Congratulations to all Hack UA + AI 2025 participants! The judges were quite impressed with their knowledge, technical prowess, and presentation skills in addressing this year’s hackathon theme, EcoEquity: Technological Innovation for Marginalized Communities. 

🥇1^st Place: Diya Cham '26, Gigi McGarry '26, Lexi Obi '26

Innovation: HELP 

HELP is a disaster relief app designed to bridge the gap between those in urgent need and first responders. When natural disasters strike, chaos, miscommunication, and logistical challenges often delay critical assistance. Our app solves this by using AI-powered emergency triage, which allows users to report their needs, automatically prioritizing the most urgent cases. Real-time location tracking, multilingual support, and accessibility features ensure that anyone—regardless of language, literacy level, or disability—can quickly request help. Additionally, the app provides a "Disasters Near You" tab, offering live updates on crises and ways for communities to contribute to relief efforts. By making emergency response faster, smarter, and more inclusive, HELP is a vital tool for both survivors and responders, ensuring aid reaches those who need it most—when they need it most.

 

🥈2^nd Place: Caroline Lober '26, Cora Mahaney '25, Kaitlyn Troendle '25

Innovation: Eco-Extinguish

Eco-Extinguish analyzes the probability of wildfire occurrences across a city by evaluating conditions around each fire hydrant. By integrating this data, the system proactively redirects water resources to areas of higher risk, optimizing wildfire prevention and response efforts. This innovation combines data science, resource management, and sustainability to address the growing threat of wildfires to rural areas.

 

🥉3^rd Place: Annabelle Copley '27, Noemi Lopez '27, Natalie Ravanzo '27

Innovation: Mobility Mate

Mobility Mate is a disability rideshare app inspired by Noemi's younger sister, who faced challenges in accessing safe and inclusive transportation. Designed to address the shortcomings of traditional ride-sharing services, Mobility Mate offers wheelchair-accessible vehicles, trained drivers, and specialized support for boarding, exiting, and securing mobility devices. The app features a user-friendly design with large buttons, high-contrast visuals, voice commands, and screen reader compatibility, alongside multilingual support and customizable settings to ensure accessibility for all users. Rigorous driver screening, performance monitoring, and incident reporting systems are in place to guarantee safety and accountability, while flexible scheduling and emergency support cater to diverse needs. Mobility Mate empowers users by enhancing independence, reducing social isolation, and improving quality of life, while providing peace of mind for caregivers. Committed to inclusivity, the app fosters community engagement through partnerships with disability advocacy groups and regular user feedback to continuously improve its services. Additionally, Mobility Mate promotes environmental sustainability by utilizing clean-energy vehicles, optimizing routes to minimize fuel consumption, and setting eco-friendly goals. Driven by a mission to create equitable, accessible, and sustainable transportation, Mobility Mate challenges the status quo in the ride-sharing industry, aiming to inspire broader change while prioritizing the needs of elderly and disabled individuals.