Lyndsey Mekelburg earned first place and $500 at the University of Iowa IdeaStorm Applied AI Case Competition on April 27 at Merge Iowa City. A total of $1,500 and mentoring sessions were awarded to student innovators. Eleven teams pitched business ideas built around real-world applications of artificial intelligence. Mekelburg’s winning concept uses artificial intelligence to predict actual event attendance and recommend specific actions to maximize turnout while minimizing waste. The competition was hosted by the University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center, in collaboration with Applied AI, a student organization within the Tippie College of Business focused on helping students explore artificial intelligence through hands-on learning. “This event is a perfect example of how the Iowa JPEC Startup Incubator is working to build a front door to entrepreneurship at Iowa,” Janice Baldes, director of the Startup Incubator, said in a prepared statement. “Through our partnership with the Applied AI Club, we’re meeting students who have ideas for how AI can solve real problems and helping them take the first step toward turning those ideas into something real.”
