The Stanford Center on Longevity has announced the eight finalist teams for its 12th Annual Longevity Design Challenge, which includes two Indian teams. This year’s theme, “Reimagining Education and Learning for Long Lives,” has inspired innovative solutions from university students worldwide, addressing the evolving educational needs of individuals at all life stages.
The two Indian finalists are:
1. **Flo (Indian Institute of Technology, India)**: A deck-building card game inspired by ikigai, guiding players through a journey of exploring the connections between challenges and personal abilities.
2. **Kahaani (MIT WPU, India)**: An interactive educational kit designed for marginalized children in India, focusing on teaching social-emotional learning through games.
The remaining finalists include:
– **Bloom (School of Visual Arts, USA)**: An app aimed at helping unemployed youth discover career paths and overcome mental health challenges by encouraging exploration of activities and interests.
– **KoMi (Sapienza Università di Roma, Italy)**: A web platform that assists individuals in developing soft skills and offers a digital skills portfolio.
– **Mission of Generations (University of Maribor, Slovenia)**: A board game designed to help grandparents enhance their digital skills while connecting with their grandchildren.
– **Praxice (University of Maribor, Slovenia)**: A web platform that aids young professionals in bridging the gap between academic knowledge and the practical experience needed for the IT job market.
– **Silver Tech Explorers (Harvard University, USA)**: A program focused on improving digital literacy among older adults through personalized, in-person workshops supported by an AI-powered classroom assistant app.
– **Veritas (Texas A&M University, USA)**: A Canvas course that equips young adults in Pakistan with fact-checking skills to combat digital misinformation on social media.
The finals of the 12th Annual Longevity Design Challenge are scheduled for April 22, 2025, at Stanford University’s Li Ka Shing Center. During this event, finalist teams will showcase their innovative designs, competing for a $10,000 first prize. The finals will be open to the public, allowing attendees to engage with groundbreaking solutions that are shaping the future of education and learning. For those unable to attend in person, recordings of the event will be made available afterward. The event will also feature a keynote presentation by Mitchell Stevens, a professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education.