Applied AI Challenge Showcases Student Innovation
In an era where artificial intelligence is reshaping our world, Iowa State University’s Student Innovation Center recently concluded its inaugural Applied AI Challenge, a two-session competition that transformed student ideas into tangible innovations addressing real-world problems.
The challenge, which concluded on March 6, brought together 30 students from 6 colleges and diverse disciplines. With backgrounds ranging from Computer Science to English, Animal Science to Hospitality Management, they formed interdisciplinary teams to create solutions for Learning & Education, Accessibility & Inclusion, Wellbeing & Personal Growth, Creative Expression, and Commercial Innovation, demonstrating how AI’s transformative potential extends far beyond technological fields.
“The Applied AI Challenge was designed with a singular vision: to make AI innovation accessible to everyone,” explained Dr. Abram Anders, who led the event. “We wanted to show that you don’t need to be a coding expert to harness AI’s problem-solving potential.”
This philosophy of accessibility shaped every aspect of the competition. Teams focused on creating minimum viable prototypes using no-code, low-code, or code-based tools, developing solutions that took the form of content creation projects, custom chatbots, or other innovative applications. The emphasis remained firmly on addressing genuine human needs rather than technological complexity.
From Problem-Finding to Innovation
The challenge began with students exploring various problem spaces through Inspiration Stations focused on themes including Learning Challenges, Creating & Making, Self-Care, Social Impact, and Industry Innovation. After team formation, participants worked through a guided design process to define problems, ideate solutions, and deliver working prototypes.
Between sessions, teams received substantial support through a rich ecosystem of mentoring opportunities and specialized technical training. Thanks to advocacy by alumna Neera Talbert, participants gained access to Jean Joseph, a corporate trainer with Microsoft who provided custom training sessions on using Microsoft Copilot Studio. These intensive workshops—held over three consecutive days—equipped students with practical skills to build sophisticated conversational agents that could respond naturally to complex human needs. For many participants, this was their first hands-on experience with enterprise-grade AI tools, transforming abstract possibilities into concrete skills they could immediately apply to their projects. Participants also gained valuable insights from a discussion session with AI ethics expert Olivia Gambelin, who helped enrich students’ understanding of responsible AI development.
Complementing this technical foundation, mentors offered one-on-one guidance during scheduled drop-in hours, helping teams refine their problem statements, strengthen their solution design, and prepare compelling presentations. This layered support structure ensured that teams could navigate both technical and conceptual challenges as their prototypes evolved from initial sketches to working implementations.
The final competition session showcased twelve completed projects:
Food Focus ChatBot: An AI Nutritional Coach chatbot that provides personalized, accurate nutritional guidance tailored to individual health conditions and dietary preferences. By empowering people with trustworthy information and support, the designers Maryam Oluwafunmilayo Ajasa, Ph.D. Student in Hospitality Management, and Kendyll Stevenson, Undergraduate Student in Supply Chain Management & International Business, aim to transform their approach to nutrition and well-being.
Your Concept Developer: An AI-powered bot that provides step-by-step guidance, constructive feedback, and conference-matching support, making abstract writing accessible to everyone. By empowering users to craft compelling abstracts and connect with global opportunities the designers Sebnem Kurt, PhD Student in Applied Linguistics and Technology, and Carol Chapelle, Distinguished Professor in English, aim to democratize access to professional opportunities through tailored, scalable, and inclusive AI support.
Throwly.AI: An AI-powered barter marketplace where users exchange goods and services using a dynamic points-based system instead of money. This tool designed by Elvis Kimara, Masters Student in Artificial Intelligence, automatically determines fair point values for items based on real-time market trends, eliminating haggling and ensuring seamless trades, with the goal of making local commerce safer, fairer, and more accessible while also encouraging sustainable reuse and reducing waste.
Cy G. Rossington: The English Department Graduate Handbook Chatbot: A flow-based chatbot for the English Department Graduate Handbook that provides structured, conversational responses, making handbook navigation quick and intuitive. This tool designed by Mostafa Ranjbar and Christopher Thompson Litten, PhD Students in Applied Linguistics and Technology, simplifies access to key information and delivers precise, guided responses, saving time and reducing frustration for students and faculty.
MealMatch: An AI-powered app that allows users to input information to produce meal ideas as well as show users the cheapest deals within your local area to purchase the ingredients. This tool designed by Adam Neighbor, Undergraduate Student in Ag Systems Technology, and Emily Ritze, Undergraduate Student in Animal Science, aims to help people achieve their health goals while also saving them money.
Flux Frame: An AI-powered app that provides structured prompts inspired by past artists, guiding young artists through abstracting artist inspiration that encourages deeper artistic expression and learning. This tool designed by Arun Kumar Iyyappan, Undergraduate Student in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Gonzalos Espinoza, Undergraduate Student in Landscape Architecture, Rahman Abdul Rafi, Undergraduate Student in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Hannah Litterer, Undergraduate Student in Graphic Design, uses AI to aid young artists to think critically, interpret art in meaningful ways, and develop their own distinct styles.
P.A.A.C.E.AI: Parents and Adaptable Clothing Education: An AI-powered platform designed to provide personalized, accessible clothing recommendations to parents of children with disabilities. This tool designed by Joyita Sarkar, PhD Student in AESHM, and Ana Orescanin, MS Student in AESHM, connects families with suitable adaptive fashion options, reducing search time and stress and ensuring that no family has to struggle with something as fundamental as getting dressed.
Accessible AI: Bridging Communication Gaps: An AI-powered tool that bridges this gap through Speech-to-Text, Text-to-Speech, Text-to-Sign Language, and Real-Time Sign Recognition. This tool designed by Akanksha Koshti, Graduate Student in Information Systems, Himanshi Mendiratta, Graduate Student in Information Systems, Prajakta Wankhede, Graduate Student in Business Analytics, and Purva Dusane, Graduate Student in Human Computer Interaction, enables real-time multimodal interactions and fosters greater independence and inclusivity in workplaces, education, and public spaces.
Karma AI: An AI watch system for the visually impaired that can enhance their quality of life. This tool designed by Rahman Abdul Rafi, Masters Student in Computer Engineering, Ankit Jyothish, Masters Student in AI, Kunal Suresh, Masters Student in Computer Science, Arun Kumar, Masters Student in Computer Engineering, and Mohammed Musthafa Rafi, PhD Student in Computer Science, aims to foster greater independence and accessibility and transform the lives of millions withing the visually impaired community.
How ToHero GPT: A fun, hilarious assistant for instruction manuals!: An AI assistant that turns dull manuals into an interactive, engaging, and humorous experience by providing step-by-step guidance, visuals, and troubleshooting support tailored to user needs. This tool designed by Melika Ziba, Ph.D. Student in Educational Technology, and Melis Dilek, Ph.D. Student in Educational Technology, strives to makes learning fun, efficient, and intuitive to improve user experience and promote sustainability by reducing reliance on paper manuals.
Supporting Mental Health with AI: A personalized interactive AI chatbot that would interact with the client in a more human way than the existing intake forms for therapy. This tool designed by Jacqueline Nettnin, Undergraduate Student in Biology, and Ranvitha Muramreddy, Undergraduate Student in Computer Engineering, would save time for the therapists, provide some initial information, all while still preserving the human aspect of therapy.
wellbeingPlus: An AI-powered application that provides personalized recommendations to help users reduce stress and optimize their productivity. This tool designed by Mohammad Dehghanmanshadi, PhD Student in Computer Science, offers actionable insights based on research-backed strategies and empowers users to take control of their well-being, foster heathier habits, and engage in better stress management.
Scholarship Winners
Each project was presented through 8-minute presentations to a panel of expert judges including Jim Oliver (Director of the Student Innovation Center), Adisak Sukul (Associate Teaching Professor in Computer Science), and Eric York (Associate Professor in English), and the student teams were evaluated on their problem definition, solution design, social impact, and applied AI innovation.
Five scholarships totaling $6,000, funded through generous support from the Jonathan Wickert Professorship in Innovation and the Student Innovation Center, were awarded to the following projects and students.
Innovation Excellence Award ($1,500): Throwly.AI
Elvis Kimara, Masters Student in Artificial Intelligence, developed an AI-powered barter marketplace that replaces traditional currency with a dynamic points-based system. Throwly.AI automatically determines fair point values for items based on real-time market trends, eliminating haggling and creating safer, more accessible local commerce.
“By removing cash from transactions, Throwly makes local commerce safer, fairer, and more accessible, while also encouraging sustainable reuse and reducing waste,” explained Kimara, whose solution impressed judges with its novel approach to marketplace friction.
Social Impact Award ($1,500): Karma AI
Rahman Abdul Rafi, Masters Student in Computer Engineering, Ankit Jyothish, Masters Student in AI, Kunal Suresh, Masters Student in Computer Science, Arun Kumar, Masters Student in Computer Engineering, and Mohammed Musthafa Rafi, PhD Student in Computer Science, created an AI watch system to help visually impaired individuals navigate daily life. The system provides audio descriptions of surroundings, reads text, identifies objects, and offers emergency assistance, addressing challenges faced by over 1.1 billion visually impaired people worldwide.
“Our goal is to foster greater independence and accessibility,” noted team member Rahman Abdul Rafi. “We’re creating technology that serves as a constant companion, improving quality of life in ways that weren’t possible before AI.”
Creative Vision Award ($1,000): Awarded to Two Teams
HowToHero GPT: Educational Technology PhD students Melika Ziba and Melis Dilek transformed frustrating product manuals into an interactive, humorous AI assistant. Their solution provides step-by-step guidance with visuals and troubleshooting support, making learning fun while reducing paper waste.
“We all know the frustration of trying to assemble furniture or set up a new device with confusing instructions,” said Ziba. “HowToHero turns that experience into something enjoyable rather than something to dread.”
Accessible AI: Akanksha Koshti, Graduate Student in Information Systems, Himanshi Mendiratta, Graduate Student in Information Systems, Prajakta Wankhede, Graduate Student in Business Analytics, and Purva Dusane, Graduate Student in Human Computer Interaction, developed a free, scalable solution for individuals with speech or hearing impairments. Their tool provides real-time Speech-to-Text, Text-to-Speech, Text-to-Sign Language, and Sign Recognition capabilities without requiring specialized hardware.
“Communication shouldn’t be a privilege,” explained Mendiratta. “Our solution creates bridges where barriers once stood, enabling genuine connection regardless of ability.”
Community Choice Award ($1,000): Flux Frame
Arun Kumar Iyyappan, Undergraduate Student in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Gonzalos Espinoza, Undergraduate Student in Landscape Architecture, Rahman Abdul Rafi, Undergraduate Student in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Hannah Litterer, Undergraduate Student in Graphic Design, created an AI-powered app that helps young artists develop interpretation skills and unique creative voices. The app provides structured prompts inspired by past artists, guiding users through artistic exploration while building confidence. This project was selected for this award by the attendees and participants at the March 6th culminating event.
“Many young artists struggle to find their own voice, often relying on imitation rather than interpretation,” said team member Hannah Litterer. “Flux Frame creates a guided journey of artistic discovery, combining AI with the wisdom of art history.”
Congratulations to All Participating Teams
Each of the students participating in the 2025 Applied AI Challenge was empowered to Start Something that could change the world and they delivered! They took the opportunity to transform their vision into reality and created twelve outstanding projects that address real-world problems and genuine human needs.