Project Hail Mary

FSU AI Resilience Hackathon
Nov 13, 2026

When every second counts, truth can’t be a long shot!

NOVEMBER 13, 2026

8AM - 5PM
@ the FSU Innovation Hub

EVENT INFORMATION

Up to $2000 in cash prizes!

Two meals included!

Free event t-shirts & giveaways for all participants!

A great opportunity to make new connections, gain marketable skills, and make a difference in the world!!

APPLY NOW!

THE CHALLENGE

This challenge will involve leveraging AI to filter through an abundance of information to determine the truth regarding an extreme event. Details will be provided the day of the event.

Students from all majors are encouraged to apply. Only 50 seats are available. Half the seats will be given to Tech and Engineering students the other half to everyone else. While technology and engineering are valuable skills in this challenge, so are communications, meteorology, emergency management, design, business, social sciences, social work, health, and others!

APPLY NOW!

TENTATIVE AGENDA

FRIDAY, NOV 13

08:00 CHECK-IN & BREAKFAST

08:30 INTRODUCTIONS (KEN)
Ken’s Presentation

08:45 EXPERT PRESENTATION (NEXTERA)

09:15 EXPERT Q&A

09:45 STRATEGY WORKSHOP 1: TEAMING (KEN)

10:00 TEAM WORK

10:15 STRATEGY WORKSHOP 2: EMPATHY AND REFRAMING (KEN)

10:30 TEAM WORK: EMPATHY AND REFRAMING

11:30 STRATEGY WORKSHOP 3: IDEATION (KEN)

11:45 TEAM WORK: IDEATION
WORKING LUNCH

01:00 STRATEGY WORKSHOP 4: PROTOTYPING AND THE PITCH (KEN)

01:15 TEAM WORK: PROTOTYPING AND THE PITCH

03:00 PITCH LINK DUE to ken@innovation.fsu.edu
- Format: 4 minutes, 6 Google slides maximum + 3 min Q&A

03:15 PITCH CONTEST

04:15 JUDGE DELIBERATION - POST EVENT SURVEY

04:30 AWARDS CEREMONY GROUP PHOTO

05:00 CONCLUDES

LOGISTICS

Our Hackathon brings together students from all majors, with differing skills, creating 8 teams with 5-6 students each, and challenges them to solve the challenge above using Design Thinking. Solutions can take any form including apps, physical inventions, services, systems, or a combination of the above.

Design Thinking is an innovation framework that consists of

Empathy: Learning about the problem space
Reframing: Focussing in on a part of the problem to address
Ideation: Coming up with a unique and impactful solution by first exploring many solutions
Prototyping: Building a visual model of your solution to easily present it for feedback
Pitch: Selling your idea to a panel of judges

PRIZES!

1st Place: $200 per team member

2nd: $100 per team member

3rd: $50 per team member

Team members must have participated in the entire design sprint to win a prize

BENEFITS!

Career Opportunities with NextEra!

Learn Design Thinking Skills!

Make New Friends!

Have an Impact!

APPLY NOW!

BOOTS ON THE GROUND

NextEra Energy

Kristi Baldwin
Brad Ditrick

FSU Career Center

Innovation Hub

Ken Baldauf, Lead Process Facilitator
Wes Dorce

JUDGING CRITERIA

Innovative Creativity - 25 points

How creative is this idea? Is it something anyone could have thought of? A low score indicates someone probably already did this. A high score is earned by a NEW highly imaginative and creative solution.

Impact - 25 points

How useful will the solution be at addressing the challenge? A low score indicates that, even though the idea may be innovative, it probably won't have much effect on the problem. A high score is earned by a solution that fully addresses a problem.

Feasibility - 25 points

Will your solution be easy to implement? Or will it be costly and require a lot of effort? A low score indicates that, no matter how innovative and impactful the solution, it will be impossible to implement. A high score is earned by a solution that can be implemented with little to no effort.

Prototype and Pitch - 25 points

How effective was the prototype and presentation in selling the solution? Did it demonstrate exactly how the solution will be executed and experienced? Did it illustrate the use of Design Thinking? A low score indicates that the prototype was not compelling, and/or there were significant problems with the presentation. A high score is earned by a very persuasive presentation that engages the audience, tells a compelling story, and effectively demonstrates the effectiveness of the solution.