DOHA: Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar (CMUQ) hosted its third national hackathon, challenging university students to use innovative programming skills to create digital applications.
Organised by CMUQ student club ‘CarnegieApps’ and sponsored by iHorizons, the event saw students from CMUQ and Qatar University compete in a 24-hour race to build mobile and web applications or games using any technology for presentation to a panel of industry judges.
“The quality of work developed is impressive, with some ideas innovative and groundbreaking to be incubated in Silicon Valley,” said Francisco J Guzman, a scientist at Qatar Computing Research Institute and judge.
“When I see a résumé that includes participation in hackathons, I know that this is a student who can get things done and produce innovative ideas, which is why I hope CMUQ keeps nurturing this tradition by reaching out to more universities,” he added.
Maher Hakim, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship, CMUQ, and hackathon faculty adviser; Julien A Abi Nahed, R&D Executive, Qatar Science and Technology Park, Faraj Abdulla, Innovative Leader, Girnaas, and Mohammed Benmessaoud, Service Delivery Manager, Telecom, iHorizons, were also on the judges panel.
“We are glad to contribute to enhancing skills and capabilities of CMUQ students and boosting their confidence in translating ideas into tangible products as they will be the next generation of Arab world’s business and technology leaders,” said Mohamad Takriti, CEO, iHorizons.
Applications presented to the panel were judged in four categories: Best Design, Best Commercial Application, Best Rookie and Best Technical Award.
Team ‘Leesin’ of CMUQ was awarded Best Commercial Application for a mobile application to help corporations improve staff transportation through carpooling. The application also addressed regional cultural sensitivities by ensuring users are able to choose who they travel to work with.
The participants, also known as hackers, were given the opportunity to learn about programming, problem solving, information systems and computer science through individual sessions with mentors comprising CMUQ alumni and past hackathon participants. The application deadline for fall 2015 is March 1.
The Peninsula
