## Inspiration

Peer-review is critical to modern science, engineering, and healthcare
endeavors. However, the system for implementing this process has lagged behind
and results in expensive costs for publishing and accessing material, long turn
around times reminiscent of snail-mail, and shockingly opaque editorial
practices. Astronomy, Physics, Mathematics, and Engineering use a "pre-print
server" ([arXiv](https://arxiv.org)) which was the early internet's improvement
upon snail-mailing articles to researchers around the world. This pre-print
server is maintained by a single university, and is constantly requesting
donations to keep up the servers and maintenance. While researchers widely
acknowledge the importance of the pre-print server, there is no peer-review
incorporated, and none planned due to technical reasons. Thus, researchers are
stuck with spending >$1000 per paper to be published in journals, all the while
individual article access can cost as high as $32 per paper!
([source](https://www.nature.com/subscriptions/purchasing.html)). For reference,
a single PhD thesis can contain >150 references, or essentially cost $4800 if
purchased individually.

The recent advance of blockchain and smart contract technology
([Ethereum](https://www.ethereum.org/)) coupled with decentralized
file sharing networks ([InterPlanetaryFileSystem](https://ipfs.io))
naturally lead us to believe that archaic journals and editors could
be bypassed. We created our manuscript distribution and reviewing
platform based on the arXiv, but in a completely decentralized manner.
Users utilize, maintain, and grow the network of scholarship by simply
running a simple program and web interface.

## What it does

arXain is a Dapp that deals with all the aspects of a peer-reviewed journal service.
An author (wallet address) will come with a bomb-ass paper they wrote.
In order to "upload" their paper to the blockchain, they will first
need to add their file/directory to the IPFS distributed file system. This will
produce a unique reference number (DOI is currently used in journals)
and hash corresponding to the current paper file/directory.

The author can then use their address on the Ethereum network to create a new contract
to submit the paper using this reference number and paperID. In this way, there will
be one paper per contract. The only other action the
author can make to that paper is submitting another draft.

Others can review and comment on papers, but an address can not comment/review
its own paper. The reviews are rated on a "work needed", "acceptable" basis
and the reviewer can also upload an IPFS hash of their comments file/directory.
Protection is also built in such that others can not submit revisions of the
original author's paper.

The blockchain will have a record of the initial paper submitted, revisions made
by the author, and comments/reviews made by peers. The beauty of all of this is
one can see the full transaction histories and reconstruct the full evolution of
the document. One can see the initial draft, all suggestions from reviewers,
how many reviewers, and how many of them think the final draft is reasonable.

## How we built it

There are 2 main back-end components, the IPFS file hosting service
and the Ethereum blockchain smart contracts. They are bridged together
with ([MetaMask](https://metamask.io/)), a tool for connecting
the distributed blockchain world, and by extension the distributed
papers, to a web browser.

We designed smart contracts in Solidity. The IPFS interface was built using a
combination of Bash, HTML, and a lot of regex!
. Then we connected the IPFS distributed net with the Ethereum Blockchain using
MetaMask and Javascript.

## Challenges we ran into

On the Ethereum side, setting up the Truffle Ethereum framework and test
networks were challenging. Learning the limits of Solidity and constantly
reminding ourselves that we had to remain decentralized was hard!
The IPFS side required a lot of clever regex-ing. Ensuring that public access
to researchers manuscript and review history requires other proper identification
and distribution on the network.

The hardest part was using MetaMask and Javascript to call our contracts
and connect the blockchain to the browser. We struggled for about hours
trying to get javascript to deploy a contract on the blockchain. We were all
new to functional programming.

## Accomplishments that we're proud of

Closing all the curly bois and close parentheticals in javascript.
Learning a whole lot about the blockchain and IPFS. We went into this
weekend wanting to learning about how the blockchain worked, and came out
learning about Solidity, IPFS, Javascript, and a whole lot more. You can
see our "genesis-paper"on an IPFS gateway (a bridge between HTTP and IPFS) [here](https://gateway.ipfs.io/ipfs/QmdN2Hqp5z1kmG1gVd78DR7vZmHsXAiSbugCpXRKxen6kD/0x627306090abaB3A6e1400e9345bC60c78a8BEf57_1.pdf)

## What we learned

We went into this with knowledge that was a way to write smart contracts,
that IPFS existed, and minimal Javascript.

We learned intimate knowledge of setting up Ethereum Truffle frameworks,
Ganache, and test networks along with the development side of Ethereum
Dapps like the Solidity language, and javascript tests with the Mocha framework.

We learned how to navigate the filespace of IPFS, hash and and organize directories,
and how the file distribution works on a P2P swarm.

## What's next for arXain

With some more extensive testing, arXain is ready for the Ropsten test network
*at the least*. If we had a little more ETH to spare, we would consider launching
our Dapp on the Main Network. arXain PDFs are already on the IPFS swarm and can
be accessed by any IPFS node.
## Inspiration

Many students rely on scholarships to attend college. As students in different universities, the team understands the impact of scholarships on people's college experiences. When scholarships fall through, it can be difficult for students who cannot attend college without them. In situations like these, they have to depend on existing crowdfunding websites such as GoFundMe. However, platforms like GoFundMe are not necessarily the most reliable solution as there is no way of verifying student status and the success of the campaign depends on social media reach. That is why we designed ScholarSource: an easy way for people to donate to college students in need!

## What it does

ScholarSource harnesses the power of blockchain technology to enhance transparency, security, and trust in the crowdfunding process. Here's how it works:

Transparent Funding Process: ScholarSource utilizes blockchain to create an immutable and transparent ledger of all transactions and donations. Every step of the funding process, from the initial donation to the final disbursement, is recorded on the blockchain, ensuring transparency and accountability.

Verified Student Profiles: ScholarSource employs blockchain-based identity verification mechanisms to authenticate student profiles. This process ensures that only eligible students with a genuine need for funding can participate in the platform, minimizing the risk of fraudulent campaigns.

Smart Contracts for Funding Conditions: Smart contracts, powered by blockchain technology, are used on ScholarSource to establish and enforce funding conditions. These self-executing contracts automatically trigger the release of funds when predetermined criteria are met, such as project milestones or the achievement of specific research outcomes. This feature provides donors with assurance that their contributions will be used appropriately and incentivizes students to deliver on their promised objectives.

Immutable Project Documentation: Students can securely upload project documentation, research papers, and progress reports onto the blockchain. This ensures the integrity and immutability of their work, providing a reliable record of their accomplishments and facilitating the evaluation process for potential donors.

Decentralized Funding: ScholarSource operates on a decentralized network, powered by blockchain technology. This decentralization eliminates the need for intermediaries, reduces transaction costs, and allows for global participation. Students can receive funding from donors around the world, expanding their opportunities for financial support.

Community Governance: ScholarSource incorporates community governance mechanisms, where participants have a say in platform policies and decision-making processes. Through decentralized voting systems, stakeholders can collectively shape the direction and development of the platform, fostering a sense of ownership and inclusivity.

## How we built it

We used React and Nextjs for the front end. We also integrated with ThirdWeb's SDK that provided authentication with wallets like Metamask. Furthermore, we built a smart contract in order to manage the crowdfunding for recipients and scholars.

## Challenges we ran into

We had trouble integrating with MetaMask and Third Web after writing the solidity contract. The reason was that our configuration was throwing errors, but we had to configure the HTTP/HTTPS link,

## Accomplishments that we're proud of

Our team is proud of building a full end-to-end platform that incorporates the very essence of blockchain technology. We are very excited that we are learning a lot about blockchain technology and connecting with students at UPenn.

## What we learned

* Aleo
* Blockchain
* Solidity
* React and Nextjs
* UI/UX Design
* Thirdweb integration

## What's next for ScholarSource

We are looking to expand to other blockchains and incorporate multiple blockchains like Aleo. We are also looking to onboard users as we continue to expand and new features.
## Inspiration

We know how important it is for people to track their nutritional intake, whether for personal health or medical conditions. But, it can often be a hassle or even inaccessible to track calories of the meals we eat. And the problem only grows when including sugars, proteins and fats. When we were considering ways to simplify this problem, we considered the convenience and existing infrastructure of smart wallets and digital banking. Digital wallets allow you to pay with the tap of your phone and track purchases in-app. And, we considered systems like PRESTO and WatCard. Our solution, CaloriMeter, intersects these ideas with restaurant metrics to create the perfect food tracker.

## What it does

CaloriMeter provides caloric and nutritional intake at the instant of purchase. CaloriMeter acts as a smart card for paying at CaloriMeter-partnered restaurants and dining locations. When paying with CaloriMeter, nutritional data gets sent directly to your phone, no fuss. CaloriMeter-partnered restaurants help expand our database by providing accurate information about their foods. In your hands, you have all the power of data, without the need to collect it.

## How we built it

We divided the project into three parts: an admin panel for web, a vendor app for mobile, and a customer app for mobile. We used Flutter to develop the mobile apps and Sveltekit for the admin panel. Each of us took control of one of the three parts, with our database bridging between.

## Challenges we ran into

Because we did not have an actual NFC reader for testing payments, we had to substitute with QR scanning. It was also the first time for us exploring mobile development with Firebase and Flutter. We faced difficulties with materializing our ideas in a language we did not speak (code).

## Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud of having been able to learn something new so quickly. In the end, we managed to make the product we aimed for even though it was initially outside of our skill set to do so.

## What we learned

We learned that even some deceptively simple sounding ideas may have difficult complications that arise. Planning earlier and more extensively is paramount to getting a better coding experience as less variables are in the short duration where the actual coding takes place.

## What's next for CaloriMeter

CaloriMeter has many steps to becoming a production-ready product. In terms of cybersecurity, we have some work to do to protect and prevent misuse of the database from bad actors. With more time and the proper equipments for testing, we would use financial services like [Stripe](https://stripe.com/en-ca) and [Plaid](https://plaid.com/) to create a smart wallet. We think CaloriMeter is a great idea that has the potential to be so much more: for example, monitoring caffeine and medication intake. Someday, CaloriMeter could be part of your digital world.