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The University of Houston's Division of Energy and Innovation has announced the "Coogs for Energy Hackathon," an inaugural event organized by the Energy Transition Institute. This competition involves 10 teams tasked with addressing regional energy challenges, such as increasing energy demand during extreme weather and expanding electric vehicle charging stations along the I-10 corridor.
Sponsored by the Glen Bailey Foundation, the hackathon begins on Friday, February 21, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Innovation Center at Tech Bridge and continues on Saturday, February 22, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., when winners will be declared.
"By involving the community in identifying their energy issues and empowering students to work with mentors, we're preparing the next generation workforce through a connected ecosystem where all brainstorm for ideas," said Debalina Sengupta, COO of ETI. She added her enthusiasm for students gaining practical experience in systems thinking and broadening their knowledge beyond comfort zones.
Teams were required to include students from at least two colleges within UH and chose problem statements on February 10. They had options such as carbon intensity labeling for products, promoting heat pump systems adoption in home HVACs, waste-to-energy solutions offshore, green hydrogen plants in Texas, decentralized energy solutions for community resilience, EV charging stations along I-10 corridor, real-time energy demand forecasting in Houston, circular pallets transformation from waste to workhorse, feeding future circular plastics needs, and cleaner port solutions.
During competition time on Friday evening, teams will present pitches for three potential solutions they've developed over ten days. The following morning will involve refining their best idea into a prototype and preparing presentation materials.
"I’ve always enjoyed hackathons — they are fast-paced...allow me to connect with my peers...broaden my view of...potential solutions," said Amber Kaul from the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
The top three winning teams will receive monetary awards: $6,000 for first place; $3,000 for second; $1,500 for third. Additionally they will have opportunities to present their projects before industry leaders.
“I’m really excited to get hands-on experience tackling real-world energy challenges,” remarked Catherine Hohulin from C.T Bauer College of Business. “It’s one thing to learn about the industry in theory but actually working through problems is different."