By: Arjun Jhaveri
On April 23, Stonybrook University hosted its third annual High School hackathon at its Center of Excellence in Wireless and Information Technology (CEWIT). Eight Syosset students competed against over 120 students from 15 high schools across Long Island, demonstrating their coding and project management skills. Each team of four competitors was provided with an NVIDIA Jetson Developer Kit, which is a compact, high-performance computer designed to develop artificial intelligence (AI) applications.
This year’s theme was creating an application that can assist in emergency situations even without internet connection. Over the course of five hours, students worked to bring their ideas to life. Teams tested code, debugged errors, and made their designs. Additionally, undergraduate and graduate computer science students provided assistance to teams throughout the day. Of Syosset’s two teams, four students were from the Coding and Web Development Club and four students were from the Girls Who Code Club. Both groups approached the challenge in different ways.
The Coding and Web Development team developed a volunteer coordination system designed to help emergency responders mobilize large amounts of people. Their project used the NVIDIA Jetson to analyze pictures of emergency scenes, helping determine where volunteers would be most needed. Leonardo Su, a student on the Coding Web Development Team, said, “The Hackathon was a great experience, and I had fun designing and coding the whole day with my friends.” Meanwhile, the Girls Who Code team designed an AI-powered drone to assist in dangerous situations. Their project used AI to navigate and provide support in emergency environments. After students were finished working, their projects were presented to judges, who consisted of real workers in AI and technology industries. Students explained their ideas, demonstrated how their projects worked, and answered questions about their design process. Ultimately, both teams excelled in their events, with the Girls Who Code team placing fifth overall. Aydin Akmal, said, “The Hackathon was a great learning experience, and I hope I can go again next year.”
Overall, the CEWIT High School Hackathon enabled young programmers to pursue innovation and use technology to improve the world. This event provided students early experiences with advanced technology, paving the way for a bright future in the digital age.
