Students from Southeast College’s Computer Science Training Through Projects (CSTTP) course earned an honourable mention at the University of Regina’s first hackathon, organized by the Computer Science Student Society (CSSS).
The Hackathon, held overnight from March 14–15 at the U of R, focused on sustainability and challenged participants to develop technical solutions inspired by the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
Southeast College was well represented with two teams of three competing against full-time university students. One of the teams—Allister Watson, Megin Marashi, and Christian Quin—developed a gamified recycling application where users gain points for recycling. Their innovative project earned them an honourable mention, placing them among the top teams out of 17.
Ryan Gustafson, instructor of the CSTTP class and the applied research coordinator at the Centre of Sustainable Innovation at Southeast College, was proud of his students' performance.
"We had an opportunity to really essentially test it out to see how the students were performing against a traditional computer science program, and they did very well. I was extremely pleased with their work and the presentations they gave," said Gustafson.
He highlighted the significance of their achievement:
"One of our teams received an honourable mention, which indicated they were either third or fourth out of 17 teams, where most of them were full-time university computer science students," he said. "To do that well is really just a testament to what we're doing and what we're trying to build."
Beyond the competition, the event provided valuable learning experiences. Students faced numerous challenges, which Gustafson said was one of the most rewarding aspects of the event.
"That was the beautiful part about it—there were a massive amount of challenges," he said. "It was really exciting to see them tackling those challenges one at a time and then that moment of excitement when they found a solution and got something to work."
For many, presenting their projects in front of judges, volunteers, and a room full of university students was a new and intimidating experience.
"It was certainly intimidating for them, especially the presentation side," Gustafson said. "To get up in front of a group of 70 university students, plus judges and volunteers, and give a presentation on their work was a challenge, but such an important learning experience."
During their time at the university, students also toured the U of R’s microgrid, led by Dr. Irfan Al-Anbagi, a professor and director of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Microgrid research labs. The tour featured the university’s solar panels, microgrid controller, and Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).
Looking ahead, the collaboration between Southeast College and the University of Regina may continue to grow, with more students getting the chance to participate in future hackathons.
"The U of R has indicated they plan to run this event twice a year moving forward," said Gustafson. "That would work out great, where we could take our fall cohort to their fall hackathon and our spring cohort to the spring hackathon. It would be a great way to build a partnership between the university and the college."
The students’ success at the event showcased the strength of Southeast College’s CSTTP program and the real-world skills they are developing.