2025 COMPASS Grand Challenge
2025 COMPASS Grand Challenge
2025 COMPASS Grand Challenge
The Center for Complex Particule Systems (COMPASS) is sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The 2025 COMPASS Grand Challenge is a virtual, international competition that brings together students and early-career researchers to explore innovative solutions at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and particle science. With a focus on bioparticles and geoparticles, the challenge encourages interdisciplinary collaboration, creative problem-solving, and global engagement across science, engineering, and technology. Participants work in diverse teams to tackle real-world problems, gain hands-on experience, and showcase their ideas to expert judges.
Key Participants
Presenters
Prof. Balla Diop Ngom
UCAD President of the AMRS & Chairman at NanoAfnet
Transdisciplinary Research for Sustainable Development in Africa
Prof. Stephanie Brock
2025 CGC Lead Judge
Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science/WSU
Mentors
Judges
Shedule of Events
Please note, all session times are in EST.
Day 1 - June 2
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10 AM–10:10 AM | INTRODUCTION | Valerie Wehiong Batta – COMPASS-NCSU
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10:10 AM–10:40 AM | KEYNOTE SPEECH | Prof. Martin Thuo – COMPASS-NCSU
Frugal Science -
10:45 AM–11:15 AM | ENTREPRENEURSHIP | Dr. Yonas Gizaw – Entrepreneur
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11:20 AM–12 NOON | GRAPH & NETWORK THEORY | Prof. Paul Bogdan – COMPASS-USC
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12 NOON–1:00 PM | BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Day 2 - June 3
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10 AM–10:10 AM | DAILY UPDATES | Valerie Wehiong-Batta – COMPASS-NCSU
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10:15 AM–10:45 AM | WOMEN IN SCIENCE | Dr. Elena Della Valle – COMPASS-UM
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10:50 AM–11:20 AM | TRANSDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA | Prof. Balla Diop Ngom – UCAD/Senegal
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11:20 AM–12 NOON | COMPUTATIONAL PARTICLE RESEARCH | Trevor Teague – COMPASS-UM
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12 NOON | REVEAL TEAMS COMPOSITION | Valerie Wehiong Batta – COMPASS-NCSU
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12 NOON–1:00 PM | BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Day 3 - June 4
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10 AM–10:10 AM | DAILY UPDATES | Valerie Wehiong Batta – COMPASS-NCSU
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10:15 AM–10:45 AM | TRAINING ALL-MECHANICAL NEURAL NETWORKS FOR TASK LEARNING THROUGH IN SITU BACKPROPAGATION | Prof. Xiaoming Mao – COMPASS-UM
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10:50 AM–11:20 AM | GENERATIVE AI FOR DRUG DISCOVERY | Dr. Geoffrey Siwo – MIDAS-UM
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11:20 AM–12 NOON | THE STATE OF AI AND ML IN AFRICA | Dr. Alain Koyock – AI Consultant and Author
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12 NOON | GRAND CHALLENGE THEME REVEALED | Prof. Martin Thuo – COMPASS-NCSU (Web Access)
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12 NOON–1:00 PM | BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Mentors available for Q&A and guidance during this time.
Day 4 - June 5
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10 AM–10:10 AM | DAILY UPDATES | Valerie Wehiong Batta – COMPASS-NCSU
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10:15 AM–10:45 AM | THE USE OF AI AND ML IN RESEARCH | Dr. Haotian Chen – MIDAS-UM
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10:50 AM–11:20 AM | DEMOCRATIZATION OF INNOVATIONS | Tito Sarkar – CEO, PASEO
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11:20 AM–11:50 AM | PARTICLE SIZE & SHAPE DISTRIBUTIONS WITH IMAGEJ | Dr. Jeffery Raymond – COMPASS-VIN
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11:50 AM–12 NOON | FROM A PARTICIPANT TO A PhD STUDENT | Daisy Kiptoo – COMPASS-Fellow
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12 NOON–1:00 PM | BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Day 5 - June 6
Work on your projects!
Day 6 - June 7
Work on your projects!
Day 7 - June 8
FINAL PROJECT SUBMISSIONS | Participants
Day 8 - June 9
PROJECTS REVIEW AND DELIBERATION | Judges
Day 9 - June 10
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10 AM–10:30 AM | WINNER AND RUNNER-UP ANNOUNCEMENT | Prof. Stephanie Brock – Lead Judge, COMPASS/WSU
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10:30 AM–11:15 AM | WINNERS’ PITCH | Winner
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11:20 AM–11:50 AM | CLOSING REMARKS | Prof. Nicholas Kotov
The full schedule is available here.
Zoom Access
Zoom Recordings
Presentations
Structural GT for Grand Challenge 2025
Introduction: Join Daisy Kiptoo, graduate researcher in Electrical and Computer Engineering, as she introduces StructuralGT, a graph theory-based framework for analyzing structural systems. In this presentation, Daisy will walk through key graph theory concepts—such...
Introduction to Computational Particle Research
Introduction: What actually goes into a particle simulation—and why does it matter? In this accessible and engaging talk, Trevor Teague of the University of Michigan walks us through the essentials of computational particle research as practiced within COMPASS. From...
Art of Frugal Science and Innovations – Compass AI/ML Challenge 2025
Introduction: Electronics have evolved at a pace that far outstrips many foundational technologies—yet these transformations still rely on centuries-old concepts like soldering. In this visionary talk, Professor Martin Thuo, Fellow of the National Academy of...
Women in Science: Navigating an Unconventional Path
Introduction: Join Elena della Valle, PhD and Managing Director of COMPASS, as she shares her journey in Women in Science: Navigating an Unconventional Path. In this presentation, Elena will reflect on her transition from hands-on research in drug delivery and...
A Glimpse to Graph Theory and Network Science: Computational Methods & Applications
Introduction: This presentation offers a structured exploration of graph theory and its critical role in advancing the field of network science. We begin with formal mathematical definitions of graphs and progressively introduce foundational metrics—degree,...
Resources
Team Composition
Grand Challenge Questions
For additional information, please reach out to: