DOHA: The CarnegieApps Hackathon this year saw record participation, with 20 teams competing in the 24-hour regional programming competition at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMU-Q).
The best overall app prize went to CMU-Q team ‘The Walking Coders’, which included Rachel Marella, Sungho Park, Eishaank Gakhar and Shaden Shaar. They created an app that searches through video content using keywords, directing users to the exact mention in the video.
Organised by CarnegieApps, a student-led club, and sponsored by Ooredoo, the hackathon required participants to work around the clock to develop software for an innovative game, mobile or web app.
Fatima Sultan Al Kuwari, Director, Community and Public Relations, said, “The students showed impressive dedication and problem-solving capabilities and I think the winning team had a great idea. Competitions such as the hackathon prepare students for real-life scenarios in the working world where they will be expected to solve a problem in a short time and create something new from scratch.”
Munera Fahad Al Dosari, Assistant Director, Programme Management Office, Ooredoo, represented the company on the judges’ panel, announced the awards and delivered the closing remarks.
The best rookie team award went to CMU-Q Team ‘Hack4’ comprising Deeksha Singh, Dhrishika Megchiani, Sabrina Akhter and Shobiitaa Krishna.
‘Team Whatever ‘from Qatar University received the award for best design comprising Azharul Islam, Naheel Kamal, Ahammed and Waseem Palliyali.
The best technical challenge award was won by ‘Team Three and a Half Men’ from CMU-Q comprising Mohammed Fituri, Yasser El Sayed, Musab Popatia and Ahmed Shah.
The winning team’s Rachel Marella, an information systems freshman, said, “Hackathon encourages collaboration across all programmes and allows us to bring our expertise and apply it to real-world situations. As my first hackathon, the rewards and experience has been invaluable.”
The competition was also judged by Khalifa Saleh Al Haroon, Founder, I Love Qatar, and CEO, Haroon United Group; Ahmed Elmagarmid, Executive Director, Qatar Computing Research Institute (QCRI); Indica Amarasinghe, Head, Digital Incubation Centre; and Francisco Guzman, QCRI computer scientist.
The hackathon is part of CMU-Q’s contribution to the computer science industry in Qatar and the region, an effort that promotes an interdisciplinary approach to developing innovative technological applications.
The Peninsula
