The HudsonAlpha Tech Challenge is a unique event to engage the development community and take on challenges in life sciences using business strategy, software development and technology. 

Presented by HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and Urban Engine

Official Website: https://hudsonalpha.org/techchallenge

Goal: Inspire creativity through collaboration, and energize the current and next generation of problem-solvers to conceive and construct innovative solutions to biotech challenges.

• Challenge 1: Science Scribbles
  AI is everywhere. It is that annoying program in the background of every social media company that serves up ads every other post on your feed. It is behind predictive modeling of severe weather forecasting. It even helps extraplanetary rovers navigate over rough terrain. With the popularity of novelty use AI programs like chatGPT and Dall-E, AI is at the forefront of everyone’s mind. What if we put these incredible tools to use in the science writing field? Why science writing? In short, it is what makes technical science understandable to the masses and takes a special skillset and knowledge base to even get started. What if the science writing talent pool had a way to get started faster on getting that information out? Science Scribbles asks participants to put AI to use for the good of all things science writing.
• Challenge 2: Green Thumb
  Botanical Gardens, museums, parks, stadiums, and just about everywhere else you will find QR codes. They are so universal now that most of the time we ignore them entirely. Often, that is because following the link does not produce much that is interesting. Although this implementation of AR is nearly universal, it is the minimum of what is possible. What if we imagine a different paradigm? One where AR is interactive and interesting? One where we could build knowledge about the world around us through video, audio, written, and interactive communication methodologies? This was the promise of AR from the beginning. Green Thumb will challenge participants to harness the promise of AR to make plants, genetic research, and greenhouse science fun, interesting, and educational.

• Challenge 3: Security One

  As we advance our ability to interpret the human genome and the technology performing DNA sequencing advances, the ability to identify individuals solely from a DNA sequence is possible. One of the most famous uses of this ability was in the identification and ultimate arrest of a man suspected of being the Golden State Killer, breaking open the case after more than three decades. It is clear that the use of genomic data in this case was used for good, but what if it weren’t? How do we protect genomic data from getting into the wrong hands? Researchers and investigators need access, but what about marketing firms looking for the perfect targets? Or someone hunting a person in witness protection? Security One is an open-ended cybersecurity challenge to protect genomic data.

• Impact
  How much impact (quality and quantity) can this solution have? Does this solution address the problem in a highly significant way?
• Creativity
  How creative is the team’s approach? Is the solution new? Does the solution represent something that isn’t being addressed by the market?
• Creativity
  How creative is the team’s approach? Is the solution new? Does the solution represent something that isn’t being addressed by the market?
• Complexity
  How much progress did the team make during the event? Did they start from scratch or build on an existing solution?
• Product
  How user friendly is the technology? How fully formed/mature is the idea?
• Presentation
  Did the team effectively communicate their solution? Did they tell the story of the project and why it is important in a compelling way? How well did they respond to questions from judges?