About the challenge

Welcome to the VCU's Hack for Good! This initiative is designed to inspire innovative solutions that address critical issues in healthcare, the environment, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). Participants will tackle these real life problems by developing impactful projects that make a difference in our communities and the world.

Get started

Listen to the event moderators for steps to proceed! If you arrived late, locate an event helper to assist you. 

Prompts

Healthcare:

1) Create an interactive dashboard using healthcare datasets to provide actionable insights for healthcare providers.

2) Develop a mobile app that uses gamification to encourage users to adopt healthier lifestyles, such as improving their diet, increasing daily exercise, or tracking mental health habits. Include rewards, streaks, or competitions to make the experience engaging.

3) Build an AI-powered telemedicine system that helps doctors remotely monitor and diagnose patients, providing real-time alerts based on patient vitals or reported symptoms.

Environment:

1) Design an app to help track and reduce waste on campus. This could include features like tracking food waste, optimizing recycling, organizing item swaps, or even creating incentives for eco-friendly actions like biking to campus or reducing plastic usage

2) Create a game or app that motivates users to engage in sustainable practices such as recycling, reducing energy consumption, or participating in local clean-up efforts. Gamify the experience by including rewards, levels, leaderboards, or time-based challenges to keep users engaged.

3) Build a carbon footprint tracker that suggests eco-friendly alternatives for daily habits, like commuting or food choices, and visualizes the impact over time.

UN Sustainable Development Goals:

The UN has a list of some of the things it is trying to achieve related to sustainability, called the UN Sustainable Development Goals (https://sdgs.un.org/goals). If you see anything that resonates with you, feel free to tackle it!

Here are some ideas:

1) Create a system that helps monitor water quality in rural or underserved areas, allowing communities to receive real-time data on contamination and access safe drinking water.

2) Design/build a platform that provides free educational resources on sustainability and climate change, accessible to students and teachers in underserved regions.

• Relevance to Theme (5 points)
  Does the project align with the track it was submitted for? The solution should clearly tie into the theme of the hackathon.
• Presentation Quality (15 points)
  Did the team state the problem or opportunity they were addressing? Did the presentation follow an understandable flow? Did multiple team members participate in the presentation? Was there a clear closing statement for the presentation?
• Technology (15 points)
  Code Projects: Does it use innovative problem-solving approaches? Does the code show an understanding tech stack used? No-Code Projects: Was it clear and effective? Does the concept show real-world applicability? *No-code projects only get 5/15 pts*
• Implementability/Practicality (10 points)
  Real-world Feasibility: Is this project feasible to implement within the next 3-5 years? This should focus on both the technical side and the scalability or adoption.
• Efficiency & Functionality (15 points)
  Does the prototype or design solve the problem efficiently? Could the solution be implemented without significant challenges? *No-code project will get 0/15*
• Judges Opinion (10 points)
  This criterion allows judges to express their personal feelings about the project. Even if a project doesn't rank the highest in technical or design aspects, it might still leave a strong positive impression.