A mobile app called “Stray Surplus” recently bagged the Best Use of Technology Award at EDUTech Asia 2024 in Singapore for reducing food waste while giving stray animals a better shot at survival.
Created by a team of students from the University of Santo Tomas-College of Information and Computing Sciences (UST-CICS), “Stray Surplus” uses Gemini AI to assess surplus food for safety and matches it to local animal shelters through the google Maps API, according to UST in a news release.
This creates a smart, socially conscious platform that bridges donors with shelters and addresses both food waste and animal neglect, it added.
The team behind the project, known as USTainability, included Gerwin Bryan Tuanquin, Cher Elisha Cruz, Enrique Resurreccion, Lara Nicole Gatchalian, and Miguel Adrian Torrejos, under the mentorship of Assoc. Prof. Eugenia R. Zhuo, DIT.
They’re part of the BS Information Technology Automation Track and developed the app using Adroid Studio, Firebase, Google AI Studio, and Gemini AI for smart food assessments.
Stray Surplus reflects Sustainable Development Goal 12 on responsible consumption and production, pushing for real-world impact through tech, stated UST.
