CMU on the podium at MIT Energy and Climate Hackathon

The MIT Energy and Climate Hackathon 2025, saw a strong showing from Carnegie Mellon University with 25 students. The group had representations from across disciplines, with students from the Energy Science, Technology and Policy Program (ESTP), Tepper MBA program, Carnegie Mellon Architecture, School of Computer Science and Heinz College. This remarkable participation was made possible through generous sponsorships from the ESTP program, the Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation, and the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs.

The Hackathon had six sponsors who put forth thought-provoking, industry-relevant problem statements for students to pick from and solve for. The sponsor lineup consisted of Avangrid, Array, COMSOL, GE Vernova, RWE, and Sphinx AI. Teams from the CMU contingent fanned across the sponsors to leverage their unique interdisciplinary backgrounds and strengths. All teams put forth innovative solutions that solved the problem statements holistically.

Team ‘Green Pulse’, consisting of Meltem Sahin Ozkoc and Yuki Huan from Carnegie Mellon Architecture advanced to the finals and placed third thanks to their innovative COMSOL-powered energy efficiency solution. Their task was to ‘Create a Physics Based Building Performance Model to Identify HVAC Efficiency Improvements’. The team, given their background in the built environment, was well placed to excel in their group and the finals – and they did exactly that. 

The Hackathon was a rewarding experience for students across the group. Archie from the ESTP program shared, "I spent the weekend at the Hackathon working with a team to explore solutions to siting challenges in the power sector. We built a prototype tool that helps large electricity consumers identify promising grid nodes by translating price and grid conditions into clear, map-based recommendations. It was so cool to see how much we could accomplish in such a short window with a clear goal and a collaborative team, and inspiring to see the range of ideas other teams brought to life."

Meltem from Green Pulse shared, while reflecting on her experience – "We were highly motivated and confident in our pitch, but we honestly weren’t expecting to place third. We did the work in a way that felt satisfying to us, and we’re grateful the judges thought it deserved a prize. Looking back, we’re happy to have come in 3rd among 51 teams and to have had the chance to turn what we’ve learned at CMU into a real idea we could put into practice." Yuki also from Green Pulse, found the experience enriching and called the Hackathon "A fantastic opportunity to really dig in and combine some serious, intensive brainstorming with the foundational knowledge we already have, especially concerning building performance."

CMU’s support of its students participating in forums like the Energy and Climate Hack reflects its commitment to building solutions to the world’s energy challenges and the enthusiasm of students to participate in this endeavor. Backed by the commitment of CMU’s academic and administrative leadership, the students made a lasting impact on the event, embodying the University’s hallmark culture of innovation and collaboration.