The Eighth Afekathon: 24 Hours of Innovation and Engineering to Improve the Learning and Teaching Experience

More than 60 students met in June 2024 for a 24-hour entrepreneurial marathon, dedicated to developing solutions to improve the learning, teaching, and campus experience at Afeka, as part of the eighth Afekathon: an annual event held by the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Ofek – Skill Development Centers.

At the end of the event, the students, divided into no less than 17 teams, presented working prototypes that included a solar system installed on the ficus garden parasols for charging phones and fans; a device to help illustrate 3D objects on the board; and demos for a variety of apps. These included apps for smart learning; class schedule building; creating study groups and private lessons; test-prep simulations; digital flashcards for memorization; networking with alumni as a bridge to the industry; job interview preparation; and even platforms for finding trainers and people working out nearby, and for dating among the students. The event was accompanied by a professional team of mentors who went from team to team, directing them towards effective, applicable solutions.

FIRST PLACE went to the Sun Smart project team, which also won Crowd Favorite. The team developed a solar charging system for parasols in the campus yard. The development consists of flexible solar panels that allow student to sit in the shade while charging their phone, tablet, or fan.

Team members: Doron Levy (industrial engineering and management), Gennady Charnoha (electrical engineering), Ben Eilaty[במקור כתבתם אליתי] (mechanical engineering), and Liron Koliuk (industrial engineering and management).

For winning first place, the team received 20,000 NIS to finance their participation at the EdTech conference in Portugal this coming August.

For winning Crowd Favorite, the team received an additional 1,000 NIS.

SECOND PLACE went to the TestGuru team, which developed an assistive app for students – with AI-supported simulations for solving tests by time and difficulty level.

Team members: Shachar Eliyahu, Daniel Grigoriev, Raz Natanzon, and Vlad Pavliuk, all software engineering students.

For winning first place, the team received a prize of 3,000 NIS.

THIRD PLACE went to the EduAttendance project team, which developed a smart digital system that identifies the students present for quickly taking roll in compulsory classes.

The team members: Yaniv Kaveh-Shtul and Noam Harel, software engineering students.

For winning first place, the team received a prize of 2,000 NIS.

During the hackathon, participants enjoyed an illuminating break as Afeka alumna Ilana Kolman lectured about the AI tools which might assist with the various development, and later also guided students personally.

Yael Danai Menuhin, Director of the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship: “This is the eighth year that we’ve held the Afekathon, an event where the students themselves harness innovation and technology to improve their own learning experience.

Each year, we witness the students’ creativity, originality, and engineering perspective, which fills us with pride. The student teams were inspiring in their passion and drive – showing impressive performance, using creative thinking, and finding out-of-the-box solutions. They exhibited remarkable teamwork and striving for excellence.”