You’re invited to the final presentations and gala of the fifth annual Grainger Computing Innovation Prize on Thursday, November 6, hosted by the College of Computing.
The finals will showcase the best of Illinois Tech as Grainger Prize finalists, consisting of teams of undergraduate and graduate students, present their projects to a jury of Chicago’s tech leaders. Don’t miss the chance to cast your vote to determine the winner of the Audience Choice Award!
Come support the finalists and share in the excitement as we crown our 2025 Grainger Computing Innovation Prize champion!
- Date: Thursday, November 6
- Finalists’ presentations: 2:30–4:20 p.m.
- Reception and awards ceremony: 4:20–6:15 p.m.
- Location: Hermann Hall Ballroom
Watch the five finalist teams pitch their prototypes to a panel of esteemed judges from 2:30–4:20 p.m., then mingle at the reception and attend the awards presentation beginning at 4:20 p.m. Hors d’oeuvres and non-alcoholic beverages will be provided. (Advance registration required)
We have a truly exciting range of projects among the five finalists:
Aegis AI – UrbanSight
A mobile app where residents snap photos of street issues. AI verifies, classifies, and geo-tags problems, sending them to a live city dashboard. It replaces slow complaint systems with real-time, crowdsourced infrastructure insights.
BioFuse
BioFuse integrates AI and predictive analytics into medical implants, turning passive devices into proactive health tools. It enables personalized care, reduces complications, and gives doctors and patients real-time insights.
DrainWatch
DrainWatch uses low-cost ultrasonic sensors to map sewer systems. By combining level data with pipe info, it infers flow and capacity across networks—offering city-wide insights at a fraction of traditional costs.
Ocean’s Four – vArI
vArI is a volunteer-computing platform that runs ocean-drift simulations on users’ devices. It aggregates thousands of lightweight AI-informed trajectories to predict plastic hotspots in near real-time—without supercomputers.
SeismoAI
SeismoAI is a low-cost, AI-powered seismometer for homes and infrastructure. It detects seismic activity, structural strain, and air quality, delivering alerts and insights via a mobile app to help communities prepare and respond.
About the Grainger Computing Innovation Prize
The Grainger Computing Innovation Prize calls on Illinois Tech students to develop creative technology solutions to some of the most challenging problems facing the world today: education, health, energy, public safety, transportation, economic development, sustainable smart infrastructure, climate change, and more.
Finalists who tackle these challenging problems best win a share of $30,000 in prizes:
- First-place: $15,000
- Second-place: $10,000
- Third-place: $5,000
The Grainger Computing Innovation Prize was established through a generous endowed gift from The Grainger Foundation, an independent, private foundation based in Lake Forest, Illinois, that provides substantive support to a broad range of If you have any questions about the Grainger Computing Innovation Prize competition, please contact graingerprize@illinoistech.edu.