{"686005":{"#nid":"686005","#data":{"type":"event","title":"My Special Aflac Duck Quack-a-Thon","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Tech Students Invited to \u201cQuack-a-Thon\u201d to Innovate the Next Generation of My Special Aflac Duck\u00ae\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech students are invited to take part in the upcoming Quack-a-Thon \u2014 a hands-on design challenge where creativity and technology come together to help children facing serious illness. Sponsored by Aflac, the event will have participants team up to create and pitch rough prototypes for new features or accessories for \u003Cem\u003EMy Special Aflac Duck\u003C\/em\u003E, the award-winning interactive companion that helps children ages three and up with cancer and sickle cell disease prepare for medical procedures, express their feelings and find comfort during treatment.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Quack-a-Thon isn\u2019t just about competition \u2014 it\u2019s about compassion, collaboration and using design to make a tangible difference in children\u2019s lives.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDeveloped by Aflac and Empath Labs, \u003Cem\u003EMy Special Aflac Duck\u003C\/em\u003E is more than a toy \u2014 it\u2019s a therapeutic tool that blends robotics and emotional support. The soft, cuddly duck helps children navigate the hospital and treatment experience through play and imagination. The Quack-a-Thon gives Georgia Tech students the chance to elevate this meaningful companion, applying their skills in engineering, design, robotics and user experience to make the next generation of the duck. Your involvement presents an opportunity to impact the lives of children facing serious health challenges.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EStudents will present their concepts to a panel of judges from Georgia Tech and Aflac, competing for prizes of up to $500. Winning ideas will also be reviewed by Aflac and Georgia Tech for potential inclusion in future updates \u003Cem\u003Eto My Special Aflac Duck\u003C\/em\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Quack-a-Thon is part of a broader collaboration between Aflac and Georgia Tech, led by the \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pediatrics.research.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EGeorgia Tech Pediatric Innovation Network\u003C\/a\u003E, and is open to all students at Georgia Tech. After the October event, a Georgia Tech review team will help Aflac narrow down the top ideas to explore further.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELearn more at \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/quackathon.gt\/\u0022\u003Einstagram.com\/quackathon.gt\u003C\/a\u003E and \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.signupgenius.com\/go\/10C0C4CABA722A1FFC61-59494560-quackathon#\/\u0022\u003Esign up to participate\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech Students Invited to \u201cQuack-a-Thon\u201d to Innovate the Next Generation of My Special Aflac Duck\u00ae\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech Students Invited to \u201cQuack-a-Thon\u201d to Innovate the Next Generation of My Special Aflac Duck\u00ae"}],"uid":"27469","created_gmt":"2025-10-26 23:29:33","changed_gmt":"2025-10-26 23:39:31","author":"Kristen Bailey","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2025-10-27T15:00:00-04:00","event_time_end":"2025-10-27T19:00:00-04:00","event_time_end_last":"2025-10-27T19:00:00-04:00","gmt_time_start":"2025-10-27 19:00:00","gmt_time_end":"2025-10-27 23:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2025-10-27 23:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"location":"848 Spring Street NW (Tech Square)","extras":[],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.signupgenius.com\/go\/10C0C4CABA722A1FFC61-59494560-quackathon#\/","title":"Quack-a-Thon Signup"},{"url":"https:\/\/pediatrics.research.gatech.edu\/","title":"Pediatric Innovation Network"}],"groups":[{"id":"1182","name":"General"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"10377","name":"Career\/Professional development"},{"id":"1788","name":"Other\/Miscellaneous"}],"invited_audience":[{"id":"174045","name":"Graduate students"},{"id":"78751","name":"Undergraduate students"}],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}