Hack:AI 2021 to enable school and university students to tackle SDG challenges using AI

The STEMUP Educational Foundation in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Sri Lanka and in collaboration with the Sri Lanka Association of Software and Services Companies (SLASSCOM) will be launching the Hack:AI 2021 hackathon with the objective of providing a platform for school and university students to join the national movement that drives social impact, in tackling some of the challenges related to selected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Hack:AI will embolden young innovators in the country to build solutions using Ai, data science and machine learning across challenges such as Good Health and Wellbeing, Quality Education, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Sustainable Cities and Communities, Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, and Life on Land. 

The competition will be hosted in two categories – for school students (aged 13 to 18 and for university students (aged 19 to 25 years).  The Hack:AI is set to launch on 29 October and will run for a period of 3 months with winners to be announced in late February 2022. During this hackathon, participants will have the opportunity of engaging with both local and international industry experts through mentoring sessions while designing, testing, and improving on their project solutions in a bid to boost sustainable living.

STEMUP Educational Foundation Director Indika Dalugama said: “STEMUP runs several initiatives to get students interested in STEM education as early as possible and this hackathon will help build critical thinking abilities, leadership, creativity, entrepreneurial and collaboration skills of the students from an early stage.” 

STEMUP’s mission is to inspire and engage students that to become interested in pursuing STEM degrees and careers while championing the view of STEM literacy as a foundation skill.

Commenting on the engagement with SLASSCOM – the national chamber for knowledge and innovation and presently carrying out similar initiatives that aims to empower Sri Lanka’s youth to be more innovative, entrepreneurial and take leadership in solving the most pressing development challenges in a sustainable manner, SLASSCOM’s Technology Forum Lead Calvin Hindle said: “We want to inspire both university and school students to use technologies such as AI and Machine Learning to solve real world problems, so that the next generations to come will understand the importance of the sustainability drive and build start-ups and technology innovations around this.”

Highlighting the importance of effectively engaging young people in contributing towards the 2030 Agenda, UNDP in Sri Lanka SDG Integration Specialist Dulani Sirisena stated, “Adopting a whole-of-society approach to achieving the SDGs is critical if we are to ensure that Sri Lanka remains on a positive trajectory towards the 2030 agenda in its final decade of action. This includes the engagement of young people, who play an important role in thinking outside the box and developing innovative solutions to the complex development challenges we are faced with today.”

The hackathon is powered by SLTMobitel and commenting on the partnership, SLT Chief Marketing Officer Prabhath Dahanayake stated: "It has been a privilege to have joined with this event through. As a national ICT service provider that prides itself in the mission of uplifting the nation and creating a tech-driven economy, it has been rewarding to witness young talent on a platform such as Hack:AI 2021 where they are allowed to get creative, to showcase their levels of passion and skill and become even more inspired with the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.”

The organisers envision to encourage research and innovation through this competition thereby fuelling future entrepreneurs to adopt sustainable business models for years to come. To register your teams for the event visit www.hackai.lk.