The inaugural Hacksgiving: Generative A.I. for Good competition challenged students to develop an innovative A.I.-driven solution that would streamline the patient screening process for Next Step Clinic. The hackathon began with a kick-off event on Nov. 8 presenting the problem statement, followed by a two-day in-person hackathon on Nov. 17 and 18 in the Cove in Viets Tower. 

Next Step Clinic helps families in Milwaukee who have concerns about the mental health and developmental health of their children, including family navigation, screening and evaluation for autism, therapy services, training and more. The clinic was looking for an A.I.-driven solution that could enhance operational efficiency, minimize wait times and provide educational value to patients. Students were challenged to develop a tool that would support health care staff by predicting the level of care required, offering preliminary guidance and preparing patients for their appointments, thereby improving overall patient flow and satisfaction.

Hacksgiving was developed and supported by Dr. Jeremy Kedziora, PieperPower Endowed Chair in Artificial Intelligence. Ben Paulson, computer science major and president of the A.I. Club, helped develop and organize the event.

“Being invited to work with MSOE administration as a student for the development of Hacksgiving was an incredible experience and opportunity,” said Paulson. 

The first-place prize of $3,000 plus MAIC hoodies was awarded to Team Skippy for their chatbot design. The team included Sydney Balboni, Ella Bruce, John Cisler, Caitlyn Grant, Ben Paulson, Tyge Plater and Brett Storoe.

Team Next A.I. earned the second-place prize of $2,000 and MAIC T-shirts. Team members included Owen Jacobsen, Travis Jankowski, Jeffrey Kaas, Alex Lopez, Noah Nieberle, Patrick Rafferty, Raul Reyes and Gabby Sladek.

Team Dr. BEaST was awarded a $1,000 prize plus MAIC T-shirts for third place. The team was comprised of Michael Conner, Bart Gebka and Alex Moran.

“I’m extremely thankful for the entire student community who dedicated their weekend and late nights to developing innovative solutions for Next Step Clinic,” said Paulson. “Their work has not gone unnoticed, and Next Step Clinic is already working with all the winning teams to begin implementing MSOE student solutions.”