Student Innovators Create Solutions to Allergies

Students took part in a 24-hour competition this past weekend to come up with solutions to problems associated with allergies and allergic reactions.

Students took part in a 24-hour competition this past weekend to come up with solutions to problems associated with allergies and allergic reactions. (Sean Flynn/UConn Photo)

Students took part in a 24-hour competition this past weekend to come up with solutions to problems associated with allergies and allergic reactions. (Sean Flynn/UConn Photo)

More than 80 students took part in a 24-hour competition this past weekend to come up with solutions to problems associated with allergies and anaphylaxis – acute allergic reaction to an antigen.

The second annual HackUConn was held in the state-of-the art makerspace at NextGen Hall, beginning Friday evening and continuing through Saturday.

The students, from a range of different disciplines, including Engineering, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Business, Fine Arts, and others, worked together in teams. Student innovations encompassed hardware, software, and business models. Their solutions ranged from smart epi-pen devices to a food allergy app. Four of the 14 teams won prizes.

The event was organized by the student-run Innovation Society and the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Consortium, with lead sponsor KeepSmilin4Abbie Foundation, whose mission is to stop anaphylaxis.