ProgramEarth
NYC skyline with Little Island and Lower Manhattan
Upcoming eventNYC · Sept 25–26, 2026

NYC Environmental Agent-a-thon.

AI agents helping public-sector agencies work with environmental data. A hackathon for students. Real impact for New York.

Applications openSponsor commitments close Sept 1, 20262 daysIn-person · New York City
Sponsors
JPMorgan logoOpenAI logoFidelity logoCNCF logoGrafana logo

A weekend where students, sponsors, and New York's environmental agencies ship real software together.

Sponsor this event →Apply as a student
By the numbers

A weekend, sized to the challenge.

0+
acres
protected across ProgramEarth's partner network.
0M
people
served by New York State environmental agencies.
0
days
of building, mentorship, and demos with agency partners.
How it works

Sponsors define. Students build. Agencies keep it running.

Step 01

Sponsors define the challenge.

Partner agencies and companies co-scope real environmental data problems worth a weekend of engineering.

Step 02

Students build AI agents.

Teams from CUNY, SUNY, Columbia, and Cornell prototype in 48 hours alongside mentors from sponsoring companies.

Step 03

Projects continue with agency partners.

Winning prototypes graduate into public-sector workflows — not slideware, but working software that ships.

Project tracks

Five environmental problems, one weekend.

Watersheds

Flow, runoff, and basin-scale modeling.

Water Quality

Sensor data, sampling, and public dashboards.

Climate Risk

Heat, flooding, and long-horizon forecasts.

Monitoring

Field telemetry pipelines and anomaly detection.

Public Infrastructure

Agent workflows for civil systems and utilities.

Why sponsor

Talent, trust, and real deliverables — from one weekend.

The Agent-a-thon puts your engineers in the room with the next generation of AI and environmental talent, alongside the agencies already deploying that work at scale.

  • Access emerging AI and environmental engineering talent from top NY universities.

  • Brand alignment with New York State agencies and public-interest partners.

  • Working prototypes that continue with agency partners after the event.

In partnership with

Universities and State Agencies.

Academic partners
CUNY logoSUNY logoColumbia logoCornell logo
Agency partners
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation logo

September 25–26, 2026. New York City.

Whether you're bringing a team, a budget, or a challenge — get in touch and we'll route you to the right side of the room.

Event runs September 25–26, 2026 · Sponsor deadline September 1

Sponsor this event →Apply as a student
Sponsorship

Three ways to support the Agent-a-thon.

Champion
$2,000 – $5,000
  • Logo placement on event site and materials.
  • Recruiting access to student attendees.
  • One recap deliverable post-event.
Leader
$5,000 – $10,000
  • Everything in Champion.
  • Sponsored track with mentor seats on the floor.
  • Prominent brand placement on stage + demos.
Innovator
$10,000+
  • Everything in Leader.
  • Co-defined challenge with an agency partner.
  • Post-event continuation of one winning project.