprints and improve air quality.
Track 3:
Understanding and Analysis
Use AI to analyze the impact of various factors (e.g., air quality, traffic, industrial activity, weather) on air quality. Create visualizations and dashboards to help the public and policymakers understand air quality trends and associated  health impacts.
Track 4:
Air Quality Products for Health Outcomes
Use AI to integrate a range of environmental and air quality data to create a data product suitable for use in understanding health outcomes.
Key Considerations for Responsible Solutions

  • Ensure the data sources are reliable and have sufficient historical records for training AI models.

  • Address privacy concerns, especially if using data that could identify individuals or specific locations.

  • Encourage teams to include members with diverse expertise, such as data scientists, environmental scientists, and public health experts.

  • Involve local communities and stakeholders to ensure the solutions are practical and address real-world needs.

  • Consider how the solutions can be scaled and sustained over time, including potential partnerships with local governments or organizations.

Judging Criteria

  • Potential to make a meaningful difference in air quality prediction and mitigation.

  • Originality and creativity in the approach and solution design.

  • Integration of advanced AI/ML techniques and data sources.

  • Quality of the final presentation, including clear articulation and demonstration of the solution.

  • Practicality and scalability of the proposed solution in real-world applications.

Prizes & Perks

  • Cash prizes (details TBD)
  • AWS cloud services credits and NVIDIA compute clusters for the continuation of top projects
  • Food and refreshments provided for in-person participants

Thank You to Our Sponsors

Hackathon Registration Form

Hackathon Registration

Please fill out this form to register to participate in the hackathon. Required fields are indicated with a red asterisk (*).

First
Last
What type of involvement would you like to have in this hackathon?
What is your level of experience with coding?
What is your level of experience with AWS Cloud?
Do you have a partner or team identified?
Do you have a project proposal for consideration?