The Mentor Project Podcast is back for its second episode and hosts Susan and Marco welcome Javier Francario and Sam Benoit to discuss the hackathon, an initiative that provides opportunities for young people to work together on real-world problems using technology. Sam, who won the third hackathon, shares his experience and his idea for a school safety app that utilizes facial recognition and artificial intelligence.
Guests:
Sam Benoit, student, The Mentor Project mentee, and winner of the 2022 TMP Hackathon
Javire Sabas Francario | Science teacher (Physics, Chemistry, and Biology), a Mathematician, and a big fan of Astronomy, Meteorology, Geology, Military History, Naval Engineering, and all human devices from a simple screw to a complex space rocket.
On ITSPmagazine: https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/javier-sabas-francario
The Mentor Project: https://mentorproject.org
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Hosts:
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone Ph.D., Host of The Mentor Project Podcast | Host of Perspectives | Systems Psychotherapist, International Coach, Talk Show Host & Producer, Professor | Mentor at the Mentor Project
On ITSPmagazine | https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/dr-susan-birne-stone
Marco Ciappelli, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine, Host of Redefining Society Podcast, and other shows on ITSPmagazine
On ITSPmagazine | https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/marco-ciappelli
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Episode Introduction
"The Mentor Project Podcast is back for its second episode and hosts Susan and Marco welcome Javier Francario and Sam Benoit to discuss the hackathon, an initiative that provides opportunities for young people to work together on real-world problems using technology. Sam, who won the third hackathon, shares his experience and his idea for a school safety app that utilizes facial recognition and artificial intelligence."
The Mentor Project Podcast show with Susan and Marco is back with an exciting second episode. This week, they're joined by mentor Javier Francario, and Sam Benoit, the winner of the hackathon, which is the focus of this episode.
They discuss what a hackathon is and how it provides teenagers with the opportunity to work with experts in various fields to solve problems. Sam shares his experience with the hackathon and how he came up with an idea to mitigate the effects of school shootings using facial recognition and GPS technology to identify and track intruders.
The hosts, Susan and Marco, are impressed with Sam's idea and ask him questions about how he developed it and how he used the mentors during the hackathon to refine his pitch.
Javier explains how the hackathon is organized and how participants can choose categories and submit their projects. In addition to discussing the hackathon, they talk about Sam's interests and passion for STEM fields, including computers and artificial intelligence.
Listeners are invited to share this episode, listen to the first one, and subscribe to their Podcast and YouTube channel to catch more exciting episodes of The Mentor Project Podcast.
Watch the webcast version on-demand on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Ewrd_JHIQlY
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Resources
Learn More About The Mentor Project: https://mentorproject.org
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For more podcast stories from The Mentor Project:
https://www.itspmagazine.com/the-mentor-project-podcast
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Please note that this transcript was created using AI technology and may contain inaccuracies or deviations from the original audio file. The transcript is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for the original recording as errors may exist. At this time we provide it “as it is” and we hope it can be useful for our audience.
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SPEAKERS
Javier Francario , Marco Ciappelli, Dr. Susan Birne-Stone, Sam Benoit
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone 00:03
Hey, Marco, how are you?
Marco Ciappelli 00:06
I'm good. How are you?
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone 00:08
Okay, this is our second taping, I did hear the first one. Very exciting. And this is great. Today we have on the winner of the hackathon, and information about the hackathon. I'm very excited to record this today.
Marco Ciappelli 00:22
Absolutely. And the first question I know already know is what is going to be because it's going to be... What's a hackathon?
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone 00:30
Yeah. You know, when I was thinking about today's guest, I was thinking through the perspective of my adolescent self, and was thinking, what would it have been like to have the opportunity that the kids today in the hackathon had? And what would I have done? And so that's what I was thinking about, in thinking about today's recording. And we'll, we'll, we'll hear why I'm thinking about that.
Marco Ciappelli 01:00
I'm curious because you know, I always want to hear your perspective. And, I want to hear our guests' perspectives on everything. But I'm with you. I mean, sometimes I look back at when I was a teenager or a kid, and I'm like, I, there wasn't this kind of opportunities, at least not for me. I mean, not that I grew up in a place that there are no opportunities, but technology is just bringing everybody's together people from different parts of the world that can interact know each other. And I know that because we have done if you episode before the hackathon, that's one of the main intention that this person that is Javier is bringing to the table is His mission is vision is passion, and is one of the mentor on the mantle project. So
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone 01:53
I know and we're gonna hear, like, I think, imagine, like when I was a teenager to have a group of people that gave me the opportunity with experts in the field and to be able to just pick a problem to solve. I mean, that's just amazing. So I'm really looking forward to hearing from Sam and his experience, because he is a youth. So I'm excited. Are we ready to move on?
Marco Ciappelli 02:18
Let's click that button. And here's Javier. And here's Sam, how are you?
Sam Benoit 02:25
I'm good. Hi.
Marco Ciappelli 02:30
Susan. You do the honor plates.
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone 02:32
Okay. Well, thank you so much, Javier. And Sam, for being here. And I think what I am Javier, I've known you for a couple of years. And you've been involved in several of the hackathons. And so I'm going to give you the opportunity to just do a little bit of introduction about yourself, and as well as introduce Sam. This is the first time I'm meeting Sam, and I'm really excited to hear about his experience with the hackathon. So Javier, tell us a little bit about first how you got involved with the mentor project and this thing called the hackathon that you've been doing now for a couple of years.
Javier Francario 03:10
Yeah, I think much. So Santa Marco. Yes, the hackathon is we're running like this is the third band next year, it's going to be the fourth year, we're going to run the hackathon with the mentor project. The idea came through, because I noticed that the hackathon gives I an idea to the kids, especially the young kids to work together and in different places, you know, because now we we are weaved in the reality. Yes. During the pandemic that gave us the idea to connect people from different parts of the war, to work together. Imagine that in my case, I am a science teacher in Argentina. We have people from New York from California here, and all are in the same room chatting today. Thanks to the technology, so why we cannot use this technology for improved the people all together and work together in solve problems, you know, with people that give their time, their effort to know to help teenagers so so ideas that they are incredible. Sometimes they are solutions on the area that they found. And I said before we have some here that is a winner of the third hackathon of the mentor project. Yes.
Marco Ciappelli 04:31
Congratulations.
Javier Francario 04:33
So Sam is a teenager that live close to New York if I am not wrong in USA, and he made a fantastic work with an actual choppy that introduce international IB. I believe that in artificial intelligence, more data to prevent certain kind of problems that happened in the schools now With eight, yes, but I believe that the idea is fantastic. So I'm going to give you the summary opportunity to introduce me to read himself and explain a little bit about his idea.
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone 05:15
So you know, I'm just wondering, this is great. Thank you, Javier. So maybe you can start with, how did you find out about the mentor projects and the hackathon and maybe start from from that place?
Sam Benoit 05:28
Certainly, thank you. I found out I'm currently a junior in high school, I found out when I was a 10th, grader, middle of 10th grade from a current at the time, my current mentee of the Mentor Project, a couple of mentors, and I was I met him via my school, and I saw what he could do with it. And I asked him a lot of questions. And he introduced me to the project. And I contacted the head of the project and a couple mentors, and I was able to converse with them about certain ideas. And that followed with the hackathon. This mentee showed me what the hackathon is, how it works. And he, he actually won one, a couple years ago, and he was able to share his experience with me.
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone 06:08
Wow, that's great. So now tell us about your idea.
Sam Benoit 06:13
As Javier said, it has something to do with artificial intelligence. It's something before the hackathon I was very interested in and I knew with this hackathon, I could apply my knowledge and really delve into what artificial sounds is and how I can apply it to the real world. And I, I knew as a high schooler the dangers of lack of security or lack of police force that could potentially help you in a certain situation. And I realized that I wanted to apply that with, with preventing those types of type of tragedies that can happen in a school. And, and I also applied that to an app. And I was able, and I was able to come up with a I guess, kind of a unique idea to help prevent that in the future. Wow,
Marco Ciappelli 06:58
I'm gonna jump into some because one thing that when we were reviewing your your idea, because that's in heavier will explain how the hackathon works, because it's, there's a presentation, there is a review, and then a way to improve. One thing that we noticed was, there was more about mitigating the effect of this problem than then really preventing, right, like preventing that it escalate. And unfortunately, we're gonna go in more detail. But unfortunately, we see these too many times in the in the news, but we did love very much how you made it. I'm gonna say I work with technology and cybersecurity a lot. So I think you've made something that already exist in different places. And you've kind of put it together, and you made it in a very simple, understandable way. So prop two to that. And maybe you want to summarize what your solution was for these mitigation of shootings in schools, which is a very, very, very relevant problem.
Sam Benoit 08:09
Certainly, as you said, I definitely did not invent facial recognition or artificial intelligence, but I was able to innovate with it. And I was able to add a certain user interface for people specifically, I geared it towards police force, because they have their responsibility to take care of certain situations. And I was, and I was able to come up with an app idea that could that they could they could use to understand and to know, a intruders location, and, and the facial recognition. And the artificial intelligence would recognize that this person was an intruder, to make sure that you're not trying to stop the wrong person, you want to stop the right person, so they don't attack anyone. And knowing the location of a of an intruder allows teachers and other faculty to steer clear of them. And to make sure that the students are safe. Because if you don't know where a very dangerous person is, you have very little control in the situation. The app doesn't give them full control, but gives them a lot more than they would have. And it gives them a little more control in the situation to where they could keep people safe.
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone 09:14
So Sam, this is the first time actually I'm hearing about the specifics of it. So I really know nothing unlike Marco and Javier. So if I could be like listener to. And let me see if I'm understanding correctly, because this is an I'm not in the field of technology or security and all that. But what it sounds like you did was take if I'm understanding correctly, the technology of facial recognition and a GPS to identify a location and then make it an app so that like schools would be able to like school security, people would have this app and cameras would be around the school and then it would feed into that app. Is that what I'm understanding? Is that correct? Yes. That's correct. Wow, very impressive. Have that is that is great. And so can you how, like, during the hackathon? How did you use the mentors and the hackathon? To help you with this idea?
Sam Benoit 10:13
Good question, I utilized one or two specific ones, because they showed that they knew the specific skills, some more lawyers, some were specifically programmers. So I went to a specific programmer, and he was able to dig into certain perspectives, as this podcast is actually called, of, of the situation. Because as a teenager, I don't know every single problem in the entire world. So I talked to someone a little more experienced. And he was able to pick out certain I wouldn't say problems with my idea, but certain things on which I can expand on. At first, it was a little too restricted. And I was I was able to broaden my idea and an add, add a couple more features that that allowed to help mitigate, actually, more school intrusions. Along with public speaking with my pitch.,
Marco Ciappelli 11:03
Wow, very impressive. Very cool. And I think we'll get into the detail of that later. Because I being a judge, I was part of the first round and the second round, so I have some comments about it. But Javier, tell us a little bit about how at the beginning of every hackathon, you choose what the direction of this particular that particular Hackathon is going to be mean, the meaning of the theme and the meaning of what is relevant around the world? And how, how the participant can help us with that?
Javier Francario 11:38
Well, the first idea is, I am not alone. There are a lot of team behind me of mentors on college students that help with all the organization. Yes. And we check in accounts, the problems that arise in Horizont, for a moment, more or less are the year that is going to run uthe hackathon. You know, the last one, no, the one the year before. We're running out the mask, how to fix them better. You know, this year, we returned to the classic categories. But every single year, we are tried to change the categories, change the problems, change the situations for adjust for a war that is changing every single day. Yes. So the categories are, create your own challenge, when you have a challenge that you cannot fix in any of the categories that we have for that year. Yes. Then you can submit to category, you know, a calling what's the space? Holy curls? They are rotating the categories according what happened in the war? No. And all the kids? Yes. Are they teenagers, and they want to be involved in the hackathon, the registration form, that they can complete in the webpage of the mentor project? Yes, in the slide of the hackathon. We asked simple information, they submit what category they like it. With that you're in the project directory in the hackathon. Yes. That's in a way that work the encryption.
Marco Ciappelli 13:30
Very good. And, Sam, I'm sure Susan has a ton of questions. But I would like to know a little bit more about you. Like apart from the we dive right into the project. But what are your passion, what what you are into? And maybe even why? And why were you oriented in picking this topic? I mean, I think I know the answer. But I would like to hear it from from somebody that leaves that probably every every day. But let's let's start with you. What do you like to do? What are your passion? What are you studying?
Sam Benoit 14:03
Sure. Thank you for asking. I like when I am able to share this. Specifically artificial intelligence. I think it's very fascinating. I think it's the I think it's a very bright future for technology. I got into computers when I was in middle school. And I didn't really know what encompassed them. But as I as I went through high school and middle school, I was able to really understand their applications to a certain extent. And I was able to with this hackathon, apply everything I've been able to learn over the past five years, and really apply it and make it an interesting idea. That very, I'm a very big stem person, just science, technology, engineering, math, like I like computers and artificial intelligence, but I like a lot of other things. Like physics, I like math. I like aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, it's very broad. And it's really hard to really focus on that, like focus on computers because if I'm focusing on one thing, it's hard to really focus on something else got to compromise with that. But I think I'll be able to dip my, my toes into other other subjects later, I don't think you really have to give up everything if you want to do something.
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone 15:14
It sounds like you were introduced, as you said, in middle school into artificial intelligence and computers. And then you said, you're a 10th grader. So I'm wondering, How was the experience with the mentors different? Then like, what did that opportunity give you? What was it like to actually work with a mentor? What was that experience? Like?
Sam Benoit 15:38
A very good question. Because I, these people that I'm meeting with are very, very influential people, they've done a lot in their, in their long careers, no matter what, no matter where they were in the world. And that was able to, it's like talking to a celebrity. It was, it was really, it was really, it was really incredible. I mean, these, these people are some of the brightest some of the most accomplished people. And when you get when you get to sit down and talk with them in such an informal way, I kind of right now in my room, I'm not get dressed up in a tie or anything. We we were able to talk talk as if we were just having a cup of coffee, like it was so it was so general, and I was very comfortable. Like I wouldn't, I wouldn't shake, I wouldn't shake there. And like, it's just a stupid question. I was like, I'm really wondering about this. And they answered it in the fullest. They didn't hold anything back, they really wanted me to understand what I was talking about. And it was it's a true pleasure to talk to those people. And I'm very fortunate to have found the mentor project. And I've talked with other mentors before. And it's, it's quite an incredible experience.
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone 16:36
You know, I'm smiling, because I don't know if you know this, but that's exactly how Marco describes his this world in terms of podcasting. And this is what he talks about how it's about, like, he feels like it's having a cup of coffee with someone. And that's right. And, you know, before you guys came on, and we were Marco and I were talking and I was thinking about from like, my, my adolescent self wondering, from our perspective, what would have been like, what would it have been like for me to be able to talk like, to the celebrities of interest that I had, and that's just amazing that you had that experience. And, you know, you you bring up so many interesting things that I think that mentees can really learn from, you know, when I think of other like high school kids and middle school kids, what they can learn from, because you will able to talk to your friend, be interested. And then when you reached out to the mentor project, and you weren't afraid to do that, and like it sounds like it didn't sound too overwhelming. It wasn't like, you know, too, out of your reach, like you were able to say, Okay, I'm just going to get involved and ask questions. And so what would you want to tell like some of the either middle schoolers or high schoolers or really even adults listening? Who might actually be afraid to reach out to people or feel shy about that? Because you weren't able to embrace it? So what would you want to tell tell the audience on that?
Sam Benoit 18:04
That's a good question. Because I very much thought about that before, not everyone may want to talk to these people due to being shy or maybe, like very nervous. I understand that. However, I think if you're really passionate about something, and you really want to learn about it, and you want to go to these people, they're very, I feel like, I hope at least very few will say actually will say no to it, like, No, I don't want to help you, unless they're, like, they're super busy or anything, but they could always scheduled something else. But there are a lot of these people want to spread their knowledge. It's, it's very unfortunate if anyone wants to restrict their knowledge to the world, I think they Anyone, anyone can really hold very valuable knowledge. And they can, they can spread that to as you said, like high school or even an adult. I think that it'd be very, very interesting situation. If they actually said, No, I think they really want to help you. They they really want to give you success, because they probably had that too. I really, it's really hard to go off just raw information and not ask ask any help. That's, I feel like that's a very wrong way to do it. I think you can be very successful. There's no shame in doing.
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone 19:11
That's great. Marco, it looks like you have a question or something you want to say?
Marco Ciappelli 19:14
No, I want to give, give the ball and it's not just because there's the World Cup, but I want to give the ball to one of yours so we can play with it. I'm sure you have so much to add to this.
Javier Francario 19:27
No, yeah, for sure. Marco and Susan, and Sam before something very important. He mentioned that he was grateful to be involved with the mentors and chat with them, and sharing the knowledge with them and how open there was and you know that it's something that hackathon after Hackathon is repeated with all the participants no matter if they win or not. They hackaton they have the same feeling they cannot believe the background of the mentors, how they are so open share the knowledge with them during a weekend or two, and then sometimes continue working in the idea after the after the hackathon, you know, because they continue chatting, or email, or anything like that. And we maintain that they obtain patents after this, because they continue working with the mentor project. And they haven't in many pendings, you know, I know that. So it's very powerful that you said some, and I hope you don't lost the contact with their mentors and try to continue to grow in your area, maybe we have another patent you with your name on it, that's going to be great, like the old or not.
Marco Ciappelli 20:51
But that will be great. And I wish Deborah, which for those that don't know her, and they haven't listened to the prior podcasts that we recorded with Susan, she is the founder of the mental credit, which we are launching in lab for innovation, which is actually going to be focused exactly on these on how to patent idea how to share ideas and how to be able to find the right resources. Because I think the history of technology, it's full of ideas that unfortunately, even if they were really good, they maybe they need them find the commercial value. And sometimes the the less good idea, technology prevail on what the one that technically was better, because ultimately, you need, you need the money, you need the network, you need the connection, and you need to be able to present these ideas. And that brings me back to one of the goal for for the hackathon is not only how good your idea is, but how are you able to present it in a very short video in a short document. So I would love to hear your experience in that because maybe even add to if you have learned something from this experience, what was it that was it like an improvement in the way you talk and improve and the way you write? How useful was this experience for you?
Sam Benoit 22:24
I'd say it was extremely useful, extremely helpful. As you said, my writing skills, my speaking skills, I think they've all improved a little bit, especially my speaking skills, my writing, it was fine. But definitely with certain ideas. Never written we had a writer, write a white paper, just like a basically a white paper about your product. And I've never done that before. So definitely needed help on that. But I've always had a lot of trouble with public speaking. So it's been a little nervous, kind of drawn some anxiety just because it's fun of a lot of people. But I was able to my first one was a little shaky, because I didn't really know what I was doing. I never really made one of those before. I didn't a lot of new things with this hackathon. But the second time I talked with a couple of mentors, and and a couple mentees. And I was able to really improve. And I was able to show show, I was able to show more not not just towards I feel like it's a little boring. If you just sit there and talk. It's it can be a little monotone. But if you if you show what you're working on, if you really demonstrate the the technical detail of everything, I think it makes a little bit a little more interesting and a little more attention grabbing. And I learned I learned that through through this mentor project this hackathon. And I'm definitely going to apply it in any future project because I think that's a very key aspect of being successful.
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone 23:42
Well, I'm sure our listening audience will agree that you are doing fantastic at public speaking right now. And you can probably go on to mentor a lot of not only students, but adults, because that is a very common thing is anxiety with public speaking and you've mastered it. So you're doing a beautiful job right now. Thank you. I think you wanted to bring something else. You had a question or comment?
Javier Francario 24:07
No. Yes, the comments that we realize that this is the idea why we make two presentations, you know, because the first one is like it training, you know, for them to prepare a presentation selling the idea during the hackathon. And the second time is the one that define the winner. Yes. But that is the point that they learn how to prepare a presentation. They're gonna have a chest, the mistakes and the problems that they can have, and also lost the fear. You know, because in general, in order iteration or hackathons, you have 24 or 48 hours for prepare your idea. You have only one time to assemble it to make your presentation And is that bullet is missing the target, you lost. And you know up some time general you never have an idea why you lost. You know, and you never have a feedback sometimes from the churches, according with the amount of group that they are. I know that so in the hackathons are when the minimum project, every single group have mentors during the first weekend, they have a football from the churches and the second weekend, and they have a second weekend to prepare the new presentation. And they have in the middle of the week or the weekend after, you know, they want their award ceremony, and they receive the winner of the event. And in all this process, whereby Lloyd, how they improve their presentation, how they follow the femur, from the churches, and how they follow the comments of the mentors, you know, tool chain, a final solution. So that is the thing that may be completely different to one hackathon, this hackathon to the rest, you know, we realized that this is very important for all the teenagers that are participating in the bands, you know, this opportunity to have the mistake, rebuild it, you know, presents again, that gave them some a lot of confidence, and also given the opportunity to be better, you know, the next time.
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone 26:37
So I'm hearing so many different lessons and opportunities that everybody who participates in the hackathon gets. So what you're hearing, not only is the technical issue that students are having the ability to explore and learn from mentors, in terms of their specific ideas and interest, but they're also getting the chance to work with people. I know that in the hackathons, they work with other kids from around the world, other students, and they're also having the opportunity to practice as Sam was saying, public speaking, I mean, there's so many valuable learning opportunities for students to get and, and it's really a great opportunity for people to get the app to be able to not just do it in one weekend, but to get feedback, and go in and do the work and make improvements. Because that's what happens in real life, right? We don't just do something once it's about that process of working on something and improving it and making it better and learning actually how to take feedback, because that's a lesson in and of itself that people don't learn. You know, lots of people sometimes get defensive when they're getting constructive criticism. So there's so many things and opportunities that the hackathon offers Javier, it's really a wonderful thing that you've developed and that you continue to do.
Marco Ciappelli 27:56
And that’s exactly what the mentor project is about. And we were just asking, this is not a competition, right? I mean, there has to be a winner. But at the beginning, we also said, they're all going to be winners, because they all give their time, and they will improve. And honestly, their idea, my opinion, Sam, and maybe we can talk a little bit even more, but it is feasible, on my opinion, based on my experience, it's it's simple enough that you could explain it very much better the second time, your improvement from the first presentation to the second was fantastic. I couldn't believe it. And then when you told me, I don't remember no, somebody told me that you work with a leaf or that I'm like, oh, okay, I see why, because Ellie is a great, great teacher for speaking and mentor. And, and you took it, you took it wonderfully. And even now you agree with Susan, you're, you're you're being great in this in this presentation. So enough about you. Let's talk about you. Tell us where would you like this idea to go? And does this inspire you to come up with even more ideas and see if commercially, they could be value?
Sam Benoit 29:26
Thank you. That's it? That's a good question. I've been trying to I've been reaching out to more mentors, specifically with AI and basic coding to try and put this into reality. I really I really want to I think it's gonna take a long time. But I think I could really do something with this. I there's multiple aspects to it that I work on that I really I really hope that I could do something with it one day. That definitely does inspire me to to do more, do more projects. I I love what I'm able to do with this even just thinking about it. Like I I have a notebook full of full of ideas that I that I want to do may not get to all of them, but I can get definitely get to some of them. And I think it's very important that I keep going with that I, I don't plan on quitting anytime soon.
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone 30:11
I'm sure you get this question a lot, but I can't resist because you are interested in so many different things. But like, what's your dream about some of the things that you'd love to do when you're out there after college? Like, what's some of the projects that you'd love to explore professionally?
Sam Benoit 30:28
That's a very good question. I've been asking myself that question for a long time. After college, I definitely want to do some that definitely wanna do something with technology, I think I've been looking like how to do a startup after college, I've looked at startups, everywhere they look, it looks like I wouldn't say fun, it looks like a lot of hard work. But I think it's fun for fun. For people who really enjoy doing what they what it is, I don't think you would go into that if you didn't like the subject, that there wouldn't be good. But I think if I liked the aspect of you know, you're working hard for an idea, that's not just going to benefit you, we're going to benefit a lot of other people, if we can get to that scale. I think AI is very much in the perspective of my of my future. And AI spans a lot of different areas. AI, machine learning is a subset of AI, which is machine learning was is then in turn a subset of data science, there's so many hours I could go to without having to give up anything with my interest. And I think that's something that I want to stick to and I plan to.
Marco Ciappelli 31:29
So my dogs wanted to know. So I'm gonna ask you this question, because I'm curious, I talked to a lot of people about artificial intelligence and bias and algorithms and how we're using technology nowadays. And I never get the opportunity to ask this to a young person like yourself, what's your feeling about artificial intelligence? Is it like all positive and exciting? It scares you a little bit? Do you think that from an ethic perspective, there is a long way to go? I mean, and throw, you know, some hints here, but how do you feel about artificial intelligence, like, Oh, flowers and smiles? Or does it worry you another bit?
Sam Benoit 32:13
That's a good question. Since that's, that's definitely definitely the first one to ask that. And then any AI movie you've seen, but I'm definitely I, it excites me a lot. I know that I think it'd be a little ignorant just to go in and not think there's any reservations with it. I think people do have to be careful, I think they're, like, goes into the wrong hands, or you do it in a certain way. But I think that if we keep going with doing things for the good, doing things that can really benefit people, and not really steer into any dangerous alleys, I think we can do it. And I don't think that AI is like going to be super dangerous. One day I, I really think that, such as myself and other people similar to me and older, younger, can really do amazing things with it. And I'm very excited to see what it can come because it's only the beginning. We've done a lot of we've done a lot of advancements with it, but it's very much still it's still out there. So, so growing.
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone 33:11
You know, Javier, I said this to you, I think it was last year, the year before with one of the other hackathons. And I feel the same way here today talking with Sam, is that it just gives me this feeling of such optimism for this generation and for feelings of the future. You know, there's so much right now in society where it's like, oh, negativity, but you know, hearing Sam and his interest in what he's creating, it just is just so it gives me just a great feeling for our future. And Sam, thank you so much for, for contributing in bringing your interest and your dedication. It's really just a wonderful thing to experience and say, really, and Javier, I'm just wondering, do you want to talk a little bit about what you have in store for the next hackathon, and how people can get in touch with the hackathon if they're actually interested? In the next one?
Javier Francario 34:06
Well, thank you. So Simon, first I'm going to say that Sam's wait all the things I like it and all that if he didn't like me when I was a teenager. I don't have the ability to AI because in that moment, imagine I almost the next year going to be 50 years old. So at that time, it was in dampers, you know, the AI, but it was incredible, all the things, you know, display the technology and all that I am a big fan of all that. So I want to say that some that I feel like I began to my adolescence with him or when I was a teenager. Thank you, Sam for that. Feedback, you know, or deja vu? It was excellent. Well, now your questions are some that you don't care about. Okay. And then here we're going to a hackathon. Again, we're going to have the fourth edition this year, we'll yet set the days of the hackathon, the categories, or anything like that very similar. But soon we're going to start dating the webpage of the mental project with all this information, because as I said before, we are a team that we in the hackathons. So we need to take care of our in account the country or involves the holidays. I know that because not all the countries have the same national holidays. Yes. For example, this one that we have in this year we have in Argentina last weekend's Mother's Day, and I don't know, what are things in the middle that made a lot of people, you know, not we they want to participate when when they realize that they it's no in ball because of the age. So we need to take care of the calendar. But yes, we're going to have a fourth edition of the hackathon. Yes, next year, very similar to the one son was involved. This means mentors. First presentation, a second one for announced a winner in the middle of figma, from the churches to improve their presentation, you know, with great mentors, you know, that Marco said earlier, that is genius with the speaking part. Every time that you hear him, you're like, wow, you know, all the time, no matter what he said, you said, wow, it's incredible. Yes. And a lot of mentors in every single field, that they are experts. And they are very clear when these planes, the problems, the ideas, the solutions that you can try to test, you know, because in a hackathon, the mentors never never going to give you the correct answer is going to give you Yes, like a bobble you know that the idea where you come to go, but you are the one that going to decide what are the roads that you're going to take with your solution? You know, so, but this is the idea. You have to be your own path through the hackathons. The mentors are going to give you some ideas, you know, help helping with understand the the problems, what they expect the chances from you, you know, but at the end, you're going to build your own path.
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone 37:43
Great. I would mark, I just have one more question for Sam. I know we're coming to the end of this, this time together. So Sam, is there anything that we haven't asked you yet? Or tapped into that you would like to share either about your project, the experience with the mental project or the hackathon, or anything else that you'd really like to add?
Sam Benoit 38:04
No, I think you guys touched on a lot you guys asked very good questions. Stuff that I really wanted to talk about. Definitely want to talk about my project. My personal life asked all that. I don't think I don't have anything else that I really want to talk about unless you guys do your questions. I've been great. I've been pleasure answering all of them.
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone 38:26
Well, we hope that you will come back again, and I see mentoring in your future for the hackathon as well. Was maybe Marco, even a podcast? He can you know, he's such a great speaker that I think that we can, we might invite you not just might, but I'm thinking for you to be on a podcast and maybe you can ask some questions of either mentors or mentees. And yeah.
Marco Ciappelli 38:54
Perspective perspectives, this is what he's about. And for me, most of my conversation are in between society, technology, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity. So there's always where are we looking at the problem the or not just a problem, even a perfect solution, but there is always the different point of view. Right. And I was very excited to ask you the question about artificial intelligence. And I will like actually, I'm going to come up with an idea right now Susan, to have a panel with Sam and some other young people his age and, and really talk about the way they perceive technology. I come a Generation X. I've started without technology, I mean, not the digital technology, you know, the vinyl and all that kind of stuff or the old radio, but then I you know, I was able to migrate and understanding all that is coming up, but I feel like the negative people, the one that grew up with the smart farm with us, you know, already with this talk and all this digital technology, I really want to hear their perspective on what we discussed, because we have a bad tendency to make decisions for the younger generation thinking that we know what they what they want. And I think that we need to listen to them. So why not doing it on a podcast or on a panel?
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone 40:25
Marco, I love the idea. Absolutely a panel and I'll date myself here, Sam, this should make you laugh. But when I was in college and learning computers, literally, I took computer as my foreign language, no joke. So I wish
Marco Ciappelli 40:45
Which it is, by the way,
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone 40:57
Yes for us is a foreign language for you, it's just a natural language. Right? So I love that I hear Marco and I'm looking forward to and then maybe even after that first one, we get the multi besides us, we get a multi generations and have people from each generation Yes. And talk about the different perspective and how they see technology and all of this. This is great, exciting, yay.
Marco Ciappelli 41:20
Absolutely, I say we give another couple of minutes to have you here to make you make maybe make a pitch for what's coming up and how people can get in touch with you and your vision. And then we're gonna close it up.
Javier Francario 41:35
Okay, thank you very much for all the ones that want to be in touch with me about the hackathons, the organization and all that I can live with you the webpage of the mental project that's going to appear below. Yes. And also I can give you my my email. That is che Frank reo. Yes. At mentor project.org. Yes, that also is going to be in the crate or I don't know, thanks, part of the of the podcasts or the via podcast it's going to be but that's in that's two ways that people got in contact with me and the mentor project.
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone 42:19
Yeah. And just to add in case, they don't know the spelling, you can go to mentor project.org. And you are listed there and they can get in touch with you through the mentor, project.org Mentor Project at Oregon, just look for Javier or ask a mentor and you can certainly get in touch with you there as well.
Javier Francario 42:39
Yes, thank you very much.
Marco Ciappelli 42:41
Well, I want to thank everybody for this. Sam, it was a pleasure hanging out with you either. I had some tea here. I don't know. I'll put your drink in something warm as well to keep you warm there. And, yeah, we're looking forward to have you back and heavier, always a pleasure. Fellow mentor, and we really gotta remember that we learned from each other. We just can't know everything. And Sam, as you were excited to talk to people that you said celebrity. I mean, I feel that way. Every time I I talked to this other guy. I mean, I talked with people bringing in space. I mean, it's just blow my mind. So thank you very much, Suzanne, please.,
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone 43:24
Yeah you're right. Thank you. Thank you, Marco. And thank you, Sam and Javier. This is a great, this has been great. I'm looking forward to future hackathons as well as Sam, I'm looking forward to seeing you on the panel and another we did another episode of perspectives.
Marco Ciappelli 43:40
Thank you go. Yeah. Hi, everybody. Thank you.
Dr. Susan Birne-Stone 43:44
Take care.