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CivicHacks 2025<\/b> brought together 192 students from diverse backgrounds for a high-energy, impact-driven hackathon at the <\/span>Duan Family Center for Computing & Data Sciences<\/b>. With stunning views of Boston from the 17th floor, students spent two days collaborating on technology-driven solutions to real-world challenges. Guided by mentors, industry experts, and fellow hackers, participants turned ideas into impactful projects, showcasing the power of innovation and teamwork.<\/span><\/p>\n From brainstorming sessions to late-night coding sprints, CivicHacks was more than just a competition\u2014it was a space where students built connections, developed skills, and turned ideas into action.<\/span><\/p>\n Participants had the opportunity to choose from various impact-driven tracks, each focused on pressing societal challenges, including:<\/span><\/p>\n By the end of the hackathon, students pitched their projects to a panel of judges, showcasing creative and practical solutions designed to make a real difference.<\/span><\/p>\n A hackathon is about more than just coding\u2014it\u2019s about learning and collaboration. Throughout the event, students had access to <\/span>experienced mentors <\/b>who guided them through the development process, from technical troubleshooting to refining their ideas.<\/span><\/p>\n The Opportunity Expo offered a valuable networking experience, connecting students with companies, startups, and organizations at the forefront of civic technology. Many participants left not only with new skills but also with meaningful professional connections to support their career growth.<\/span><\/p>\n CivicHacks 2025 wrapped up with a high-energy project showcase and awards ceremony, where top teams were recognized for their innovative work. Some standout projects included:<\/span><\/p>\n 🏆 <\/span>AnimaGo\u00a0\u2014 Best Design<\/strong><\/p>\n AnimaGo is an augmented reality mobile game that allows users to discover, identify, and catalog wildlife in their surroundings. Players use their mobile devices to scan and recognize animals using computer vision and AI, earning experience points and achievements for each successful identification. The app features a \u201cBiodex\u201d where players can track their findings, a gamified capture system based on image quality, a leaderboard to encourage competition, and challenges to promote biodiversity tracking. AnimaGo also integrates conservation efforts by allowing players to donate to wildlife organizations and participate in real-world nature preservation quests.<\/span><\/p>\n 🏆 <\/span>ThinkFLOW\u00a0\u2014 Most Impact<\/strong><\/p>\n The idea for\u00a0<\/span>ThinkFlow<\/span>\u00a0was born from the need to make learning more structured, accessible, and intuitive. Many learners struggle with information overload, making it difficult to synthesize key concepts effectively. Inspired by\u00a0<\/span>cognitive learning theories\u00a0and\u00a0visual learning techniques, ThinkFlow aims to bridge this gap by leveraging\u00a0AI-powered mind maps\u00a0to simplify complex topics.<\/span><\/p>\n 🏆 <\/span>Green Gauge\u00a0\u2014 Best Technical Execution<\/strong><\/p>\n Green Gauge highlights the importance of trees in relation to improving air quality, helping reduce carbon, and mitigating rising temperatures. The app allows users to type in an address anywhere in the world. It then takes a satellite image of that location and is run by a pre-trained AI model and the results of that analysis get sent to an LLM to provide actionable insights to policy makers and the community. Green Gauge conveys information like tree coverage percentage, number of trees, weather of that location, and air quality.<\/span><\/p>\n 🏆 <\/span>PoliSights.ai \u2014 Best Use of AI (Sponsored by Avenade)<\/strong><\/p>\n Small businesses often struggle to keep up with evolving policies and regulations. Many small-scale organizations cannot afford expensive legal fees or hire dedicated lawyers, forcing them to manually track regulation updates\u2014an overwhelming and time-consuming task. Inspired by the challenges faced by entrepreneurs in navigating compliance requirements, PoliSights.ai envisions a solution that automates policy tracking and delivers actionable insights in real-time. Our system extracts policy documents using\u00a0BeautifulSoup\/Scrapy, processes them with\u00a0NLP models (OpenAI, SpaCy), and stores structured data in\u00a0Snowflake and Pinecone\u00a0for efficient retrieval.<\/span><\/p>\n 🏆 B<\/strong><\/span>ob the Builder (SafeContractor)\u00a0\u2014 Overall Winner<\/strong><\/p>\n SafeContractor is a database where residents can search for and verify the credentials of contractors in Boston by compiling information from obscure public records. In addition to detailed contractor profiles, the platform automatically generates AI-driven summaries that offer users a concise overview of each contractor\u2019s qualifications and background. This dual approach\u2014rigorous verification and clear, AI-generated insights\u2014helps reduce the risk of scams and empowers users to make informed decisions.<\/span><\/p>\n Beyond the prizes, every team walked away having gained hands-on experience, new friendships, and a deeper understanding of how technology can drive social change.<\/span><\/p>\n One of the best parts of CivicHacks is hearing directly from students about their experiences. Here\u2019s what some participants had to say about this year\u2019s hackathon:<\/b><\/p>\n 💬 <\/b>\u201cThe events and the workshops were very nice, and everyone who works at Spark! is very welcoming and easy to talk to, so they made the experience as well.\u201d <\/span>\u2013 Student from Flora the Explorer<\/b><\/p>\n 💬 <\/b>\u201cBalancing expectations was the most challenging part of the weekend. Being my first hackathon, I wanted to earn prizes, but I also wanted to learn. There were so many things going on, but I ended up learning more and meeting people. I went to the game night, and my team actually won, so I got both things that I wanted.\u201d<\/span> \u2013 Just Vote, First-Time Hackathoner<\/b><\/p>\n 💬 <\/b>\u201cWorking all night on the same project was such a unique experience. Just give it a try! You\u2019ll never know how it goes if you don\u2019t try it.\u201d<\/span> \u2013 Student from SoloLevelers<\/b><\/p>\n 💬 <\/b>\u201cFinding teammates that you work really well with is the best way to prep for a hackathon. You don\u2019t need to know how to do all of the coding\u2014Google and AI can help. Having a team you can split up work with and actually get things done is really important.\u201d<\/span> \u2013 Student from Flora the Explorer<\/b><\/p>\n 💬 <\/b>\u201cThe workplace was honestly my favorite part. CDS has great views.\u201d<\/span> \u2013 Student from Flora the Explorer<\/b><\/p>\n 💬<\/b>\u201cMy highlight was going to the Git session. There was one about learning the Git commands\u2014it was interactive and engaging.\u201d<\/span> \u2013 Just Vote, First-Time Hackathoner<\/b><\/p>\n As CivicHacks 2025 comes to a close, the energy and excitement from the weekend continue to resonate. Many teams plan to further develop their projects, leveraging the connections and skills gained at the event.<\/span><\/p>\n For those who missed this year\u2019s hackathon, don\u2019t worry! Keep an eye out for future events, workshops, and opportunities to continue learning and building. Be sure to check our newsletter for updates on upcoming hackathons, networking opportunities, and ways to stay involved in the community.<\/span><\/p>\n To all the participants, mentors, judges, and organizers\u2014thank you for making CivicHacks 2025 an unforgettable experience.<\/b> See you next year!<\/span><\/p>\n 📸 <\/span>Check out event photos and highlights here:<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n loading slideshow...<\/p><\/div>Key Highlights from the Hackathon<\/b><\/h3>\n
1. Tackling Real-World Issues<\/b><\/h4>\n
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2. A Supportive and Engaging Community<\/b><\/h4>\n
3. Big Wins, Big Ideas<\/b><\/h4>\n
What Students Had to Say<\/b><\/h3>\n
Looking Ahead<\/b><\/h3>\n
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