Mount Kenya University (MKU), the leading private university inclined towards Science and Technology, on Friday, October 18 honoured winners of the AI Hackathon, even as the institution’s research and innovation week concludes.
The exceptional winners recognised navigated through intense competition and transformative training under the guidance of MKU expert mentors.
The hackathon’s objective was to generate artificial intelligence (AI) solutions to revolutionise teaching and learning at all levels. The call attracted close to 124 students from different schools, out of which we shortlisted 70 students.
Winners
Second runners-up: ‘Alchemists’, a team of four students who created an AI modal that helps students learn faster, mainly targetting Dyslexia students. They received a cash prize of KSh25,000.
First runners-up: ‘Local Host’, a team that developed a personalised learning platform called EduTech to assist students with dyslexia. EduTech incorporates tools like management, exam preparation, and skill and career guidance tools. They received a cash prize of KSh50,000.
Winners: ‘ATG’, a group of three students who came up with a solution to help lecturers to conduct virtual classes and explain mathematical, and engineering concepts better without using pens, blackboards or white boards. They received a cash prize of KSh75,000.
Transformative trainings
During the fete that started on Monday, October 14, the AI Hackathon teams honed their coding skills and engaged in insightful, themed interactive sessions with experts invited from different parts of the world.
“These sessions were designed to inspire and challenge, with mentorship from industry leaders,” MKU says.
On the first day, the students had the privilege to hear a keynote address by Kadima Samuel, founder of Nairobi DevOps Community on the “Current Trends in Generative AI Technology”.
On the second day, the students took part in an engaging and eye-opening panel discussion that focused on “Putting Artificial Intelligence to Work”, a discussion that featured MKU lecturers and a representative from Innova Solutions Limited.
Donatus Njoroge, MKU’s Head of the Innovations and Incubation Centre, would then take them on an insightful session on the “Art of Storytelling and Pitching”.
On the third day, Zarc Okere of the CyberPeace Institute delivered a critical keynote presentation on “Current and Future Challenges in Cybersecurity”.
“Last evening, we witnessed the innovation submission and pitch sessions, showcasing incredible AI-driven solutions,” MKU adds.
