The challenges of Roll Cloud: Hack4socialAI in Turin
On 25 March, the OGR Turin hosted a new round of Hack4socialAI, the hackathon organised by Roll Cloud. Working in the Cloud, promoted by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale as part of Opening Future, a joint project by Google Cloud, Intesa Sanpaolo and TIM Enterprise aimed at supporting students and teachers in developing skills for the future.
Throughout the day, students from various secondary schools in Piedmont and Lombardy put themselves to the test in a practical challenge: designing solutions based on artificial intelligence and cloud technologies to address real needs related to environmental and social sustainability. An immersive experience that allowed them to apply advanced digital skills, working in teams and engaging with mentors and experts, in a context that also values cross-cutting skills such as critical thinking, collaboration and problem-solving.
The following secondary schools took part in the Turin event: Velso Mucci in Bra, Ascanio Sobrero in Casale Monferrato, Carlo Alberto dalla Chiesa in Sesto Calende, Pellico-Peano in Cuneo and G. Ferrari (Mercurino Arborio Campus) in Gattinara. The quality of the projects developed and the level of student engagement confirm a growing interest in emerging technologies and their potential impact on society.
Among the proposals submitted, the team from the Pellico-Peano secondary school in Cuneo emerged as the overall winner with the project BeeMoreSustainable, developed by Isaia Samuele, Lopatriello Raffaele, Gramazio Francesco and Cometto Tommaso. The idea is for a platform capable of connecting donors and beekeepers, with the aim of combating the decline in bee populations and promoting more sustainable models of production and consumption. As the students themselves explain, the project stems from a desire to ‘create a shared network between donors and beekeepers’ to tackle a problem affecting the entire ecosystem.
Alongside the winning project, the jury recognised the value of other particularly significant solutions. The InfoBridge team from the Ascanio Sobrero school in Casale Monferrato, comprising Francesco Aloisi, Federico Brunoro, Miftode Alessandro and Mici Daniel, received a special mention for social impact with FirstStep, a proposal designed to support migrants during the initial stages of integration, facilitating access to essential information and services. From the same school, the Info_Myco team (Mathias Scopelliti, Leonardo Azzalin, Daniele Antonioli, Giacomo Bisoglio, Giuseppe Buscaldi and Riccardo Ceka) stood out for their originality with Myco-Alga, an innovative model of social housing focused on environmental sustainability.
The special mention for the role of artificial intelligence was awarded to the Le Quattro dell’Alberto team from Sesto Calende (Santagata Nicole, Cirigliano Laura, El Meskine Yasmine and Maineri Sara) for the DriveSense project, which thoughtfully integrates artificial intelligence to promote solutions with a social impact.
Beyond the competitive aspect, Hack4socialAI serves as a genuine learning laboratory.
During the hackathon, participants worked with methodologies such as design thinking, putting ideas and skills to the test in a dynamic and collaborative environment. A
s Khadija, a student at Plesso Mercurino Arborio, explains, the experience was “very formative” because it helped the students better understand their own abilities and identify areas to continue working on.Teachers also highlighted the value of the initiative. Professor Giacomo Virone noted that, over the course of the day, “really strong ideas” emerged, demonstrating the students’ potential when given the opportunity to experiment and innovate.
The journey now continues with the selected teams taking part in the RomeCup, where they will have the opportunity to present and further develop their solutions.Supporting the students’ journey is also the contribution of Opening Future’s partners, who have accompanied the challenge with a shared vision: putting innovation at the service of sustainability.
“I noticed the interest of the students and their teachers in a vision of sustainabilityas an enhancement of the vitality of the habitat, in which human beings are placed on an equal footing with other beingsof nature, and not merely as a reduction of human impact.
Several projects capturedthis aspect, and we are all delighted!”-
Alberto Barroero, Senior Training Specialist, Intesa Sanpaolo
