Student AI Teams Win $15.5K for Problem-Solving Projects at Penn State

At the 2025 Nittany AI Challenge, an annual competition designed to promote ethical and impactful uses of artificial intelligence, five student teams were awarded a total of $15,500 for developing AI-driven solutions to real-world issues—from healthcare diagnostics to education access.

The winning projects, selected by a panel of industry professionals and Penn State faculty, emerged from the final phase of the Nittany AI Challenge. This year’s winners were recognized at a ceremony held on April 14 at Robb Hall in the Hintz Family Alumni Center.

“The MVP phase of the Nittany AI Challenge is both a pitch contest and a celebration of innovation, creativity and the potential of AI to address pressing social issues,” said Daren Coudriet, executive director of the Nittany AI Alliance. “This final phase highlights the knowledge, skills and hard work of the participants as they showcase their ability to create impactful AI solutions.”

Meet the 2025 Nittany AI Challenge Winners

🥇 First Place ($5,500): PooPal – A privacy-focused stool analysis tool using AI to support digestive health Team: Jaren Daniel, Alysse Deterville

🥈 Second Place ($3,500): SlideSmart – Auto-generates study guides from PowerPoints and PDFs Team: Jace Anderson, Brayden Pettigrew, Will Wunsch

🥉 Third Place ($2,500): Prognosis – Uses satellite imagery and weather data to predict dengue outbreaks Team: Imisha Juneja, Aryan Mehta, Suhani Nimje, Abhimanyu Sareen

🏅 Fourth Place ($2,000): EDUAI – A personalized AI learning assistant Team: Divyam Arora, Stephanie Bowles, Keshav Khandelwal, Julia Lenge, Mantavya Mahajan

🏅 Fifth Place ($2,000): Academic Compass – Helps undecided students explore potential majors Team: Xiaozheng Dai, Zimeng Shao

Additional Honors and Grants

The event featured several other recognitions and funding awards:

• Jonathan and Alana Dambrot AI Excellence Awards ($1,000 each): Jared Daniel, Minseo Kim, Javier Pozo Miranda, Vishnu Venugopal, Zachary Walnock
  

• Public Interest Technology University Network (PIT-UN) Internships ($3,750 each): PooPal, Prognosis, and SIGNUM (an AI monitoring solution for caregivers, by Gustavo Foz, Julian Mutton, and Younsoo Park)
  

• Invent Penn State Entrepreneurship Award ($3,000): SlideSmart

What This Means

This year’s Nittany AI Challenge showcases how student innovation can meet real-world needs, with AI tools designed not just for novelty but for genuine impact. From disease prevention to academic support, the projects reflect a growing commitment to AI for public good—an approach that universities and industries alike are increasingly embracing.

The event also highlights how academic competitions can double as launchpads for future entrepreneurs and technologists. With continued funding, industry mentorship, and institutional support, projects like PooPal, Prognosis, and SlideSmart could evolve beyond prototypes into tools used across communities.

In an AI landscape often dominated by hype and hardware, these student-led solutions offer something refreshingly grounded: purpose-driven innovation from the next generation of AI leaders.

And perhaps most importantly, it’s a reminder that students aren’t just learning from today’s AI leaders—they may become them. As global challenges demand fresh ideas and ethical solutions, the next wave of innovation may come from classrooms, not just boardrooms.

Editor’s Note: This article was created by Alicia Shapiro, CMO of AiNews.com, with writing, image, and idea-generation support from ChatGPT, an AI assistant. However, the final perspective and editorial choices are solely Alicia Shapiro’s. Special thanks to ChatGPT for assistance with research and editorial support in crafting this article.