Student Teams Sought for Inaugural IoT Challenge

Posted December 15, 2020

Georgia Tech students will have the opportunity to demonstrate their creative Internet of Things (IoT) related design, deployment, and policy ideas during the Spring 2021 semester as part of the inaugural Student IoT Innovation Capacity Building Challenge. The Center for the Development and Application of Internet of Things Technologies (CDAIT) is sponsoring the event.

CDAIT, housed in the Center for Advanced Communications Policy (CACP), a unit of the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts School of Public Policy, will provide up to $3,000 in development funding for as many as eight teams. Three winning teams will receive a scholarship award to be divided among the teams’ student participants.

The application deadline is Jan. 8. For details, including application instructions, go to

https://cdait.gatech.edu/projects/Student_IoT_Innovation_Challenge_2021.

“CDAIT is excited to be able to sponsor this new opportunity to stimulate innovative student collaborations focused on the Internet of Things,” said  Paul M.A. Baker, CDAIT’s interim chief operating officer. “While many IoT competitions focus primarily on the technology, we are especially interested in proposals that explore IoT systems applications and outcomes, submitted by innovative teams that include the humanities, digital media, public policy, and inclusive design specialties.”

The inaugural competition is open to teams of up to three Georgia Tech students, paired with a faculty advisor. Teams can propose papers, apps, or devices, which must be realized by June 1. An event will be held in early summer to present the projects.

Topics CDAIT hopes to see addressed include IoT-related policy challenges; accessibility, usability, and inclusivity of IoT interfaces; content, digital media, and IoT platforms; IoT and underserved populations; ethical design; security; and more.

CDAIT seeks to foster interdisciplinary Internet of Things (IoT) thought leadership, research, and education. It moved to CACP from its founding home at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) in June.

The Center focuses on exploring the many critical social and policy questions facing the IoT field while maintaining its deep expertise in technological issues.