Hackathon 2020 Winners
First Place Winner
Health Hero Match بطل الصحة
Focus on Healthcare
Description: Health Hero Match (H2M) is a double-sided website that connects medical workers with hospitals currently facing staffing shortages by using AI to provide resources that facilitate a seamless transition to becoming a front-line worker.
Mentors: Yousra Odeh (Assistant Professor, Applied Science Private University, Jordan), Martin Volpe (Partner, Engineering, cLabs, Germany)
Students: Monica Chang (NYU NY, USA), Mahmoud Abdelhadi (Applied Science University, Jordan), Danish Nihal (Middlesex University Dubai, UAE), Amr Darawsheh (Princess Sumaya University for Technology, Jordan), Alexa Spagnola (University of Pennsylvania, USA), Máté Hekfusz (New York University Abu Dhabi, Hungary), Shamma Mohammed Alghfeli (United Arab Emirates University, UAE)
“Truthfully, I didn’t expect an online hackathon to work out, but it turned out to be awesome. Communication, teamwork, great ideas, good laughs—it was all there. Team H2M came together like nothing else and I felt like I was creating something amazing all the way through. I’m really happy to have been a part of it.” – Máté Hekfusz
“This experience added a lot and conveyed to our knowledge faster than the rapid spread of corona. Here is the positive that we have touched on the experience of sharing knowledge, skills and experiences. Meeting good people worked very well with online Hackathon. It is all about having the great innovative idea with that blend of teamwork chemistry.” – Dr. Yousra
Second Place Winners
TaskJAM تاسك جام
Focus on Community
Description: TaskJam is a mobile app that addresses the problem of personal productivity during lockdown by pushing you to accomplish daily tasks and goals. It allows you to finish your daily tasks with joy and excitement by connecting people with similar tasks to join and work together. TaskJam is the destination for every one of us who is looking to invest the day and do the tasks in an enjoyable way. Not only that, if you don’t know what to do just enter the app and look for some interesting activities that are going on and join them.
Mentors: Poseidon Ho (Outliers Fund, USA), Abdullah Tasleem (IBM, UAE), German Shein (IBM, UAE)
Students:Fatima Dakalbab (University of Sharjah, UAE), Oscar Gomez (New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE), Norah Ba Fadhl (University of Sharjah, UAE), Raneem Hamdi Qawasmeh (University of Sharjah, UAE), Halah Albadani (University of Sharjah, UAE), Noora Yousef Alhammadi (United Arab Emirates University, UAE)
“As a student, I have learned a lot during these few days. I think this hackathon has taught us how to collaborate and work together in a limited period. By having the same goal to produce the best final product. I have enjoyed the extraordinary experience by meeting with a variety of people and different skills in a short time. I have learned from them as they were with me in the real world. This Hackathon might be different because of the COVID-19, but actually we have learned from it some unforgettable lessons, it teaches us how to adapt to life in its different situations. I would thank all the organizers and especially our amazing mentors that we will not bring it up without them.” – Noora AlHammadi
“This is my first ever Hackathon experience and I am proud to say that it was absolutely stellar. The team that I have had a privilege to mentor displayed enthusiasm and professionalism of levels rarely seen anywhere. Our project, TaskJAM, is a game-changer for motivation and productivity not only during the days COVID-19 but beyond that time as well.” – German Shein
Third Place Winner
BFiT ركز على لياقتك
Focus on Community
Description: There is an increased trend of people staying home to work or attend classes online as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the conditions in which people are doing this work from home has very negative impacts on one’s physical and mental health. The body suffers from lack of movement, social isolation is depriving people of human interaction, and these concerns alone can only add to further health concerns. We propose building a “professional trainer” application into our computers, by leveraging existing technologies like Web RTC. In this way, people can not only properly exercise, but also have a chance to socially connect with others to work out together, all from within their own home.
Mentors: Poseidon Ho (Outliers Fund, USA), Christian Grewell (Professor, NYU Shanghai, China), Xu Li (Senior Applications Developer, NYU Shanghai, China)
Students: Mohammed Shoaib (Birla Institute Of Technology and Science, UAE), Julia Itani (Islamic University of Lebanon, Lebanon), Steven Wyks (New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE), Oona Pecson (NYU Shanghai, USA), Haoquan Wang (NYU Shanghai, China), Yu Yan (NYU Shanghai, China)
“I owe it to the mentors and the organizers for making this a truly amazing first hackathon experience! But most importantly, I have to thank my amazing team. It was an honor to work and think with others in such a flexible and creative space, and I am really looking forward to what the next experience brings!” – Oona Pecson
“I had an amazing experience competing with such talented people in the NYUAD 2020 hackathon. I am grateful to the mentors for inculcating me with knowledge and their timely support even in these difficult times in being available 24/7 helping us sort out issues. I would definitely love to compete again in the future and I would recommend the same for anyone wanting to have a wonderful experience!” – Mohammed Shoaib
Audience Award
Nitaq نطاق
Focus on Education & Literacy
Description: Nitaq is a seamless platform for educators to transform their lesson plan into an engaging, gamified low-connectivity educational experience for their students.
Mentors: Jood Al Hassan (Content Developer and Design Thinking Co-creator, IBM, UAE), Dana Abu Ali (Software Developer for MEA Client Centers, IBM, UAE), Peter Locharernkul (CEO / Startup Founder, Pichya LLC, USA), Saeed Motamed (Cloud Solution Architect, Microsoft, UAE), Mohamad Al Sayadi (Senior Software Engineer, Abjadiyat, UAE), Rami Mithalouni (UX Designer and Developer, IBM, UAE)
Students: Lana Hasan Alhaj Hussain (American University of Sharjah, UAE), Ali Reza Sajun (American University of Sharjah, UAE), Brylle Gomez (American University of Sharjah, UAE), Ibrahim Ahmed Bacha (Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Informatique (ESI ex.INI), Algeria), Lauren McMillen (New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE), Vince Nguyen (NYU Abu Dhabi, UAE), Brian Kim (New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE), Reem Hazim (New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE), Amina Kobenova (New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE)
“Working with a dedicated, talented group of peers on a topic that we deeply care about, while getting the support from the mentors highly respected in their fields from around the world – this was such a unique learning experience. I’m glad that this was my first hackathon ever” – Brian Kim
“It’s been very exciting to be proactive in a time when we’ve been all feeling a little idle, and to be connected with a diverse group of inspiring and passionate students and mentors working on an impactful idea that really hit home” – Dana Abu Ali
Karam كرم
Focus on Environment
Description: Karam is a food waste reduction platform that seamlessly streamlines food supply from restaurants with surplus supplies, groceries with items close to expiry and individuals willing to donate to people in need of the same. It’s a platform which individuals and food banks can use to whish-list items they need, and grocery stores, individuals, restaurants, and farms can donate or sell their surplus or items close to expiration to avoid food waste and help those in need.
Mentors: Javad Sadeqzadeh (Lead Mobile Engineer, Blacklane, Germany), Nancy Nash (Director/ Co-Founder, Bootcamp Alumni Reunion, USA), Saad Motamed (VR & 3D Developer, GeoTech3D, UAE)
Students: Priya Aswani (University Of Wollongong In Dubai, UAE), Shahd Nara (Harvard, USA), Ahmed Fwela (Mansoura University, Egypt), Salam Sibai (University of Sharjah, UAE), Connor Richard Aldredge (NYU Shanghai, USA), Pengyu Wang (New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE)
BUTLAR بوتلر
Focus on Community
Description: Butlar is a virtual family member that is always there to help you get to trustworthy sources of food and other necessities instantly via voice or text. It is an easy to use messaging tool – a chatbot – that is able to help people get to your needs without requiring specialized knowledge, while also putting limits to counterfeit items to keep you safe.
Mentors: Poseidon Ho (Outliers Fund, USA), Abeer Haroon (Data and AI Specialist, IBM, UAE), Christian Grewell (Professor, NYU Shanghai, China)
Students: Feruz Elmay (Khalifa University, UAE), Murad (Khalifa University, UAE), Dania Alaaeldin (Modern Sciences and Arts University, Egypt), Yue Yao (NYU Shanghai, China), Ziying Wang (NYU Shanghai, China)
“I learned so much from this hackathon (and laughed on some good memes too), our mentors were BEYOND supportive and it was very incredible seeing how every person on the team tries their best to keep up with the rest (especially staying up till 6am so they can catch another person on another timezone). It was all so much fun and knowledge-feeding Wish to see everyone soon!” – Dania Alaaeldin, Student, Modern Sciences and Arts University, Egypt
“This has been an incredibly inspiring format, the team, the organizers, the mentors, really everyone has been seamlessly working across timezones and cultures. I’ve participated in a number of in-person hackathons in the past, and really believe this new online, always-on format has real comparative benefits (beyond being able to hack in your pajamas!)” – Christian Grewell, Professor, Interactive Media Arts and Business, NYU Shanghai
WeShare وي شير
Focus on Crisis & Public Safety
Description: WeShare is a mobile app that connects those who can, with those who can’t.
Mentors: Randa Abu Ali (Web Developer, Gtech information technology, UAE), Juan Antonio Doldan (Senior Software Engineer, Google Inc, USA)
Students: Apurva Bhargava (New York University, USA), Harshit Gajjar (BITS Pilani, Dubai Campus, UAE), Youssef Khaled Roshdy (Cairo University – Egypt, Egypt), Nicolas Zilberstein (University of Buenos Aires, Argentina), Elif Özoğlu (Bahçeşehir University, Istanbul), Baran Işcanlı (Amsterdam University College, Netherlands), John Adithya (Canadian University Dubai, UAE)
“It’s been so much fun working with different students and adjusting to each others’ timezones – everyone was super helpful and adjusting, and it made the grueling 48 hours so much more enjoyable!” – John Adithya
“It is a pleasure to find such a group of dedicated students eager to build awesome things that have a positive impact on society. You’ve gone from barely knowing each other to form a strong working team!” – Juan Doldan
Amal أمل
Focus on Healthcare
Description: Amal أمل is a chatbot that checks-in daily on covid-patients and reports their vitals to nurses and doctors, eliminating the need for face-to-face routine checks and reducing the risk of exposure to the virus.
Mentors: Sama Kanbour (Senior Manager, GE, USA), Hashim Noor (Content and Application Developer, IBM, UAE)
Students: Dominica Jamir (New York Institute of Technology, USA), Bader Anini (Birzeit University, Palestine), Marcelo Sandoval-Castañeda (New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE), Malik Ziq (Birzeit University , Palestine), Gautham Dinesh Kumar (New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE), Mohammed Arham Jahin Chowdhury (New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE)
“I’m really thankful that my first Hackathon experience hits a topic so close to my heart, coming from a family with many healthcare workers and immunocompromised people” – Marcelo Sandoval-Castañeda
“I feel extremely privileged to be one of the mentors at the NYU AD 2020 hackathon. It was an incredible experience working alongside such amazing people and brainstorming to come up with potential solutions to combat the global crisis that we all are going through. A big thankyou to all the organizers for putting together such a great event.” – Hashim Noor
Hareef حريف
Focus on Vulnerable populations
Description:Hareef is a platform to help daily wagers apply the skills they have or help them gaining new skills and match their skills-set to initiatives needed by the community during the crisis/pandemic.
Mentors: Mohamed Gamal (Software Engineer, Blacklane, Germany), Worood Dabbas (Content and Application Developer, IBM, UAE)
Students: Bouarfa Amal Yassmina (Abou Bakr Belkaid Tlemcen University, Algeria ), Hany Anan (American University of Beirut, Lebanon), Sara Alshamsi (UAEU, UAE), Joonha Yu (New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE)
“Let us all give the help we wish we had!” – Hany Anan
“Helping others is the secret sauce to a happy life.” – Mohamed Gamal
QueueRona – كيو-رونا
Focus on Marketplaces
Description: QueueRona is a crowd-management digital ticketing system that enables businesses to relaunch amid the pressure of social distancing through a set of matching criteria to regulate overcrowding while ensuring safety and minimizing wait times.
Mentors: Yohan Rizk (Software Engineer, Google, USA), Najeeb Aqel (Computer Vision Engineer , PXL Vision, Switzerland)
Students: Abiel Fissehatsion Ghebreslasie (Khalifa University, UAE), Ayah Al-Ramahi (University of Jordan , Jordan), Abdelkhalik Al Junidie (Palestine Polytechnic University , Palestine), Takumi Miyawaki (Student, NYUAD, UAE), Anthony Chua (New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE), Maryam Khalili (New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE), Lavesh Deepak Panjwani (Middlesex University, UAE)
“The funniest part of the experience was in the rehearsal presentations, watching how the webinar turned into a giant meeting with permissions granted to everyone.” – Anthony Chua
“The novelty of the participants made this a lifetime experience.” – Najeeb Aqel