Make-A-Thon Celebrates its 10th Anniversary with Success

50 student teams competed at NC State’s sustainability innovation competition, Make-A-Thon.

January 31, 2025 Jaclyn McVey 2-min. read

This year Innovation and Entrepreneurship celebrated the 10th anniversary of NC State’s sustainability competition, Make-A-Thon. The Albright Entrepreneurship Garage partnered with NC State’s Department of Sustainability and the University Libraries to host this annual event.

Fifty student teams representing eleven academic colleges spent the weekend collaborating in cross-disciplinary teams to create the best sustainability solution. Participants took advantage of the Garage’s specialized tools and equipment to work on their various projects. They also worked with mentors who acted as sounding boards and provided industry expertise. After planning and prototyping, teams pitched their ideas to judges from campus and local communities for cash prizes totaling $9,000.

In addition to cash prizes, students also benefit from networking with industry professionals, hands-on learning, resume enhancement, developing career readiness skills and creating real-world impact. Working in interdisciplinary teams allows students to combine their expertise to create well-rounded solutions. The four-day competition helps students learn to think creatively under constraints. Out of the 50 teams, 43 indicated an interest in further pursuing their idea.

An engineering student, Sanskruti Mahule, said “[Make-A-Thon] pushed me to think outside the box and grow in ways I wouldn’t have in my normal routine. Towards the end, it didn’t even matter if we won; we were just glad to create something that everyone believed in.”

Meet the Winning Teams

EcoPack is a campus app rewarding eco-friendly actions with points redeemable for rewards while providing sustainability resources and engagement opportunities. This project was created to amplify NC State’s existing sustainability initiatives while addressing the gap in student awareness.

Live water quality sensors to replace manual data collection, saving researchers time, energy and resources while enhancing efficiency.

A free-use bike rental system with One Card-operated locks and a point system rewarding sustainable transportation and maintenance participation.

Tail-er is a business focused on upcycling textile waste into high-quality dog accessories while supporting the community through donations to animal shelters and job creation.

A campus initiative repurposing dead tennis balls into sound-dampening panels, combining sustainability with functionality for versatile noise-reduction solutions.

Botanica is an app offering AI-powered access to science-backed, culturally inclusive traditional remedies, promoting natural wellness, sustainability and cultural preservation.

SheSustain is an initiative creating biodegradable menstrual pads from campus-collected plant materials, distributed with smart disposal bins and a composting system.

Learn more about all fifty ideas created at NC State’s Make-A-Thon here.