Where it started

From the smoke to Hackathon FICCT

Before the award there was smoke, a postponed hackathon and a change of problem. This is where everything started: the Chiquitania wildfires, the decision to keep building anyway, and second place at Hackathon FICCT.

Timeline

How it began, step by step

  1. 01 — 2022 · Santa Cruz

    The smoke, and the feeling of being useless

    The Chiquitania was burning. In the city you could barely breathe; the smoke was unbearable. I kept asking myself the same question: is there any way I can help with what I know how to do? A hackathon was scheduled for November–December 2022, and I decided to enter with a wildfire prevention project.

  2. 02 — Late 2022

    The project that never happened

    To build something useful I needed to understand the problem, so I reached out to volunteer firefighters. They were not available — they were out fighting the fire. Without that context the project didn't make sense, and the hackathon was postponed to March 2023. I still want to build that wildfire prevention project one day.

  3. 03 — Early 2023

    A new problem: dengue

    With Wendy and Moisés already on board, I looked for another problem worth solving. Dengue and mosquitoes were doing real damage. Existing traps used light as an attractant, and the question appeared on its own: what if I put a camera and AI on that trap? That became the idea we took to the hackathon.

    Team assembling the mosquito trap prototype with sensors and phones

  4. 04 — March 2023 · Hackathon FICCT

    Second place at Hackathon FICCT

    We presented the AI-camera trap idea and took second place at Hackathon FICCT 2022 (UAGRM). It was the first external validation that the idea was worth pursuing — and the reason the team kept going.

    Award ceremony for the second-place winners of Hackathon FICCT 2022 at UAGRM

  5. 05 — 2023 · The invitation

    The invitation that opened the door

    I saw an open call and got in touch with the Google student developer community. Melany Ventura was decisive here: through that contact we formed the alliance that let us enter the Google Solution Challenge. This talk invitation is where that chapter starts.

    Melany Ventura on LinkedIn
    Talk invitation: Sustainable Development Goals, technology as an ally, by Mauricio Nuñez

Footage

The hackathon on video

  • Hackathon FICCT — award moment

    The second-place announcement at UAGRM.

  • Hackathon FICCT — full demo

    The pitch and live demo of the AI mosquito trap.

Continue with the Solution Challenge storySee the events portfolio

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