The connection between animal and human well-being is steadfast, and advances in one area of health can directly impact the other. The University of Georgia and Boehringer Ingelheim have joined forces to co-host the first ever Georgia Animal Health Hackathon to explore new ideas and technologies for improving the care of pets and livestock. Students from varied disciplines, degrees, majors and colleges will join members of the Georgia community at this weekend long event to explore advances that have the potential to improve the human animal bond, lead to more sustainable agricultural practices, and improve both human and animal health.
The Hackathon will begin on Friday afternoon with presentations from innovators and leaders, including clinicians, startups and academia, to provide a multifaceted view of emerging trends and the future of animal health and healthcare services. The event continues on Saturday with teams comprised of veterinary students, business students, engineers, designers and more coming together to ideate and create novel solutions in animal health. Mentors will provide feedback and guidance to the teams, culminating in a project showcase on Sunday and final presentations to an audience of peers, industry representatives, and participants. A panel of judges will select winners and award $5,000 in cash. Four Athens is providing a 1 year Seedling membership, allowing access to members only events, resources for growing companies, and $3000 in Amazon Web Services credits. The winning team will also receive admission to the Raising Money for Startups in 2018, as well as a one-on-one session with investor Paul Singh.
This is a unique opportunity to meet and work together with your peers, researchers and industry leaders to explore multi-disciplinary approaches for improving animal health and well-being. If you'd like to attend the conference (Friday only), but can't participate in the hackathon- that's OK- click sign up and select the conference only ticket.
3:00PM Welcome
Lisa K. Nolan DVM,PHD
Dean, College of Veterinary Medicine
3:40PM Founder's Stories
ExploreLearning: Tom Robertson PHD, Exec Director, R&D
Kindercore Vinyl: Ryan Lewis, President
Reservoir LLC: Jesse Lafian, Founder
4:20PM Break
4:40PM Panel
Ian Biggs MA, Sr Assoc Director-UGA
Elizabeth L. Dale DVM, MAM, DACPV
Head of Veterinary Services, Pilgrims
Ira Roth DVM, MS, Clinical Asst Prof, Director Community Practice Clinic-UGA
Steven Stice PHD, Professor, Sr Research Director-UGA
5:20PM Startup Pitches
PuppyFax: Thomas Naranjo BA '19, Founder
Encompass: Madison Luker BS '21, Co-Founder
Retriever: Matt DiFazio DVM '18, Co-Founder
5:45PM Hackathon Rules & Logistics
Kick-off: Zach Mills DVM, Executive Director, Chief Veterinary Medical Officer, Pet Veterinary Professional Services, BI
6:20PM Students Pitch Ideas to recruit a team
7:00PM Dinner & Team Formation
8:00PM Design Thinking Workshop
Jared Bybee MA, JD
Startup Program, Innovation Gateway, University of Georgia
Chongxiao Chen, UGA- Ag & Enviro Sci PhD Poultry Science '18
Davis Reardon, UGA Public Health PhD Toxicology '20
Eduardo Ortega, UGA Ag & Enviro Sci MS Poultry Science '18
James Foutz, UGA Ag & Enviro Sci MS Poultry Science '18
Lucas Zhang, UGA Engineering BS Biomed Engr '21
Megan Williams, UGA Engineering BS Bio Engr '20
Dog Genetics- Embark
Motion Capture- Qualisys
Health Monitor & Wellness-Voyce
Digital Communication & Compliance-VitusVet
Veterinary CE Resource-VetGirl
Mass Spec Solutions for Chemical Biology-Advion
Horse Hydration-Stable Sense
Service Dog InnovationService Dog Innovation
Migration: Big Game, Birds, Tracking Tech
Enabled Animals (assorted prosthetics)
World Vet Report: Innovation in Animal Health
3-D Printed Casts for humans, for animals?
Lots of Examples [plug data into example for great visualizations
3D Printers, CNC Router, Laser Cutter, Table Saw, sewing, digital modeling, wood shop, metal shop...details here (and someone to help you use them)