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ZotHacks 2023 Highlights UCI’s Beginner Hackers

ZotHacks 2023, Hack at UCI’s first hackathon of the school year, took place Nov. 4-5. Over 80 participants teamed up to create a total of 20 projects that helped students make friends, plan vacations, find dining recommendations and more.

Projects were evaluated on their technology, quality, purpose, growth, Devpost responses, and presentation. Over $1,000 in prizes was awarded.

Here are the four winning projects of ZotHacks 2023.

First Place: ZotWee

ZotWee is a web application that uses Google Maps and Directions APIs to help users find nearby gender-neutral restrooms on campus. Users receive directions on the closest walking paths to the restrooms and can also see if they are ADA-compliant. Moving forward, the ZotWee team hopes to include a user rating system and more information about the restrooms.

ZotWee was created by:

ZotWee members behind devices displaying their project.
ZotWee. (Photo credit: Taesung Hwang/Hack at UCI)

Second Place: ZotCards

The ZotCards team was inspired to create a tool that simplifies studying by helping students quickly set their study goals and identify topics they need to study. The website takes students’ notes as input and generates a tailored set of flashcards in either true or false and multiple-choice format.

ZotCards was created by:

  • Dalton Adcock – first-year computer science major
  • Shayan Halder – first-year software engineering major
  • Andrew Wang – first-year computer science major
  • Jasmine Wu – first-year cognitive science & computer science double major
  • Dylan Vu (mentor) – fourth-year computer science major
ZotCards members behind devices displaying their project.
ZotCards. (Photo credit: Taesung Hwang/Hack at UCI)

Third Place: Zot Quest

Zot Quest is a crossover between Yelp and ZotFinder, aiming to combine personalized discovery and recommendations with campus exploration. On Zot Quest, users can create a bucket list of restaurants, study spaces and clubs or events they’re interested in visiting. It also includes a map and real-time location tracking.

Zot Quest was created by:

  • Iris Wang – first-year informatics major
  • Baly Martinez – third-year software engineering major
  • Mia Nguyen – third-year computer science major
  • Kevin Cao – fourth-year computer science and engineering major
Zot Quest members behind a laptop displaying their project.
Zot Quest. (Photo credit: Taesung Hwang/Hack at UCI)

Hacker’s Choice: Geometric Rush

Inspired by traditional platformer games, Geometric Rush introduces a unique twist: users can manipulate the game environment with simple shapes. Players strategically deploy these shapes to overcome obstacles and advance to the next level.

Geometric Rush was created by:

  • Timothy Nguyen – first-year computer science major
  • Kaushik Saravanan – first-year computer engineering major
  • Briana Truong – first-year computer science and engineering major
  • Gavin Gee – third-year computer science major
  • Jackson Podgorski (mentor) – third-year computer science major
Geometric Rush members behind a laptop displaying their project, each making a geometric shape with their hands.
Geometric Rush. (Photo credit: Taesung Hwang/Hack at UCI)

View the rest of the projects on the ZotHacks 2023 Devpost. Hack at UCI will host its next event, IrvineHacks 2024, in the winter quarter.

— Karen Phan

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