CampusSync

CampusSync recommends events based on your vibe, pulling from top campus event sites to match your schedule, interests, and mood, all in one place so you never miss out on what matters.

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TRACK: Freedom from Repetitive Work [Automation & AI]

Our project eliminates the repetitive, time-consuming task of searching across multiple platforms for campus events. By automatically syncing with a user's calendar and aggregating event data from sources like Engage and school-specific sites, we streamline the entire event discovery process. AI is used to generate concise summaries, vibes, and categories for each event, making browsing effortless. Instead of wasting time digging through scattered event listings or missing out entirely, users get relevant events served directly to them, freeing up their time and mental load for more meaningful experiences.

Inspiration

We noticed students constantly juggling between: Missing great events due to schedule conflicts, feeling overwhelmed by too many options, and struggling to find events matching their current mood. Traditional calendars only shows the user's free time. However, CampusSync tells how to best use your free time based on your emotional state and cognitive patterns.

What it does

  • AI-Powered Event Matching: Analyzes your mood via text input ("stressed", "energetic", etc.), Cross-references with your calendar availability, Recommends events that will improve your current state.
  • Time-Aware Suggestions: Considers post-event recovery time, Avoids "social hangover" from back-to-back events, Respects your biological prime time (morning person vs night owl).
  • Mental Health Focus: "Mood Stabilization Mode" for stressful periods, Anti-FOMO protection system, Cognitive bandwidth monitoring.

How we built it

We built CampusSync using a combination of: Node.js and Express.js to create the backend API for handling user requests and managing data. ical.js to parse and process iCalendar (.ics) files, allowing us to extract events and identify free slots. MongoDB to store user data and free slots, utilizing Mongoose for database management. React.js on the frontend to allow users to upload their calendar data and visualize upcoming events, making it easy to track what’s going on and when.

Challenges we ran into

  • Data parsing: Handling and parsing iCalendar data efficiently was more complex than expected, especially ensuring that all data lines were properly unfolded and parsed correctly.
  • Time zone handling: With users from different time zones, ensuring that events were properly displayed according to each user’s time zone was tricky and required careful management of time zone data.
  • Syncing events: Matching up free slots while preventing overlap with other users’ schedules posed a problem, especially when dealing with group events.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Seamless integration with Google and Outlook calendars: Successfully enabled users to upload .ics files and sync events from multiple calendar platforms, which worked seamlessly on the backend.
  • Real-time free slot extraction: We developed an efficient algorithm to detect and display free time slots for users, enabling automatic scheduling and minimizing conflicts.
  • User-friendly interface: The frontend was designed to be simple and intuitive, with an easy-to-use calendar interface where users can quickly see their free time and events.

What we learned

  • Collaborative development: We learned how to effectively combine individual components into a cohesive group project, integrating each member’s contribution seamlessly.
  • Real-world application: This project gave us experience working on a real-life use case with real-time data, from backend processing to frontend UX.
  • Creative and critical thinking: We exercised both creativity and analytical problem-solving to build features like mood-based recommendations and time-aware suggestions.
  • Time-constrained teamwork: We practiced distributing tasks efficiently under tight deadlines, prioritizing features, and managing our workload through collaborative tools and clear communication.

What's next for CampusSync

Mobile app: We plan to expand CampusSync to mobile platforms so students and faculty can have access on-the-go. Cater not just to students but to anyone—professionals, community organizers, and casual users—by adding templates for business meetings, social gatherings, and personal time‑management. Event recommendations: We want to develop a recommendation engine that can suggest events based on user interests, past attendance, or study groups.

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