Uni

Your go-to University Engagement platform.

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Uni - University-Focused Social Network

Inspiration

We were inspired by the need for a more academic-focused social media platform where university students could connect based on their institutions and majors. Traditional social media platforms lack the academic context that makes networking meaningful for students. We wanted to create a space where students could discover peers in their field of study, share academic insights, and build professional connections within their university ecosystem.

What it does

Uni is a Twitter-like social networking platform specifically designed for university students. The platform allows users to:

  • University-based filtering: Students can filter content by specific universities (Rice University, University of Houston, etc.)
  • Major-based connections: Users can connect with others studying similar fields (Computer Science, Engineering, Business, etc.)
  • Academic social features: Post messages, replies, likes, threads, and direct messaging with an academic context
  • AI Assistant Integration: Features "Korn AI" - an intelligent assistant that responds to @Korn mentions, providing helpful information and assistance to students
  • Profile customization: Users set their university and major(s) during signup, creating a rich academic profile
  • Smart content discovery: Home and Explore pages that prioritize content from your university and related majors

How we built it

Our tech stack combines modern web technologies with cloud services:

Frontend & Framework:

  • Next.js 13+ with App Router for server-side rendering and optimal performance
  • React 18 with TypeScript for type-safe component development
  • Material-UI for consistent, accessible user interface components
  • Framer Motion for smooth animations and interactions

Backend & Database:

  • AWS Amplify for full-stack deployment and hosting
  • GraphQL API with real-time subscriptions
  • PostgreSQL database for reliable data storage
  • AWS Cognito for secure user authentication and management

AI Integration:

  • Cloudflare Workers AI for the Korn AI assistant using Llama 2 model
  • Cloudflare Workers AI for voice transcribing in calls.
  • Google Gemini API for content moderation and safety
  • Custom mention detection system with regex patterns

Additional Features:

  • TanStack Query for efficient data fetching and caching
  • React Dropzone for image uploads (profile pictures, post media)
  • Date-fns for elegant timestamp formatting
  • Custom hooks for authentication and AI functionality

Challenges we ran into

AI Integration Complexity: Implementing the Korn AI assistant required complex mention detection, API integration with Cloudflare Workers, and handling rate limiting. The regex patterns for detecting @Korn mentions needed multiple iterations to work correctly.

University Data Management: Creating a comprehensive list of universities and majors while ensuring the filtering system worked seamlessly across Home and Explore pages required careful state management and data normalization.

Content Moderation: Balancing free expression with appropriate content filtering, especially when AI responses were involved, required implementing sophisticated moderation logic.

Real-time Features: Implementing real-time updates for posts, replies, and AI responses while maintaining good performance across different network conditions.

Authentication Flow: Setting up AWS Cognito with custom user attributes for university and major information, plus handling email verification and user profile completion.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Seamless AI Integration: Successfully implemented an intelligent assistant that feels natural within the social media experience
  • Academic Focus: Created meaningful filtering by university and major that actually helps students connect
  • Full-Stack Achievement: Built a complete social media platform from scratch with authentication, real-time features, and cloud deployment
  • Production Ready: Deployed a fully functional application with proper error handling, loading states, and responsive design
  • Scalable Architecture: Used modern technologies that can grow with user demand and feature requirements

What we learned

Cloud Architecture: Gained deep experience with AWS Amplify, including environment variables management, CI/CD pipelines, and production deployment strategies.

AI API Integration: Learned how to effectively integrate external AI services, handle rate limiting, implement fallback mechanisms, and manage API costs.

State Management: Mastered complex state management patterns using React Query for server state and React hooks for client state.

Social Media Mechanics: Understood the intricacies of building social features like feeds, filtering, user interactions, and content moderation.

University Data: Researched and compiled comprehensive academic data, understanding how students actually want to filter and discover content.

What's next for Uni

Enhanced AI Features: Expand Korn AI capabilities to provide course recommendations, study group matching, and academic calendar integration.

Mobile Application: Develop React Native apps for iOS and Android to increase accessibility and engagement.

Advanced Matching: Implement algorithms to suggest relevant connections based on courses, interests, and academic projects.

Event Integration: Add features for university events, study sessions, and academic conferences.

Institutional Partnerships: Work with universities to provide official integration, course listings, and verified student status.

Analytics Dashboard: Create insights for students about their academic network growth and engagement patterns.

Video/Live Features: Add support for study sessions, virtual office hours, and academic presentations using LiveKit integration.

Multi-language Support: Expand to support international universities and students studying abroad.

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