For two days in early June, conference rooms at the University of Utah’s Scientific Computing and Imaging (SCI) Institute buzzed with discussions of data, algorithms, AI, atmospheric sciences, and public health and policy as dozens of hackathon participants built digital tools to address the poor air quality the Wasatch Front faces during inversions and wildfires.
The One-U Responsible AI Initiative (One-U RAI) Breath of Fresh Air AI Hackathon took place at the Warnock Engineering Building on June 4–5 after a month of preparation that included a team-building kickoff on May 1 followed by 15 virtual training sessions or office hours. Sessions featured environmental science experts from the U, local companies, the Utah Department of Air Quality, computer scientists who run the National Data Platform, and most often, software and hackathon experts from flagship sponsor Amazon Web Services (AWS).
AWS offered tools and training for students with and without coding experience to encourage a broad range of participation across the hackathon’s four tracks: air quality prediction models, mitigation strategies, understanding and analysis, and data-driven products for health outcomes.
The hybrid hackathon officially launched midday June 3, when participants received access to AI-powered AWS tools—including SageMaker and Bedrock—to make their ideas a reality. While some participants continued to work remotely, most worked at SCI starting the following morning, and returned June 5 to polish off their projects and pitch to pods of expert judges from industry, government, and academia.
Continue reading at the One-U Responsible AI Initiative site