"Year One: Life at ASU" is a periodic photo series following five freshmen navigating their first year at ASU. This installment checks in on Eric Arellano, a Flinn scholar from Tuscon who recently changed his major to computer science. The shift in major is noteworthy as we see Arellano, here, taking part in Hacks for Humanity, an event where participants scramble to create an app for social good - in 36 hours.
"This integrates extremely well with my mission to use technology to change the world," Eric said during the event.
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Eric Arellano (left) and Scott Fitsimones take a break from their computers, about five hours into the 36-hour Hacks for Humanity, to talk about ideas, on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015. The hack-a-thon is designed to create and pitch a new service for social good and build technology solutions to address pressing issues facing humanity.
Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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Arellano eats lunch while talking with team member Clare Rhoads during the 36-hour Hacks for Humanity, on the Tempe campus Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015. Within this time frame, the five-member team developed an idea and business plan for a web app to facilitate kidney donation chains, along with the algorithm to support the technology piece.
Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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Arellano and about 50 other students and community members combine their creativity into the 36-hour Hacks for Humanity, on the Tempe campus, on Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015. Arellano's group, table 7, became 'Linkd for Life,' as they developed a kidney donation network chain. Hacks for Humanity is part of ASU's Project for Humanities.
Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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Arellano and Rhoads go over some statistics about kidney ailments, dialysis and transplants. The group's goal is to increase the organ donor pool with a website and business model. One of the members called it a chain of compassion, where people who have friends needing a kidney sign up as potential donors.
Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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Arellano's Hack for Humanity teammate Clare Rhoads came up with the idea and name for the group, Linkd for Life. She removed the "e" from Linkd for a simple reason: the website for that name was already taken.
Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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Arellano (left) huddles with teammates Arcelious Stephens and Clare Rhoads, more than 31 hours into the 36-hour Hacks for Humanity, on the Tempe campus, on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015. Stephens is a retired scientist, and Rhoads is an ASU alumnus who works with non-profits.
Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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Arellano rehearses his presentation for Linkd for Life after working on it for more than 33 straight hours during Hacks for Humanity.
Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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Arellano gives his group's five minute pitch before three judges and 50 fellow hackers, more than 30 hours into the 36-hour Hacks for Humanity. The group’s Linkd for Life is conceived to have a large data base of organ donors and link them with needing recipients.
Charlie Leight/ASU Now
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Arellano proves the validity and need for his group's "Linkd for Life" during the five minute pitch before three judges and 50 fellow hackers at the Hacks for Humanity event. Though the group's idea was well conceived and would provide a possible solution to a problem, Arellano's group did not finish in the top three. Still, he said it was a valuable learning experience.
Charlie Leight/ASU Now
See what Eric was up to earlier in the semester in these past galleries:
Year One: Life at ASU — Eric shifts his focus
Year one: Life at ASU — moving into the dorms
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