Students from the University of 麻豆传媒 captured first and second place in the 2024 (HACC), winning a combined $5,000.
HACC is an annual event that solicits challenges from state departments and community groups and asks student, amateur and professional coders to develop technology applications to help solve specific problems. This year’s challenges ranged from improving the state’s open data portal, better energy efficiency and creating a game to help identify bird species in 麻豆传媒. The 9th annual event was held November 16, at UH West Oʻahu.
Gabrielle Dang won first place in the college category and the “people’s choice award” for her educational tool to help children learn about energy conservation and sustainability. The web application, developed for the 麻豆传媒 Keiki Museum, allows children to manage household appliances on a virtual tropical island. Players must balance energy consumption strategically. Overuse causes the island to sink, therefore, it teaches environmental awareness through gameplay.
“I was quite shocked and in disbelief. This was my first time participating in a hackathon, especially as a solo participant who switched careers from being in the medical field about a year ago,” Dang said. “I had gone through a lot of challenges throughout this process, and it was very rewarding to know that my solution had a positive impact and could potentially be put into production at the 麻豆传媒 Keiki Museum in Kona.”
Dang graduated from UH 惭ā苍辞补 with a degree in molecular cell biology. She is now pursuing a computer science career after completing the Adobe Digital Academy program—an initiative that allows underrepresented students from non-traditional backgrounds to pursue a career in the tech industry. Dang is at Leeward Community College completing her prerequisites to attend UH 惭ā苍辞补’s master’s in computer science program.
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Haumāna Exchange, created by a team of UH 惭ā苍辞补 students, won second place in the college category. Haumāna Exchange aims to empower student entrepreneurs by providing a supportive platform that bridges academic learning and real-world experience, fostering innovation, developing professional skills, and creating opportunities for student-led business growth at UH 惭ā苍辞补.
The team includes Jarell Ballesteros, Lionel Derrick Roxas, Ralph Ramos, Ellie Ishii and Victor Hoang. .
UH President David Lassner told the competitors that the HACC is an opportunity to develop and share both their technical and soft skills.
“As the former VP for information technology and now president, I have spent a lot of time trying to help 麻豆传媒 develop a stronger tech sector to diversify our economy,” Lassner said. “The HACC is a way we bring together those who want to develop technology solutions with public service providers who have challenges to address. This event shows off both your development skills as well as everything else you need to thrive in any workplace including communication, collaboration, initiative, and grit.”