ScholarSource

ScholarSource: revolutionizing the way scholars and researchers secure funding for their projects, leveraging the transparency and security of blockchain to ensure trust and accountability

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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.

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