This story is part of an initiative led by the Central Indiana Corporate Partnership (CICP) to highlight entrepreneurship and innovation across Indiana’s universities. Learn more about the initiative here.
INDIANAPOLIS — Purdue University students played a prominent role in TechPoint’s 2026 Xtern Challenge, presenting enterprise-focused AI solutions March 6 at Cummins’ headquarters in Columbus, Indiana.
Developed in partnership with Cummins, the work-based learning experience brought together 100 students from colleges and universities across the state to tackle real-world problems. Of the 45 Purdue students participating, 22 were based in Indianapolis.
“Participating in TechPoint’s Xtern Challenge has given students confidence that the skills they are learning at Purdue and The Data Mine are preparing them to solve real-world challenges in industry,” said Maggie Betz, managing director of The Data Mine in Indianapolis.
Designed to mirror professional, cross-functional teamwork, the Xtern Challenge paired students from different institutions and disciplines to collaborate remotely for several weeks before delivering their solutions to Cummins leaders and judges. The challenge centered on two tracks: Enter the Matrix, which focused on enterprise agentic AI systems, and Service Engineering Reboot, which explored AI-assisted service workflows.
Faris Ibrahim, a sophomore computer science student who is also part of The Data Mine in Indianapolis, earned a second-place finish at both the Xtern Challenge at Cummins and the Xtern Challenge at MISO in fall 2025.
“Working in a lab-style environment with students from different majors taught me that success isn’t just about technical ability, but about communication, adaptability and seeing the bigger picture,” Ibrahim said. “In many ways, the Xtern Challenge feels like an accelerated version of The Data Mine experience — a fast-paced, three-week sprint where I can apply everything I’ve learned in a high-impact setting.”
Purdue students were well represented across multiple top-finishing teams, with 16 students based in Indianapolis and West Lafayette placing first, second, third or receiving an honorable mention.
The final presentation day featured remarks from Cummins CEO Jennifer Rumsey and judging panels composed of Cummins professionals spanning AI, engineering and business operations.
The challenge underscored Purdue students’ readiness to apply classroom learning to complex, real-world problems and to contribute meaningfully to Indiana’s evolving digital economy.
Enter the Matrix (Purdue students’ placements only)
First place: Ameya Shukla and Tanay Patel
Project: Disrupt IQ — a disruption response planning system designed to support faster, more transparent decision-making in warehouse and supply-chain operations.
Second place: Vikram Kavalipati, Sanketh Patil, Seno Sanjeev and Somya Sakalle
Project: Prescriptive Maintenance Dispatcher — a proposed a multi-agent system to improve field service readiness and reduce repeat service visits.
Third place: Avani Kabra
Project: Procurefy — a system that streamlines workflows for automated multi-agent purchase orders using agentic AI.
Honorable mention: Vihaan Pradeep and Joshika Sathyamathan
Project: SupplyGuard — a monitoring system utilizing multiple agents to catch supply chain disruptions early.
Honorable mention: Donggyu Yoon
Project: Orange Lantern — a platform to monitor vendor performance
Service Engineering Reboot (Purdue students’ placements only)
First place: Mannandeep Caur and Nishad Patel
Project: SNIMMUC — an AI-powered decision-support system to assist technicians in interpreting diagnostic data and making more reliable repair decisions.
Second place: Faris Ibrahim and Iota Shrestha
Project: FieldAssist — a platform for technicians to use streamlined and safer field service workflows in order to more efficiently diagnose and repair systems.
Third place: Yejin Oh
Project: Cummins Tech AI — a project designed to aid technicians troubleshooting in the field.
Honorable mention: Ramani Satishkumar
Project: PMAdapt — a system fashioned to provide novice technicians with guided maintenance checklists and diagnostics that senior technicians would employ.
This story was originally published by Purdue University. Click here to read the original article.
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Across Indiana, our universities are fostering the next generation of entrepreneurs and innovators who are shaping our state’s future. In collaboration with our university partners, CICP is excited to share and amplify those stories; which highlight students, faculty, and alumni who are turning ideas into action. By celebrating these efforts, we aim to strengthen the connections between higher education, industry, and community, and to shine a light on the innovation happening throughout our state. Click here to learn more about this initiative.
