On November 12, the inaugural Ivy Hackathon brought in over 70 students from various majors at Iowa State University. The event, which took place in the Ivy College of Business’s Kingland Hub, drew both undergraduate and graduate students, fostering a diverse, collaborative environment with high levels of creativity.
“I wanted to try something new and gain experience in an area unrelated to my primary studies,” said Marie-Claire Akawung, an international, freshman student from Cameroon, Central Africa, pursuing a degree in biology. “It seemed like the perfect opportunity to meet other people with similar engagement tendencies and further develop my collaboration and project development skills.”
Students participating had the opportunity to develop ideas for one of two tracks, technical-focused or business-focused, and present their deliverables to a panel of judges filled with senior executives. In addition to free food and the potential for extra credit in certain courses, around $3,000 in cash prizes were awarded to 11 different teams.
“I was honored to be a part of the Business Analytics (and Digital Strategy) Forum group that helped judge the inaugural Ivy Hackathon,” said Derrick Aldridge, head of distribution technology and analytics at American Equity. “I was astounded by the innovative solutions and the creativity of the participants. It’s amazing what these incredibly talented, intelligent people were able to accomplish in one day.”
As a new opportunity for students, there was a bit of uncertainty surrounding student engagement and involvement. However, the response to the event’s announcement grew far beyond initial expectations, even causing the registration to be closed early due to the fear of exceeding the event’s capacity.
“Our Ivy Hackathon has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, not only because students are tackling real-world challenges, but also because students can see their solutions’ significant social impact,” said Wei Zhang, Kingland Systems Business Analytics Faculty Fellow and director of the Ivy Business Analytics and Digital Strategy Forum, who organized the event. “We are extremely grateful to the judges for dedicating their time and expertise to the event.”
The Hackathon was centered around idea development for combatting financial scams and protecting consumers. Sponsored by the college’s new Business Analytics and Digital Strategy Forum, the primary goal was empowering students to make a societal impact by tackling real-world problems with innovative solutions.
Competing in my first-ever hackathon or case competition-style event was awesome. I am grateful to have gotten the opportunity to be a part of what I hope becomes a long-standing tradition here at Ivy.
The all-day event allowed students to utilize knowledge gained from their classes, taking a collaborative approach in joining the fight against financial fraud and helping consumers protect themselves.
“From the strong mix of knowledge gained through the various business classes I’ve taken, I am able to bring to the table a more realistic scope of how business ideas are developed and what goes into that process,” said Ali Anwar, a senior from northern Illinois studying management information systems. “Having a developed set of soft skills is also important, especially communication. Being open to expressing ideas and not being scared to give and receive criticism in idea development is often necessary for reaching the most optimal outcome and one that the whole team is happy with.”
Although the hackathon was mainly a team-based event, registering with a team was not required, and many students registered individually. Participants were paired with each other on the day of the event, creating a valuable and unique experience for students in efficient networking with new and diverse groups.
“Getting to know my team through extensive collaboration has been an amazing experience,” said Kareem Dajani, a master’s student in business analytics from Jordan. “Our team is based in different areas of study, so I’m very happy to gain practice in utilizing those different inputs and developing ideas in creative ways.”
Students could participate on a team or work individually. Brandon Pieczka, a freshman in software engineering from Chicago, Illinois, worked alone and was awarded the technical track’s third-place prize of $300.
“I signed up because it seemed like the perfect opportunity to gain some highly valuable experience, and the chance to win some prizes or at least add something unique to my portfolio is pretty cool,” said Pieczka. “Working on the project individually is definitely challenging, but I’m glad to be developing my skills in working through roadblocks and allocating my time efficiently.”
For students like Vladislav Pavlyuk, a sophomore in finance and business analytics, the hackathon provided an opportunity to make an early and memorable impression on senior executives in the business industry. Pavlyuk and his two team members were awarded the first-place prize of $600 for their solution, SafeNet, a brokerage system bridging the gap between financial institutions and consumers at risk of financial scams.
“Competing in my first-ever hackathon or case competition-style event was awesome,” said Pavlyuk. “I am grateful to have gotten the opportunity to be a part of what I hope becomes a long-standing tradition here at Ivy.”
Response to the event, from those helping to run it to the students involved, was better than what its hosts could have imagined. This positive impact and widespread appreciation are the results of the kindness and involvement of all the judges, as well as the great amount of work put into setting up and running the event, which is attributed to Zhang and Kevin Scheibe, Union Pacific Professor for Information Systems and Business Analytics and chair of the Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics.
“I want to thank Wei Zhang and Kevin Scheibe for hosting such a wonderful event to connect us students with professional industry workers who acted as judges,” Pavlyuk continued. “Overall, it was a fantastic experience, and I recommend everyone to try it out next year.”
The Ivy Hackathon had a meaningful impact on the 28 teams involved and provided students with an incredible experience. The feedback from both the judges and the students was positive across the board, setting the stage for this event to continue seeing success in the future.
The event is expected to be held annually.
Visit the Ivy College of Business on LinkedIn for a list of winners, industry partners, and to view more images.
Learn more about upcoming events at the Ivy College of Business.
