A team of graduate students from Stony Brook University has achieved a notable second-place finish in the inaugural New York Climate Exchange (NYCE) AI Innovation Challenge. The competition featured teams from eight universities, all presenting innovative solutions to address stormwater management issues in New York City.
The Stony Brook team, comprising Caroline Fabian, Nathan Hirtle, Ian Maywar, and Harmanveer Singh, developed an app named eFlood. This application uses artificial intelligence to assist residents in navigating safely during flood events by providing efficient routes that avoid flooded areas.
Rong Zhao, director of the Center of Excellence in Wireless & Information Technology (CEWIT), praised the team's effort: “The AI Innovation Challenge showcased the talent, creativity, and collaborative spirit of Stony Brook.” The students collaborated with CEWIT staff and industry volunteers to tackle complex challenges impacting future developments.
Harmanveer Singh explained their project aimed to improve navigation through flooded regions during storm events using data from NYC 311 calls and NYC Micronet sensors. "Our proposed solution incorporates NYC 311 calls and NYC Micronet sensor data to identify these flooded regions," Singh said.
Singh also acknowledged the support received from CEWIT: "The competition itself was a great opportunity to reflect on how AI... can be leveraged to reduce the toll of storm water damage on localities." He valued the judges' feedback regarding project development and community impact considerations.
Ian Maywar expressed enthusiasm about engaging with peers at the event: “It was a great experience meeting like-minded students from other universities and talking about climate solutions at the competition.”
Stephen Hammer, CEO of The New York Climate Exchange, commended Stony Brook's achievement: “On behalf of The New York Climate Exchange, I’d like to congratulate you on your outstanding achievement of second place...” He appreciated their focus on practical problems faced by users.
Kevin Reed highlighted the urgency of addressing climate change impacts in urban settings due to increased rainfall: “New York City... are experiencing the impacts of climate change through increasing rainfall amounts..." Reed emphasized innovative thinking as crucial for developing potential solutions.
Carl Lejuez recognized Stony Brook’s strengths in research and AI contributing significantly: “I am really excited to see the ways in which this challenge intersects Stony Brook’s strengths..."
The competition began its first phase in April 2024 under Reed's leadership. More than 50 SBU students participated using IBM watsonx.aitechnology among other resources provided by competition partners such as Moody's insights. Final presentations took place in November after progressing through summer into fall stages since August 1st.
Reed expressed pride over what they accomplished beyond winning second place; it demonstrated creativity among SBU students towards solving state-related climate challenges effectively.