This year’s AT&T Hackathon was the biggest one yet, drawing a record 200 participants who competed to win $8,000 in prizes across eight categories. Smart Yields was on hand to mentor several teams, all inspired to tackle challenges faced by local farmers. And one of them, the “Smart Aina” team, won “Best IoT App” for its solution to farm theft.
Governor David Ige and UH President David Lassner served as Hackathon judges. They were joined by UHInformation and Computer Sciences Professor Jason Leigh and AT&T RAN (Radio Access Network) Director Bryan Ito.
“This is a great example of a collaboration that benefits our talented tech students and the state’s growing tech industry,” said Lassner.
“It was a great night that once again showcased the many talented students who make Hawaiʻi proud,” said Ige, who earned an electrical engineering degree from UH in the late 70s.
The teams had a mixture of creative talent and development skills. They created their web, Android or iOS apps from conception to implementation. Each team had three minutes to present their finished mobile app to the panel of judges. AT&T sponsors the Hackathon in partnership with the UH information and computer sciences department and the Pacific Center for Advanced Technology Training, a consortium of the UH Community Colleges. AT&T also sponsors the event and provides the prizes.