Built in 36 hours

The idea didn’t start in a lab — it started in the car. 

The Crimson Devs consisted of Rupak Dey, Christopher Meraz and Antonio Luna, while Team Beep Boop included Shokhina Jalilova, Hailey Hudson and Allison Barricklow. 

On the drive to Albuquerque, a group of New Mexico State University students began sketching out what would become an app designed to tackle a problem they knew too well: food going to waste before it ever gets used. 

“We’ve all bought tons of groceries only to have them go bad,” the team wrote. “We wanted to build something to fix that.” 

By the end of the 36-hour Desert Dev Lab Hackathon, that idea had turned into a working product. The team, known as Crimson Devs, took first place out of 27 teams statewide. Another NMSU group, Team Beep Boop — the competition’s only all-girl team — finished right behind them, earning second with a tool aimed at helping farmers make decisions when water is limited. 

The competition, held April 18–19 in Albuquerque, challenged students to build artificial intelligence solutions for problems in food and agriculture — all within a single weekend. For the Crimson Devs, speed mattered more than structure. 

Instead of dividing into strict roles, they worked off a shared task list, moving from one priority to the next as time allowed. The approach kept things flexible, especially as ideas shifted and technical challenges surfaced. 

“The last two or three hours were the most intense,” the team said. “We were rushing to finish the prototype and get a demo ready while also putting together the presentation.” 

Early on, they realized building an artificial intelligence system from scratch wasn’t realistic in that timeframe. Instead, they leaned on existing tools, using Google’s Gemini Vision model to handle image recognition while focusing on building the app around it. 

The concept evolved as they went. What started as a basic idea — scanning pantry items — went through multiple iterations before landing on a system that could identify food, track expiration dates and suggest ways to use items before they go bad. By the time judging began, the product had taken shape. 

Pantry.ai allows users to photograph their pantry, organize items digitally, and receive alerts when food is nearing expiration. The app also suggests recipes and meal plans based on what’s already available, aiming to reduce waste while simplifying everyday decisions. 

“It felt like validation for the work we’ve put in,” the team said. “It showed we can build something people would actually use.” 

While one team focused on the kitchen, another turned its attention to the field. 

Team Beep Boop approached the challenge from a different angle, building a tool designed to help farmers respond to one of the region’s most pressing issues — water scarcity. 

Before the competition even began, the group reached out to NMSU agricultural economist Frank Ward, whose research examines how water shortages affect farm income in the Rio Grande Basin. That work became the foundation for their project. 

Using those models, the team created WaterOptix, a web-based tool that allows farmers to input their crop mix and expected water availability, then receive recommendations on how to adjust acreage to maintain profitability. 

“Farmers are already under a lot of stress,” the team wrote. “Many receive shortage notices with little guidance beyond word of mouth or gut instinct.” 

Their goal was to change that. Over the course of the weekend, the group split responsibilities based on strengths. One member focused on building the mathematical model, another designed the interface, while a third gathered data and prepared the final presentation. 

By the end of the first day, most of the system was in place. The remaining time was spent refining the model, incorporating real-time data and preparing for a three-minute pitch that would determine the outcome. 

“The most difficult part was making sure everything was accurate while pulling in live data,” the team said. 

The final product delivers clear recommendations, showing how different water scenarios impact income and whether farmers should reduce acreage, buy water or adjust planting strategies. The result earned the team second place — and recognition that carried more meaning beyond the ranking. 

“We were the only all-girl team there,” the group said. “To represent NMSU and women in computing like that was an honor.” 

Both teams competed as part of a statewide event that brought together students to solve real-world problems under pressure. The hackathon was supported in part by NMSU’s Hunt Center for Entrepreneurship, which focuses on helping students turn ideas into viable projects. 

For participants, the experience offered more than a competition. It was a chance to test ideas quickly, work through challenges in real time, and build something that could extend beyond a single weekend. For the Crimson Devs, that possibility is still on the table, as they continue refining their app and exploring what comes next.