SlugSync

An app to view all UCSC campus events in a centralized feed.

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Inspiration

As freshmen on campus, we found ourselves missing out on countless opportunities, not because we weren’t interested, but because we didn’t even know they were happening. Between scattered Instagram pages, outdated websites, and word-of-mouth announcements, there was no single reliable place to discover events. That gap inspired us to build SlugSync, a one-stop hub for everything happening on campus.

What it does

SlugSync provides a centralized feed of all campus events so students can easily find what’s happening around them without having to scour social media or club websites. The goal is to help students stay engaged, discover new communities, and make the most of campus life.

How we built it

We developed the frontend in Swift using Xcode, designing an intuitive interface. The backend was built with Python using FastAPI, chosen for its speed and flexibility. We integrated an SQL database to handle event data persistently and deployed the backend on Render, making the app accessible over the internet.

Challenges we ran into

Our biggest challenge was integrating the frontend and backend to work together. We faced issues like data structure mismatches and incompatible API methods that required careful debugging and communication. Server deployment also posed difficulties: ensuring all configurations, dependencies, and routes were aligned perfectly for the live server took significant time and precision.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re incredibly proud of the pace and efficiency with which we developed this project. In just about 10 hours, we built a fully functional app with zero budget — every line of code, every API call, and every UI component was crafted from scratch. Most importantly, we successfully got all components working together in harmony.

What we learned

We learned that ambitious ideas are far more achievable than they seem, especially with perseverance and teamwork. From building a full-stack app in under 12 hours, we gained hands-on experience in: • Swift and iOS development • FastAPI and backend design • SQL database management • Server deployment and networking • Version control using Git

What's next for SlugSync

We plan to expand SlugSync with several new features: • User authentication and profiles • OpenAI-powered smart search for personalized event recommendations • Dynamic event management (updates, RSVPs, notifications, add to personal calendar) • Improved UI/UX design for smoother navigation

Once refined, our ultimate goal is to launch SlugSync on the iOS App Store and make it available to all UCSC students.

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