FIRST PLACE

Brinda Paladugu
Freshman | Lynbrook High School | San Jose, California

ED — Expiry Date & Environmental Damage
ED is an AI-powered grocery assistant designed to combat food waste and promote sustainable consumption. The project addresses the significant environmental impact of food waste, which contributes more methane emissions than any other landfill material according to the EPA. In the US alone, approximately $473 million worth of food is discarded annually. The app uses AI image recognition to scan receipts, track expiration dates, and notify users when items are nearing expiration. ED assigns "green scores" to products based on their environmental impact (carbon emissions and water usage). Machine learning enables ED to learn user preferences and maintain an accurate inventory through voice commands. Key features include expiration date tracking, inventory management, recipe suggestions based on expiring ingredients and a leaderboard for comparing sustainability scores with friends.

Get to Know Brinda ...

What was the most valuable lesson you learned from competing in this challenge?
The most valuable lesson I learned was that everything is possible. I know this sounds cliche, but this challenge truly taught me that I could do anything I put my mind to. When I originally came up with this idea, it seemed out of reach, especially considering the various AI and coding-related aspects that I wasn't too experienced with. However, with the right tools and mindset, I realized that I could do it, no matter how hard it may seem at first glance.

What sparked your interest in AI and entrepreneurship, and how do you see the two fields working together in the future?
I've been interested in public speaking and entrepreneurship for as long as I can remember. Since I started high school this year, my love for business has been increasing, with clubs like FBLA and competitions like these. I can easily predict a huge overlap between these two fields in the future, and I'm excited to see how I can utilize AI tools to enhance my knowledge.

What was your impression of Stevens School of Business before the competition, and has it changed after participating?
I didn't have much of an impression before the competition; however, after competing, that has completely changed. I am beyond impressed with how smoothly and precisely this competition was run, and I will 100% participate again next year. While this may sound like any other answer to this question, I genuinely had a blast crafting my project, and it inspired me to look into the business-AI intersection.

Did this competition influence your thoughts about studying AI, business or both in college?
Business, entrepreneurship and finance have always been a passion for me, but this competition definitely influenced my thoughts on AI in those fields. I was thinking about exploring this "intersection" between AI and business, and this competition was a great tool to do so. Whenever AI was referenced in a conversation or a potential college major discussion, I always thought it was "too smart" for me. This challenge was a great way to make such an abstract and technological idea like artificial intelligence easier to understand and fun to work with through a problem/solution competition format. Since I am just a freshman, I am not so sure about studying these fields in college yet, but it has inspired me to look into them and has opened many new possibilities for college majors.