2025 Hackathon

THINK BEYOND THE BOX

iRACE Hackathon bridging academia and industry

December 1, 2025

The Department of Consumer and Design Sciences (CADS) at Auburn University recently hosted the 2025 Innovation in Retail and Consumer Experiences (iRACE) Hackathon, a dynamic event designed to spark creativity and foster collaboration among students from diverse disciplines. Sponsored by Resource Label Group and instructed and coordinated by Dr. Wi-Suk Kwon, Director of the CADS’s iRACE Initiative, the hackathon provided a high-impact experiential learning opportunity, enabling students to directly tackle real-world industry challenges while engaging with corporate partners throughout the entire process.

OUR GOAL FOR 2025

The 2025 iRACE Hackathon set out with a bold mission: “We aim to explore and advance the future of smart packaging by leveraging NFC or NFC/RFID dual tagging technology to create seamless connections between products, consumers, and brands. Groups of students from diverse backgrounds will collaborate to propose forward-looking IoT (Internet-of-things) solutions to enable intelligent product experience, enhance consumer engagement, and improve transparency and sustainability."

This goal shaped the entire event, guiding students to design solutions that not only integrate cutting-edge technology but also address pressing issues in consumer engagement and sustainability.

A JOURNEY OF LEARNING AND INNOVATION

The four-day event began on October 20, 2025 with an inspiring tour of the Auburn University RFID Lab, where students discovered real-world applications of RFID technology across industries—from retail and airlines to healthcare and sports. This hands-on experience laid the foundation for innovative thinking, encouraging participants to envision solutions that enhance efficiency and customer engagement.

Day two (October 27, 2025) featured an insightful keynote by Nicholas Testanero, President of Cellotape Smart Products at resource

iRACE 2025 class participants hands-on training in Auburn University, RFID Lab

iRACE class participants visit to Auburn University, RFID Lab

iRACE 2025 ALL Class Participants at Auburn University RFID Lab

iRACE 2025 class participants hands-on training in Auburn University, RFID Lab

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Resource Label Group, who introduced students to NFC technology and its role in creating intelligent packaging and building lasting customer relationships. The third session (November 3, 2025) included presentations by Christian Oswald, CEO of Rainfall Digital, and Jason Storey, President and Co-Founder of Unknown Union, who showcased how brands leverage technology for authenticity and storytelling. Students also participated in an NFC tag encoding workshop, gaining practical skills to complement their conceptual knowledge.

Keynote presented by Nicholas Testanero to Hackathon participants.

President of Cellotape Smart Products at Resource Label Group

Hackathon participants hand-on knowledge on NFC technology.

2025 Hackathon participants test NFC technology themselves.

Keynote presented by Nicholas Testanero to Hackathon participants.

President of Cellotape Smart Products at Resource Label Group

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"The hands-on process that helped us learn about RFID and NFC tags was excellent. Additionally, having the opportunity to build the project and apply our creativity was outstanding."

Feedback of Hackathon Participant

THE GRAND FINALE

In the final day of the hackathon (November 17, 2025), eight teams of students, including Apparel Merchandising, Design and Production Management undergraduate students and Consumer and Design Sciences graduate students teaming up with students from a variety of other disciplines representing engineering, business, and art, and presented their innovative solutions to a panel of industry judges. The distinguished judges for this year’s hackathon included Christian Oswald (CEO & Founder, Rainfall Digital), Jason Storey (President & Co-Founder, Unknown Union), Marc Wendt (Founder & Creative Director, BrandFuel Co.), and Justin Patton (Director, Auburn University RFID Lab).

The hackathon challenge, aptly titled “Think Beyond the Box!”, encouraged students to apply RFID and NFC technologies to real-world problems. Impressively, the solutions proposed by the eight teams addressed critical challenges across a wide variety of industries, including education, pharmaceuticals, home furnishing, apparel, medical, travel, hospitality, and agriculture.The open-ended nature of the hackathon encouraged brainstorming, teamwork, and innovative thinking under time pressure. Students shared how this “pushed them out of their comfort zones in the best possible way.” From visiting the RFID Lab to building projects with NFC/RFID tags, participants embraced hands-on learning and applied concepts in practical, creative ways—far beyond traditional classroom experiences. Dr. Kwon noted, “The most rewarding part was seeing students excited about technologies they hadn’t encountered before and confident in applying them to solve real problems!”

CELEBRATING CREATIVITY AND EXCELLENCE

The first-place honor went to Team “Hack Pack”, an interdisciplinary team of four undergraduate students: Keaghan Elliott and Ansley Fesperman (Apparel Merchandising, Design & Production Management), Natalie Reese (Graphic Design), and Liana Segreto (Industrial & Systems Engineering). Their winning concept was an ingenious IoT-powered solution for in-home food inventory tracking and automated grocery shopping, leveraging NFC/RFID dual-tag technology to revolutionize the future of food management. For their outstanding achievement, the team received a $4,000 cash award and certificates of achievement.

The runner-up position was claimed by Team “Race

Hackathon 2025 Participants and Guests — Final Award Ceremony

Runner-Up Team — Hackathon 2025

Team Celebration — Hackathon 2025

Hackathon 2025 Participants and Guests — Final Award Ceremony

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to Innovate”, composed of graduate students in Consumer and Design Sciences: Al Amin, Fuad Bin Ahmed, Effat Hasan Mahdi, and Anika Tabassum Trisha. Their proposal featured a smart indoor plant care system integrating NFC/RFID technology to promote sustainability, foster community engagement, and enable data-driven brand decisions. This team was awarded $400 in gift cards along with certificates of achievement.

INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT AND COLLABORATION

While the spotlight shone on the top two teams, the iRACE Hackathon was a triumph for all participants (see the photo below). Each team demonstrated remarkable creativity, collaboration, and forward-thinking solutions under intense time constraints. In just a few days, students mastered new technology concepts, built functional prototypes, and confidently presented their ideas to a panel of industry judges. Their ability to transform complex challenges into practical, innovative solutions speaks volumes about the talent and determination driving Auburn University’s next generation of leaders.

The iRACE Hackathon was made possible through the generous support of Resource Label Group and dedicated industry partners who served as speakers, mentors, and judges, offering students invaluable insights into current market trends and technological applications. Their passion inspired students and their expertise and feedback helped students refine their ideas and understand the practical implications of their solutions. Together, we created an enriching experience that bridged academia and industry, empowering students to think boldly and innovate fearlessly.

"This hackathon connected us to the present world and its constant progression to the future. Indeed, the event proved that when diverse minds unite, innovation knows no bounds."

Feedback of Hackathon Participant

Below are LinkedIn posts from students who participated in the hackathon, reflecting their pride in the achievements they accomplished and their appreciation for the invaluable learning experience gained through collaboration with peers and industry partners.