EPFL students tackle quantum computing for social good at hackathon
Pablo Rodenas Ruiz and his team presenting their project © 2024 EPFL/NYUAD Hackathon
The QSE Center sent two students to NYU Abu Dhabi in April to participate in the 12th Annual International Hackathon for Social Good, where they created projects to utilize quantum algorithms run on quantum computers to achieve sustainable development goals.
The two students, Ekaterina Pankovets and Pablo Rodenas Ruiz, both in the EPFL Quantum Science and Engineering Master’s, were chosen by the QSE Center to participate in this year’s edition of the NYUAD Hackathon.
The Hackathon is a three-day programming marathon where groups of students compete to create innovative and solution-based quantum technologies for social good, allowing them to experience the full cycle of creating a tech startup: sharing and generating ideas, pitching ideas, learning new platforms and programming languages, designing and developing applications, and working with a team.
The 12th edition of the Hackathon spotlighted two transformative technologies: Quantum Computing (QC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI). Recognizing the revolutionary potential of these, the goal of the Hackathon was to equip participants with the essential skills to utilize advanced quantum hardware for developing solutions for social good. Supported by top global experts from industry and academia, students were tasked with developing quantum solutions that would aid in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) of the United Nations.
“It was great to spend time with other students interested in quantum computing,” says Rodenas Ruiz. “Hacakthons are usually intense and this one was not an exception. After intense brainstorming from many hours, my team could not figure out a solution which achieved a quantum advantage while also solving an interesting problem. In the end however, we came up with a very interesting idea: using quantum computing to fight against fake news, which spread quickly in times of conflict.”
Their approach focused on filtering fake tweets by using QML and a quantum approximate optimization algorithm (QAOA) to detect fake news tweets and quickly sort the feed, aiming to give preference to more truthful sources. Their team then developed a Chrome extension which called the quantum algorithms in the backend.
“I consider this an incredible feat for such a short time to finish the project,” Rodenas Ruiz says. “This would not have been possible without the talented teammates I had, who came from very diverse backgrounds, and leveraged their software development skills to develop the application.”
Pankovets and her team focused on developing a quantum-assisted medical solution to alleviate the workload of doctors in under-resourced regions.
"Participation in the hackathon was a very inspiring experience,” she says. “I was amazed by how much all the teams managed to accomplish in such short period of time. Over just three days, I truly enjoyed the dynamic and supportive atmosphere in my team. Despite the intensive workload, we found time for the fruitful discussions and brainstorming, which enhanced my expertise, especially in classical machine learning. I am very thankful to my teammates who made this experience so productive and unforgettable."
The students also appreciated the time they had for extracurriculars outside of the Hackathon; getting to try local food, and visiting the sites of Abu Dhabi. Overall, they both found the experience and the connections they made extremely valuable.
“The Hackathon enabled me to meet students from all over the world, potentially sparking future collaborations,” says Rodenas Ruiz.