A team comprising four students from the Bachelor’s degree programme in Web Information Technologies and Systems (TSIW) at the School of Media, Arts and Design (ESMAD) won first place at the TeamGreen4All Hackathon, an initiative organised by the Social Services of the Polytechnic of Porto (SAS P.PORTO), held on 7 May, at Campus 2 in Vila do Conde.
The event brought together students from different academic disciplines at P.PORTO with the aim of developing innovative solutions focused on the well-being of the academic community, sustainability and the promotion of physical and mental health.
Throughout the hackathon, the participating teams were challenged to identify specific problems and present proposals with potential for real-world application, being assessed according to criteria such as the relevance of the identified problem, degree of innovation, technical and economic feasibility, impact on well-being and sustainability, and the quality of the final presentation.
The winning team, comprising António Amorim, Gabriel Paiva, Miguel Machado and João Rego, TSIW students who developed the “Legacy” project—a solution focused on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—was awarded the first-place prize, consisting of a €750 FNAC voucher.
One of the highlights of the initiative was the participation of Ricardo Queirós, Coordinator of the Distance Learning Office at the P.PORTO Centre for Pedagogical Innovation, who took part in the event as a facilitator for the participating teams. In addition to providing support throughout the various stages of the hackathon, he led a session dedicated to the application of Artificial Intelligence in contexts of creativity, pedagogical innovation and the development of digital solutions.
In the presentation given during the event, methodologies for ideation and prototyping supported by AI tools were discussed, as well as skills associated with critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication – the so-called “4C” skills. The session sought to demonstrate how the interplay between human thought and technology can enhance learning processes, problem-solving and innovation in an academic context.
The hackathon also included periods of “offline” collaborative work, focused on the collective development of ideas without immediate recourse to technology, followed by prototyping phases assisted by digital tools and Artificial Intelligence.
The TeamGreen4All Hackathon was part of the 4BEST project – Promoting Mental Health in Higher Education, an initiative funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR), which aims to implement measures in the area of mental health and well-being that have an impact on the academic success and personal development of students at the Polytechnic of Porto.
With an eligible investment of over €561,000 and a funding rate of 85%, the 4BEST project seeks to strengthen and complement the support already provided by P.PORTO in the areas of health, psychological support, student integration and the promotion of well-being, prioritising collaborative, interdisciplinary approaches centred on the needs of the academic community.
SAS P.PORTO plays a central role in supporting the student community at the Polytechnic of Porto, developing programmes and services geared towards students’ academic, personal and social success. Currently, it operates six halls of residence, with 317 beds available and over €7.7 million allocated in student grants.