Middlesex College Student Awarded Second Place at KeanUHackThis 2025

“AniMobile is a combination of both the exciting aspects of seeing wildlife in person as well as the professional side, ensuring the public knows how to respond when a furry friend is spotted,” said Ananya Roy, business administration student at Middlesex College.

Team Club F took second place at the KeanUHackThis 2025, a hackathon event hosted by Kean University. Hackathons are competitions where teams have a limited window of time to build a product that is useful to modern life from scratch. This 12-hour event held over 115 participants.

The team was comprised of Roy, Benjamin Kellum of Rowan College at Gloucester County, and Xena Khan of Hudson County Community College. The three students met during the summer of 2024 as participants in the Transfer Scholars Initiative, earning them college credits at Princeton University.

The app, named AniMobile, has multiple functions including identifying if an animal is safe to approach, locating lost pets, and sharing cute critter pictures with peers. The design took inspiration from Pokémon Go!, Ring camera community feeds and Snapchat’s map feature to provide users with an interactive, virtual map of their community.

“Our goal was to create a platform where users could report sightings, connect with experts, and contribute to wildlife conservation,” said Roy.

Roy is a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, former vice president of the Computer Science Club, and former treasurer of the Business Club at Middlesex College. She credits Middlesex College professor Dhruv Chunawala for encouraging her to grow in her computer science skillset.

“Professor Chunawala’s support and guidance inspired me to participate in the Kean University Hackathon, showing me the impact I can make outside of traditional academics,” Roy said. “His mentorship has truly shaped my experience and growth as a student.”

Learn more about Computer Science Programs at Middlesex College.