AI for a Better Future: Cal Poly ĢƵ Hosts Transformative Hackathon and AI Fair
Cal Poly ĢƵ’s Bronco Student Center was filled with energy and innovation as the university hosted the culmination of its "AI for a Better Future" Fair and Hackathon 2025. With the theme “Artificial Intelligence for All: Bridging Disciplines, Expanding Possibilities,” the event celebrated student creativity, interdisciplinary collaboration and forward-thinking tech solutions.
The Hackathon, launched by the College of Business Administration, brought together 239 students across 51 teams. Over 60 hours, students tackled seven unique challenges designed to harness AI’s potential for solving real-world problems. Participants submitted five-minute videos with demos, apps, business plans and digital solutions—all aiming to build a more inclusive and intelligent future.
By the submission deadline, all participating teams had finalized their entries. The top nine teams for the general categories and top three for the Databricks category advanced to present live at the AI Fair, where winners were announced and prizes awarded. The Hackathon marked a defining moment for students passionate about shaping the future through technology and ethical innovation.
“The wonderful thing about the AI Fair is students can present their research with faculty and students who aren’t a part of the presentations get to walk around and experience the concepts presented in a fun atmosphere where they can learn from each other,” explains Alex Harwood, associate vice president for advanced computing and chief technology officer at Cal Poly ĢƵ. “It’s an excellent opportunity for students to get hands on experience for pitching and putting together AI product ideas, and to interact with the many industry partners who support the event.”
Judging the Hackathon was no easy task. Industry experts Jeff Farinich, Rob Leach, Jason James, Johans Acosta, and Molly Strawn-Carreño evaluated entries and selected winners based on creativity, impact, feasibility, and storytelling.
This transformative experience was made possible by the Mitchell C. Hill Center for Digital Innovation, with generous support from Avanade, co-founded by CBA alumnus Mitchell C. Hill, and Databricks. “I am sincerely grateful to Avanade and Databricks for making this opportunity possible,” says AI Fair co-chair Indira R. Guzman, director of the Mitchell C. Hill Center for Digital Innovation and assistant professor of cybersecurity and computer systems. The feeling was reciprocated among volunteers, including CPP alumna Jacqueline Mendoza-Myers (’21, CIS), Software Engineering & Security Project Manager, Avenade. “I’m incredibly proud that Avanade North America served as a Platinum Sponsor for this forward-thinking event.”
A Day of Insight, Connection and Innovation
The event opened with an inspiring keynote by Rob Leach, global Microsoft executive and general manager at Avanade. His talk, “Navigating AI with C.A.R.E.,” highlighted the ways AI is reshaping the professional landscape. “AI is transforming the future of work,” Leach told attendees, who gathered in Ursa Major for a packed agenda of panels, presentations, demonstrations, and tours.
One of the standout moments of the day was a dynamic panel moderated by Mendoza-Myers. Featuring CPP faculty and industry leaders, the discussion explored how AI can expand opportunities across disciplines. Panelists included Tatiana Basáñez, lecturer in psychology; Jonathan Grady, senior associate vice president of student affairs; Chris McClean, senior director and global lead for digital ethics at Avanade (who also hosted a deep-dive breakout on AI ethics and strategy); and engineering student Anton van Oppen (’27, science, environmental health engineering).
The Hackathon also featured training workshops, film screenings, and special sessions such as Empowering Students in the Age of AI, led by Clare Baek of UC Irvine’s Digital Learning Lab, and Enhancing Your Job Role with AI with Karam Tascoe of Microsoft. A film screening of A.I. & the Practice of Architecture by CPP’s George Proctor added an artistic dimension to the conversation.
Later, the California Center for Ethics and Policy hosted a closing session examining the ethical dimensions of emerging AI applications, rounding out the day with important dialogue on responsible innovation.
Industry Engagement and Networking
Throughout the day, industry leaders hosted booths and table sessions, giving students the chance to interact with experts from Avanade, AWS, Cisco Systems, Inland Empire Utilities Agency, Pearson and Splunk. These sessions served as meaningful platforms for students to explore new ideas, deepen their technical understanding, and learn about career pathways in AI and tech.
At the heart of the Hackathon was a commitment to community and inclusion. CPP Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Terri S. Gomez reflected on the university’s recent strides in AI integration:
“Over the last year, the Cal Poly ĢƵ community has put a lot of time and effort into advancing the study and use of AI on our campus. It is critical that we understand the technology so we can best support our students, who increasingly encounter, use and even build AI in their personal and professional lives,” she said. “I am also so appreciative of the deep partnerships we have with Avanade and Microsoft, who have been incredible in providing students with so many learn-by-doing opportunities.”
Behind the Scenes and On the Frontlines
A large team of dedicated staff, faculty and volunteers made the Hackathon possible, including Co-Chairs Ruth Guthrie, interim associate dean of student success and professor of information systems, and Indira R. Guzman, director of the Mitchell C. Hill Center for Digital Innovation and assistant professor of cybersecurity and computer systems; April Hofmann; Margaret Doheny; Alex Harwood, associate vice president for advanced computing and chief technology officer at Cal Poly ĢƵ; Loretta Villanueva; and lecturer Curtis Carpenter.
“With AI, we are committed to providing opportunities for students to take what they are learning in class and apply it to real world scenarios within whatever discipline they belong to,” says Carpenter. “That’s one of the main attractions for CPP’s student run data center, the student run security operations center, as well as an AI sandbox concept that we will be standing up soon. The AI sandbox will allow the students to practice CPP’s “become by doing” ethos by allowing them to build solutions from the ground up with the ability to do it in an environment that works across disciplines. This sandbox won’t be just for Computer Information Systems or Engineering or Computer Science students, this is something that can be used for any discipline.”
The Avanade booth team— Arthur Ovasapyan (’24, MSBA), Nathan Leung (’24, CIS), Sisley Lin (’24, CS), Gelila Chaka (’24, CS), Bryan Barboza, Sherelene De Belen (CS), Tammy Huynh and Karina Rivera (’23, CIS) —engaged students with stories, demos and mentoring throughout the day.
The Hackathon and AI Fair at Cal Poly ĢƵ marked a defining moment for students passionate about shaping the future through technology and ethical innovation.
Challenge Sponsors
- AI Wealth Optimizer – Dean Krishnamurthy, CBA
- AI – Open Category – Olukemi Sawyerr, AVP Office of Academic Innovation
- AI in Hospitality – Mr. Keteb, College of Hospitality
- AI Policy in Learning by ĢƵ Classes/ Projects – Yufan Lin, AI Fast Grant recipient to Innovate Education with AI, CBA
- AI for Community Disaster Resilience – Weimin Li, College of Environmental Design
- AI in Engineering – Shokoufeh Mirzaei, Manufacturing Engineering
- AI - Code Mentor: “Guiding Without Giving”, Sai Chandra Kosaraju, College of Science
- Databricks – Media and Entertainment
- Databricks – Healthcare
Student Clubs
- WIT
- SWIFT
- MISSA
- SOC
- FAST
Hackathon Organizing Committee
- Ruth Guthrie Co-Chair
- Indira Guzman Co-Chair
- Mina Richards MHC Fellow, Judges Lead
- Weijun Zheng MHC Fellow, Judges Lead
- Sonya Zhang MHC Fellow, Mentors Lead
- Sungsik Yoon MHC Fellow
- Sai Chandra Kosaraju MHC Fellow and Challenge Sponsor
- Shokoufeh Mirzaei Fellow and Challenge Sponsor
- Gabriel Granco MHC Fellow
- Chaitanya Nalage Student Assistant, Webmaster
- Alessandra Gonzalez Student Club Representative
- Ryan Miller Student Club Representative
- Bill Luong Student Club Representative
- Kaitlin Yen Student Club Representative
- Vincent La Student Club Representative
- Tommy Phao Student Club Representative
- Peter Ross Volunteer
- Megan Dison Administrative Support
2025 AI Hackathon Winners List:
Finalists in the Databricks Category
Next-Gen Claims Intelligence in Healthcare Billing – AI Powered
1. Verification – 1st place.
- Team Name: Comrades
- Team Members: Guddeti Nitish Kumar, Kalluri Sai Santosh, Jayaram Srinivasan, Venkata Pradeep, Sai Nitish Danapala
2. News In Context – News Contextualizer – 2nd place.
- Team Name: Team Twenty-Two
- Team Members: David Bohl, Michael Hawara, Xiaojun Mao, Elizibeth Zangenberg
3. Digital Asset AI – 3rd place.
- Team Name: Kings
- Team Members: David Lam, John Li, Kenny Le, Robbie Adriano
Finalists in the General Categories
Future of Education
Rebuttal Bro – Improve Your Speaking Skills – Overall Hackathon
1. Winner!! 1st place.
- Team Name: Pixel Pioneers
- Team Members: Carissa Nongnuj, Ryan Vaish, Archer Brayton, Adi Kalra, Esteban Rivera
2. AI-TA - AI Teaching Assistant – 2nd place.
- Team Name: GOATs of CPP
- Team Members: Nich Rosen, Andrew Menor, Luis Perez, Vincent Martinez
3. ADIST – AI Driven Interactive System for Transparent Learning – 3rd place.
- Team Name: no pAIn no gAIn
- Team Members: Karina Shah, Jonathan Nguyen, Tingwei Koo, Peiching Tsai, Shawn Mbaegbu, Peter Ly
Big Change for the AI Future
1. Clean Energy Solution - AI Powered Optimization for Clean Energy - 1st place.
- Team Name:
- Team Members: Nico Moran, Arman Niakan, Thuy An Nguyen
2. WeldWise - AI Adaptive Welding System - 2nd place.
- Team Name: Infer-X
- Team Members: Abhishek Vishwakarma, Purva Vijayvargiya, Nthan Wang, Alex Sanna, Aspen Knox, Sameeksha Shetty
3. Wayfinder 2030 – AI Powered Semantic Engine for Local SDG Action – 3rd place.
- Team Name: Elavade
- Team Members: Agansm Mulimbi, Cindy Tran, Jay Toney, Liana Ip, Sabrina Toney, Thanh Ha
Future of Business
1. StockUp – Closing the Investment Knowledge Gap - 1st place
- Team Name: BizNerds
- Team Members: Kathryn Guh, Kelsie Chung, Leo Jiang, Ethan Pan, Nicholas Hoang, Darshil Sheth
2. Food Consumption Management - 2nd place
- Team Name: Future Corporation
- Team Members: Gabriel Casas, David Kim, Johnny Nguyen, Isabel Sosa, Anthony Zaragoza
3. OptiShield AI- AI Powered Firewall for OTP Scam Prevention – 3rd place
- Team Name: Trio
- Team Members: Gokul Srinath Seetha Ram, Rashmi Elavazhagan, Shreyas Chaudhary