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Student Success

Celebrating 10 Years of Make-A-Thon Innovation

A number of this year's top Make-A-Thon teams included Wilson College of Textiles students. Learn more about their sustainability solutions.

A group of diverse individuals poses on stage at a Make-a-Thon event. Some are wearing matching blue T-shirts. Ms. Wuf is in the center. A large screen in the background displays the Make-A-Thon event logo and name. Everyone is making the wolves up hand gesture and smiling.

The 10th Annual NC State Make-A-Thon, held Jan. 23–26, 2025, brought together 177 students from across campus to design, prototype and pitch solutions to global sustainability challenges. 

This year’s grand prize winner of $4,000 was EcoPack, who designed an app to increase sustainability awareness and accessibility on campus. The app included a redeemable “Pack Points” reward program and provided resources to help students engage more with campus sustainability initiatives. Master of Textiles student Deitra Harnish was a member of the winning team.

Additional Make-A-Thon awards included:

  • Second Place: Live water quality sensors to replace manual data collection, saving researchers time, energy and resources while enhancing efficiency.
  • Third Place: A free-use bike rental system with One Card-operated locks and a point system rewarding sustainable transportation and maintenance participation.
  • Best Use of Textiles Award: Tail-er, a business upcycling textile waste into high-quality dog accessories while supporting the community through donations to animal shelters and job creation.
  • Judges’ Honorable Award: Bounce Back, a campus program to repurpose dead tennis balls into sound-dampening panels, combining sustainability with functionality for versatile noise-reduction solutions.
  • Best Prototype Award: Botanica, an app offering AI-powered access to science-backed, culturally inclusive traditional remedies, promoting natural wellness, sustainability and cultural preservation.
  • Best Integration of Social Responsibility: SheSustain, an initiative creating biodegradable menstrual pads from campus-collected plant materials, distributed with smart disposal bins and a composting system.

A decade of collaboration

Over the past ten years, Make-A-Thon has engaged more than 1,000 students from every college on campus to form nearly 270 student teams. The competition requires teams to include members from at least two colleges, fostering collaboration that prepares students for their professional futures. 

Make-A-Thon’s interdisciplinary focus not only highlights the unique expertise of each participant but also pushes students to think beyond their individual fields.  

“Working with teammates from diverse disciplines was like assembling a puzzle where every piece added a new layer of depth,” said Ravali Giddemari, an M.S. Textiles student and member of the winning team for Best Integration of Social Responsibility. “Each person brought unique expertise—whether it was technical, creative or strategic—that challenged me to think beyond my comfort zone. This collaboration pushed our project to be not just innovative but also viable and impactful in ways I wouldn’t have imagined on my own.”

For many participants, the interdisciplinary nature of the competition was challenging but essential to success. 

Morgan Starnes, an environmental technology and management student whose team placed second, reflected, “You have to communicate ideas that are the basis of what you do, but are completely new to others. However, it was rewarding because our final creation was a great mix of all of our areas of expertise.”

The importance of collaboration was echoed by Sowmya Macheri Balaji, an engineering student from the Grand Prize-winning team, who said, “Collaborating with teammates from different disciplines was a key factor in shaping our project. Without an interdisciplinary team, we wouldn’t have been able to create such a well-rounded solution.”

Mentorship and future opportunities

Make-A-Thon brought together over 80 campus, industry, and community members who served as mentors and judges. Their guidance not only shaped the student projects but also provided invaluable networking and learning opportunities. 

Amanda Cease, a textile design student whose team earned the Judges’ Honorable Mention, shared, “Meeting with mentors and hearing their feedback was invaluable. Their insights helped us refine our solution and understand its broader impact.”

The significance of collaboration extended beyond the competition for some students. Vijayarahul Srinivasan, an engineering student from the Grand Prize-winning team, noted, “Make-A-Thon truly changed the way I approach problems. Throughout the event, the numerous interactions with other students, staff and mentors shaped the way I perceived the sustainability problem.” 

This year, 87% of competing teams in this year’s Make-A-Thon indicated an interest in pursuing their idea further through means such as applying for a NC State Sustainability Fund grant or participating in future entrepreneurship competitions

As Make-A-Thon celebrates its 10th anniversary, its impact is clear. By fostering innovation, collaboration and real-world problem solving, it prepares students to address sustainability challenges with creativity and purpose.

Make-A-Thon 2025 was made possibility through the generous support of its sponsors, including the Climate and Sustainability AcademyCoca-ColaEastman University Engagement FundGlobal One Health AcademyInnovation and EntrepreneurshipNC State DiningUniversity LibrariesOffice of Research and InnovationUniversity Housing Living and Learning VillagesUniversity Sustainability Office, individual donors through NC State’s Crowdfunding Campaign and the Wilson College of Textiles

This story was originally published by the NC State Office of Sustainability and was later updated to include more information about Wilson College of Textiles participants.